German soldiers denied sex in the field

Reuters reports that Germans soldiers are now forbidden to have sex while on active service. The recent order was issued by the Defense Ministry. The rationale behind the decree was stated as "sleeping with fellow soldiers of either sex would be bad for morale, threatening 'mutual trust' and soldiers' willingness to help each other.'" Sex with a soldier's partner is also banned under the rule. The army originally laid out a series of proposals on how to behave with female colleagues when women were first allowed into active army service at the beginning of 2001.

The Sept. 22 issue of the Los Angeles Times reports that magazines like Hustler and Playboy will no longer be allowed in California correctional facilities. The main reason for the ban, sources say, is the fear of litigation from California's numerous female prison guards. Prison officials say they have received numerous complaints from female guards who claim that men have used the porno mags in inappropriate and suggestive ways. The ban went into effect Sept. 10, and a number of prison rights advocate groups have vowed to challenge the constitutionality of the ban in court. Flynt 'n' Hef should keep their fingers crossed—with circulation plummeting in recent years, imprisoned wankers may be an audience they can ill afford to lose.

Switzerland's most populous state, Zurich, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to give same-sex pairs rights previously reserved for traditional married couples. The referendum in Zurich approved civil registration for gay and lesbian couples. They will have the same tax, inheritance and social security benefits as other married couples. The condition is that the partners must live in Zurich proper and formally commit themselves six months in advance to running a joint home and to providing each other with mutual support and aid. While a number of other European countries have already recognized same-sex unions, Zurich is the first Swiss state to do so.

Last week, the state Supreme Court of Washington ruled that covertly filming up women's skirts isn't actually against the law. A recent case involving a man who secretly videotaped a woman's panties up her skirt piqued the curiosity of the State's highest court. The court ruled that the man's actions, though merely "disgusting and reprehensible," were legal because the woman was at a public event (a ruling many women may find "disgusting and reprehensible." The landmark ruling also overturned the convictions of another area man who was accused of taking photographs under women's skirts at a Yakima County shopping mall. Both men had hoped to sell their pictures to Internet fetish sites similar to http://www.upskirt.com.

Thai police are on the lookout for a group offering sex with a girl in the back of a moving van. The mobile brothel concept has apparently proved to be more popular than mango and sticky rice in the off-season. The gang is believed to run five vans, which all have curtains fitted behind the drivers seat and beds installed in the back. Music to provide just the right romantic mood is also piped into the bedroom as the vans are driven around the city, reports the Kom Chad Luek newspaper. A shag in the back of the van with a Thai hooker goes for between £20 and £30 a time. Police say they are trying to catch those operating the vans, but add that the group is very well-organised, complete with lookouts and mobile phones.