Free Republic

What do the words sex, lavender, flatulence, quickie, butt, mango and pud have in common? They are among more than 1,000 words deemed so obscene by the Pakistani Telecommunications Authority that they have instructed mobile phone operators to block them from all text messages. It is a decision that has left many in Pakistan unsure whether to be staggered, amused or outraged. Social media sites such as Twitter have been flooded with posts about the decision. An unconfirmed list has been circulating online. Many of the words are sexually explicit but the inclusion of some words and phrases appear to...

A 41-year-old woman in Norrköping has been indicted on charges of forgery and fraud after borrowing about 450,000 kronor ($62,000) in her best friend's name, of which she spent 50,000 kronor on breast surgery in Thailand. The accused has admitted to the crimes. The woman also repaid private debts, including those from failed businesses overseas, with the funds, newspapers in Norrköping reported on Thursday. In addition, the woman travelled to Thailand several times and underwent a breast operation. The woman tricked her friend into believing that she needed to use her bank account in order to deposit money that she...