SIDELINES

HAIR FARMING The increasingly hardline Taliban regime in Afghanistan has made it illegal for soldiers to be clean shaven, court martialling or dismissing any who refuse, or are not able, to grow a beard. All soldiers must now comply with Islamic law and have a beard “at least the length of a fist”. They are not the first army to have mandatory facial hair; between 1860 and 1916 all British soldiers were required to have a moustache, again with penalties for being clean shaven. Irish Independent, 28 Aug 2024. SWEAR ME A RIVER Although it has been possible to swear a pagan oath in court since 2006, Paul Powlesland made legal history at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London when he became the first juror in history to swear a…

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Fortean Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 454

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