At a glance

Women cops for IranTEHRAN: Iran will soon launch its first training for women police officers, in a move to improve employment opportunit...

Women cops for Iran

TEHRAN: Iran will soon launch its first training for women police officers, in a move to improve employment opportunities for women in the Islamic republic, the official Irna news agency reported. Some 100 women cadets and 30 non-commissioned officers will begin their training in the Iranian year that starts in March, Irna quoted Mandana Hosseini, the country8217;s top woman police official, as saying on Tuesday. She said police were also setting up five police stations staffed by women to deal with women offenders, and were carrying out research on female and juvenile crime, Irna added. Iran8217;s parliament last year passed a measure allowing women to carry out most police duties, including law enforcement which had been reserved mainly for men since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Pak govt fascist: Bhutto

WASHINGTON: Former Pakistani Prime minister Benazir Bhutto said Here Tuesday her country8217;s current rulers want 8220;to impose a theocratic state8221; in a 8220;relentless assault ondemocracy8221;. 8220;The West cannot remain indifferent to the resurgence of fascism in South Asia. Can it be comfortable with a dictator running a nuclear Pakistan?8221; Bhutto said here at a conference devoted to Woodrow Wilson. 8220;Pakistan is more isolated than ever in the international community,8221; she said. She also accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of having had her husband kidnapped from his hospital bed and dragging in security forces who kept him for days without sleep, food or water.

US to look into bidi fad

WASHINGTON: US Senator Dick Durbin has urged federal officials to investigate whether high-nicotine, hand-rolled cigarettes imported from India should be allowed to be sold in health food stores. In a letter to Federal Trade Commission FTC chairman Robert Pitofsky, the Illinois Democrat said selling the thin, flavoured, unfiltered cigarettes called beedies or 8220;bidis, alongside vitamins and alternative medicine products, could be a form of deceptive advertising.8221; With their shape likemarijuana joints and inexpensive price 8212; a paper-wrapped bundle of 20 goes for about two dollars 8212; the cigarettes are a growing fad among teenagers. They also are particularly potent, containing four to seven times the nicotine of regular American cigarettes but with no filter. Flavours like strawberry, chocolate and vanilla help mask the harsh taste. Federal health officials and anti-smoking activists say many youngsters don8217;t realise bidis are even more dangerous than regular cigarettes. The FTC already is investigating reports that many bidis are often sold without warning labels.

Crunchy statistics

CHICAGO: Americans will spend 44.3 per cent of their food dollars on away-from-home meals this year, when restaurant sales are projected to total 354 billion , according a study by the National Restaurant Association NRA. The NRA, wrapping up its annual convention on Tuesday, said the projected sales represented a 4.6 per cent hike from last year and equalled more than four per cent of the USGross Domestic Product GDP. Within the next decade, the association forecast that industry sales would soar 67 per cent. Nearly, 50 billion meals are eaten in restaurants, school and work cafeterias across the United States each year. In 1996, the average annual household expenditure for food away from home was 1,823 dollars or 729 dollars per person, the study indicated. The study also established that Saturday was the most popular day to eat out and Monday the least popular.