 | Fighting erupts between Syrian rebels and Kurds Nov 1st 2012, 00:23 BEIRUT — Nearly a week of fighting between Kurds and Arab rebels in northern Syria risks opening a new front in the already bloody battle for control of the country, underscoring the complexity of a conflict that threatens to ignite sectarian and ethnic tensions across the region. Read full article >>   | | Photos: Halloween in Hong Kong looks awesome Oct 31st 2012, 21:27 Hong Kongers don't really trick or treat, but they do embrace Halloween for its Americanness and its tradition of dressing up in a costume. The costume parties are big, and the biggest is apparently at that most American of locales: Hong Kong Disneyland. But Halloween is observed throughout the city, often by young people. These photos show a striking cultural convergence between east and west in a city that loves to blur the two. Read full article >>   | | Justice Department sues Reston contractor, alleges it provided unqualified guards in Iraq Oct 31st 2012, 20:26 The Justice Department sued a Virginia-based contractor Wednesday, accusing the company of submitting false claims for unqualified guards under a $10 million contract to provide security in Iraq. Triple Canopy, a private security company based in Reston, billed the United States for hundreds of Iraqi foreign nationals hired as security guards although they did not meet firearms proficiency tests established by the Army and required under the contract, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Read full article >>   | | North Korean tourist stops now serving corn floss tea Oct 31st 2012, 20:14 Yum! Pyongyang, October 30 (KCNA) — There is a teahouse near the Ullim Falls, a scenic spot in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The two-story teahouse is furnished with souvenir counter, open-air and indoor dining rooms, soft-drink stand and other facilities to serve tourists. … Ri Kyong Ae, a saleswoman, said: "Bread stuffed with vegetable or pear jam, boiled rice wrapped in leopard plant and dishes made of anise and aralia shoots are popular among visitors. They also like drinks made of barrenwort, corn floss and bellflower root, which are good for health." Read full article >>   | | Motorcycle Sheikh sparks Saudi controversy: Does the Koran approve? Oct 31st 2012, 17:25 Prominent Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar Sheikh Salman al-Oud was caught last week navigating holy sites from the back of a small motorbike. It was after all the Hajj, a week-long holiday of religious pilgrimage to Islam's founding cities, and a busy time for any good sheikh. But it's become a minor controversy in the conservative nation, where even more eccentric religious figures like al-Oud are expected to adhere to ultra-traditionalist ways. Read full article >>   | | In India, a Tweet can land you in jail Oct 31st 2012, 15:51 After seditious cartoons against corruption, now even a Tweet can get you arrested in India. Two recent Twitter-related arrests have triggered concern among many Indian users of social media. Ravi (one name), a small plastic packaging businessman in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was arrested Tuesday for posting Tweets critical of Karti Chidambaram, son of India's finance minister. In his Tweets, Ravi questioned the rise in Chidambaram's wealth in recent years. Police said they received Chidambaram's complaint about "offensive" Tweets that Ravi had posted on the micro-blogging site in the past year. He was later released on bail by a judge. Last week, an associate professor at a fashion studies college in Tamil Nadu, Saravana Kumar Perumal, was arrested for harassing a famous movie singer called Chinmayi. Read full article >>   | | More hints of an opening for direct U.S.-Iran talks Oct 31st 2012, 14:20 The Iranian government has reportedly appointed one of its diplomats "to be the channel for all approaches from the Americans," according to Laura Rozen of Al-Monitor. She also quotes a veteran U.S. diplomat with knowledge of the appointment as saying that he doesn't think there are firm plans for direct U.S.-Iran talks. Read full article >>   | |
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