Russian airline forces gay flight attendant to marry woman or lose job
29 January 2012
MOSCOW -- LGBT activists in Russia are planning a campaign to boycott the Russian airline Aeroflot following a report that a gay flight attendant was forced by the airline to enter into a heterosexual marriage or face losing his job.
Maxim Kupreev, via GayRussia.ru
According to a report by GayRussia.ru, internal sources at Aeroflot confirmed that 25-year-old flight attendant Maxim Kupreev was given the ultimatum late last year after he announced plans to establish an LGBT group within the airline in order to protect the rights of gay and lesbian employees.
Rebel hero who has 'betrayed' the last of Aceh's orang-utans
by Kathy Marks
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Governor has dismayed supporters by allowing the destruction of a Sumatran forest where the apes live
Global demand for palm oil is threatening the survival of the 6,600 orang-utans left in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. EPA
When the former rebel leader Irwandi Yusuf became governor of Indonesia's Aceh province, he proclaimed a "green vision" for the war-torn region. Aceh's lush forests – still relatively pristine despite decades of civil conflict – would not be sacrificed for short-term profit, he promised. True to his word, he even chased down illegal loggers in his own jeep.
Ex-RBS CEO Fred Goodwin stripped of knighthood
31 January 2012
April 25 2007 file photo of former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin who led the bank into near collapse.
LONDON (AP) - Former Royal Bank of Scotland chief Fred Goodwin, who led the bank into near collapse, has been stripped of his knighthood, the British government said Tuesday.
The Cabinet office said the knighthood had been "canceled and annulled" because Goodwin had brought the honors system into disrepute. Revoking knighthoods is rare, but the government said "the scale and severity of the impact of his actions as CEO of RBS made this an exceptional case."
Julian Assange to guest star on "The Simpsons"
30 January 2012
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the High Court in London December 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
(Reuters) - Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be a guest character and voice on animated TV comedy "The Simpsons," playing a neighbor of the family after they move from their home in fictional Springfield.
Assange's "brief" guest starring role will be on the show's February 19 program, which marks the 500th episode of "The Simpsons," said Antonia Coffman, a spokeswoman for the show airing on the Fox television network in the United States.
Afghan couple killed three teenage daughters in honour killing
Members of an Afghani refugee family have been jailed for life in Canada for the honour killing of three teenage girls and their stepmother, in a crime which shocked their adopted country.
Geeti, Zainab and Sahar Shafia Photo: AP
By Rosa Prince
30 January 2012
Mohammad Shafia, the girls' father and husband of the fourth victim, was secretly taped by police describing his daughters as a "disgrace" and complaining that they dated boys and wore inappropriate clothes. He was sentenced to life in prison along with his second wife, Tooba Yahya – who he was married to illegally – and their 21-year-old son Hamed, the girls' brother. At least one of the dead girls – Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13 – had unsuccessfully sought help from the police before their deaths.
Afghan woman is killed 'for giving birth to a girl'
By Bilal Sarwary
30 January 2012
Wali Hazrata is in police custody. She has made no public comment about the allegations.
A woman in north-eastern Afghanistan has been arrested for allegedly strangling her daughter-in-law for giving birth to a third daughter.
The murdered woman's husband, a member of a local militia, is also suspected of involvement but he has since fled. The murder took place two days ago in Kunduz province. The baby girl, who is now two months old, was not hurt. The birth of a boy is usually a cause for celebration in Afghanistan but girls are generally seen as a burden. Some women in Afghanistan are abused if they fail to give birth to boys. And this is just the latest in a series of high-profile crimes against women in the country.
Shopper, 25, asked for ID to buy TEASPOONS – as shop worker says they could be used as drug paraphernalia
By Rob Cooper
30th January 2012
Teaspoons: Elinor Zuke, 25, who works for trade magazine The Grocer, was told the spoons could be used as 'drugs paraphernalia'
A woman was asked to prove her age when buying a packet of teaspoons - as a shop worker claimed they could be used as drug paraphernalia.
Elinor Zuke, 25, was told by the self-service checkout at Sainsbury's that she needed age verification as she tried to buy a £1.19 pack of spoons. A shop worker then intervened and said it was because of the risk they could be used for drugs - heroin users 'cook up' the drug in teaspoons. Heroin is an illegal Class A drug - so it is irrelevant whether someone is over 18 - the spoon should not be used for that purpose anyway. The maximum sentence for possessing heroin is seven years in prison or an unlimited fine.
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