Jan 5th, 2012 at 10:30AM: A new internet ban in the former Soviet country Belarus will make the usage or browsing of many foreign websites illegal and punishable by a fine of up to $125. The Library of Congress reports that all Belarusian companies and entrepreneurs will be required to use only locally-hosted websites for conducting business, sales, or exchanging emails. Additionally, e-commerce websites without a local ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Belarus internet ban targets foreign websites
Jan 5th, 2012 at 10:30AM: A new internet ban in the former Soviet country Belarus will make the usage or browsing of many foreign websites illegal and punishable by a fine of up to $125. The Library of Congress reports that all Belarusian companies and entrepreneurs will be required to use only locally-hosted websites for conducting business, sales, or exchanging emails. Additionally, e-commerce websites without a local ...France's burqa ban goes into effect
Apr 11th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Today France has taken a controversial move and instated a burqa ban, aimed at the traditional religious covering worn by conservative Muslim women. The ban will potentially affect up to 2,000 women who wear a full-face veil in public, though it is unclear how the enforcement will work as police cannot remove the veil. Women who refuse to lift the burqa or niqab may be taken to a police station ...Newark Mayor goes head to head with Conan O'Brien over joke about city
Oct 2nd, 2009 at 10:30AM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/politics/Newark_Mayor_goes_head_to_head_with_Conan_O_Brien_over_joke'; Conan O'Brien recently made a crack about the city of Newark, New Jersey, on The Tonight Show. But it seems the city's Mayor, Cory Booker, didn't find it very funny.
"The Mayor of Newark, NJ, wants to set up a citywide program to improve residents' health. The health care program would consist of ...
Overcrowded Venice may ban day-trippers
Sep 18th, 2009 at 10:30AM: There's no question that Venice is a city overrun with tourists. 20 million people visit the sinking city each year, yet only 60,000 Italians call Venice home. It's no wonder then that the city starts to feel more like an open-air museum, a well-preserved relic of the past, rather than a living, and lived-in, city.
The residents of Venice put up with a lot (though or course, many of them profit ...U.S. man tries, fails to get arrested for travel to Cuba
Jul 25th, 2009 at 12:30PM: I've always dreamed of going to Cuba, but fears of hefty fines and prison time have so far kept me from doing so. As it turns out, maybe I shouldn't have been worried. Mytchell Mora, a U.S. citizen, has been to Cuba four times in the last tens years and hasn't managed to get in any trouble - despite his best efforts.
Mora actually wants to get arrested for violating the United States' ban on ...Christmas presents and parties banned in Croatia
Nov 15th, 2008 at 9:00AM: Okay, here's the truth. Not ALL Christmas gifts are banned in Croatia. Probably, you could throw a party in the privacy of your home, but the work holiday parties in both the public and private sectors, have been crossed off the holiday to-do list.
Even the holiday parties without gift-giving are off the list. There will be no Ho! Ho! Hos! this season says Prime Minister Ivo Sanader--at least, ...China to Ban Lip Synching
Nov 13th, 2008 at 2:00PM: Only a few months after China was ripped for having a nine-year-old lip synch a song during the Olympic opening ceremonies, the Ministry of Culture is declaring war on the art of pretending to sing music that is actually being played on the sound system. A law is in the works, but the ministry said that it wants to seek public opinion before it begins enforcement. The "public opinion" stage is ...French happy hour may be coming to an end
May 19th, 2008 at 1:00PM: Using English words in France, sometimes causes a stir. Remember the French Eurovision song that had English lyrics? Despite attempts to language purity, English words and expressions still manage to make their way into la vie française. "Happy hour" is one of those expressions. The French love getting a deal on an afternoon beer, and happy hours (pronounced apee ow-uuur in a French accent) ...Smoking Bans on Cruise Ships Cost Millions in Cancellations
Sep 7th, 2007 at 8:56AM: Regent Seven Seas intends to tighten its smoking rules this December. Although not even in place yet, the plan to ban smoking in cabins and on balconies has already cost the company $3 million in cancellations. And Regent isn't the only cruise line pouring water on smokers' fires; Oceania Cruises implemented a zero-tolerance policy the same day a smoldering cigarette killed one person and ruined ...
