20 September 2008

Stories from 20 September 2008

UK: Azerbaijani Gay Artist Deported

  20 September 2008

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that gay Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov has been deported from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan. The blog also says that faced with protests, the British Midlands Airways’ spokesperson turned off his phone to avoid calls lobbying on Badalov's behalf.

Lebanon: Homosexuality in Lebanon

  20 September 2008

Although Lebanon stands out as a more tolerant space for homosexuality in the Middle East, the real life for this section of the community is not paved with roses. A quick round up of blogs and spaces promoting this issue in Lebanon gives the reader a brief peek into how this community lives.

Singapore bans imported milk from China

  20 September 2008

Singapore Dutch lady brand of strawberry flavored milk was found with melamine, the same chemical which caused several injuries and death in China. Imported milk from China is now banned in Singapore. A blogger writes: “As a testament to how inter-linked the world now is and how processed many foods...

Another Malaysian blogger arrested

  20 September 2008

Malaysian blogger Syed Azidi Syed Aziz, better known as Kickdefella, was arrested by the police because of his online campaign to fly the Malaysian flag upside down. The blogger was released Saturday afternoon.

Iran: Ramadan and back to nostalgy

  20 September 2008

Avayemoj, an Iranian blogger, says[fa] that Ramadan reminds her childhood when she was four or five years old. The blogger writes: ” in my home nobody talked about hell and not even about paradise.God was kind and merciful.”

UK: Azerbaijani Gay Artist's Deportation Update

  20 September 2008

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that following pressure on Azerbaijani Airlines, the details of Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov's deportation from the UK have been changed. The blog calls on concerned individuals and organizations to lobby British Midlands Airways (BMI) who will fly Badalov to Baku in just a few hours.

Russia: Intravenous Drug Use Leading Cause of HIV/AIDS

  20 September 2008

While sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, a UNAIDS report says that some of the most worrisome increases in new infections are happening in other places, such as Russia. Many HIV/AIDS experts have also expressed concerns that Russia, as well as other former Soviet Union states,...

Brazil: Suspense as indigenous land rulings in limbo

  20 September 2008

Brazil's Supreme Court (STF) decided to postpone the decision about Raposa Serra do Sol land but will vote on another less complex demarcation case: the Pataxó Hã-Hã-Hãe people have been waiting for this decision for over 26 years. Meanwhile, bloggers comment on the fact that, for first time in the history of Brazil's Supreme Court, an indian lawyer defended her people. Watch the video.