Mexico is looking to battle the bulging waistlines of its children by banning junk food from schools.
Getting the axe along with modern soft drinks and sweets will be salted tamarind candy, pork rinds and atole, the thick and sweet cornstarch-based beverage served piping hot in the morning.
Tortas — the often overstuffed, greasy, meat-packed sandwiches popular in Mexico — are out, unless they are “light” versions such as beans, avocado and cheese, or chicken-and-vegetables. Only low-fat tacos, burritos and salads will be allowed.
The health department says it hopes to have the rules in place when the next school year starts in August.
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Tourists to visit Colosseum’s gladiator cells
Rome : -Tourists visiting Rome will soon be able to see underground areas of the Colosseum, where gladiators once prepared for fights and ferocious animals were caged before entertaining the public during the Roman era. Local officials said the area has been made safe after several months of work and visits are expected to begin in a few months’ time.
Architect Barbara Nazzaro said tourists will be able to see the spaces where lions, tigers and bulls were kept in cages before being raised via elevators to the arena for public spectacles. The ingenious system of lifts allowing wild animals to suddenly pop up at ground level made for an awesome sight, Nazzaro said.
By arrangement with AKI
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Boy forced to eat school report in UK
London : Furious at his son’s poor school report, a father in France forced the boy to chew and swallow the sheets of paper and later admitted that he had “lost his temper” and had “over-reacted”.
The angry father stuffed the school report into his 12-year-old son’s mouth and ordered him to eat it earlier in May. The boy found it difficult to eat the three sheets of paper. His father then attempted to force it down his throat with his finger, a court in Poitiers, western France, was told.
The next day, a teacher at his school noticed the boy’s bruised lips and black eye, leading to the father’s arrest. He was charged with assault, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
—IANS