Internet and mobile outage in Syria

According to Renesys, a firm that monitors internet connectivity, mobile and internet connections in Syria have been cut off today. In a blog post the US-based organisation said that “all 84 of Syria’s IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet” starting at 12:26 local time today. The blackout comes as clashes between security forces and rebels have been raging near the Damascus Airport, with Emirates Airlines and Egypt Air canceling fights out of security concerns. Alternative dial-up access has been set-up for Syrians by activists: Dial up access: +46850009990 +492317299993 +4953160941030 User:telecomix Password:telecomix OR +33172890150 User:toto Password:toto.

Christian demoted for anti-gay marriage Facebook post wins employment case

A Christian man who was demoted after making posts opposing gay marriage on Facebook won in an employment case against his employers today. Adrian Smith, an employee of Manchester’s Trafford Housing Trust, lost his managerial position and received a 40 per cent pay cut after receiving a written warning from his employer reprimanding him for making a post saying that allowing same-sex weddings in churches were “an equality too far”. The court ruled that the demotion was a breach of contract, as Smith’s posts were made on a private page and outside of working hours. A legal technicality limited Smith’s damages to £100.

Man arrested for poppy burning Facebook picture

Police in Kent, England have arrested a man after he posted a picture of a burning Remembrance Day poppy on Facebook. According to the Kent Police website, the man is being questioned on suspicion of “malicious communications”.

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UK: Man sentenced to 100 hours of community service for shouting at Prime Minister

A man who shouted “no ifs, not buts, no public sector cuts” at Prime Minister David Cameron during a speech in Glasgow in July has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service, it was reported today. Activist Stuart Rodger, 23, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by violating a security cordon; shouting and failing to desist; attempting to approach Cameron and causing fear and alarm. His sentence was reduced from 150 hours of community service to 100 due to his guilty plea. The BBC has reported that Rodger was previously fined £200 for hitting Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg with paint.

Greece: Investigative journalist acquitted

Investigative journalist Kostas Vaxevanis, whose Hot Doc magazine published a leaked list (nicknamed the “Lagarde list”) of over 2,000 names of Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, has been acquitted of breaking data privacy laws. In a video uploaded the night before his arrest earlier this week, Vaxevanis said: “They are after me instead of the truth.” His arrest drew widespread condemnation from rights groups and international media.

Greece: Another journalist arrested as crackdown continues

Greek journalist Spiros Karatzaferis was arrested today (31 October) for after threatening to publish damaging allegations about the country’s struggling economy. Karatzaferis said he had obtained information from hacking collective Anonymous, allegedly containing classified documents and email exchanges relating to Greece’s financial bailout from international funders. According to the Greek Reporer, Karatzaferis said authorities had used an old warrant relating to a libel case to arrest him. His arrest comes just days after that of investigative journalist Kostas Vaxevanis for exposing alleged tax cheats, signalling a worrying attack on free speech in the country. This post was edited for clarity at 16:52 GMT on 31/10/12

Polish rocker faces religious offence charge

Polish heavy metal singer  Adam Darski, AKA Nergal, could face two years in prison for tearing a bible on stage. Nergal, singer with Behemoth, performed the stunt in 2007, before descrbing the Catholic church as “”the most murderous cult on the planet”. A court found has found that the act could be in violation of polish law as it “offended religious feelings”. Prosecutors may now pursue a criminal case. In 2009, Polish pop singer Doda was fined after she said the Bible “was written by someone drunk on wine and smoking some herbs”.

READ: FIVE BIZARRE BLASPHEMY CASES

Azerbaijan: 100 protesters arrested during crackdown on rally

One hundred protesters were arrested today by security forces in Baku, Azerbaijan‘s capital. The organisers of the protest decided to make their way to Baku’s Fountain Square to call for the dissolution of parliament, even though the country’s authorities refused to sanction the planned rally. Authorities took measures to curb the protests, with security forces gathered in the centre an hour before the planned protest. According to well-known Azerbaijani lawyer Asabali Mustafaev, some protesters outside of Baku were detained before even travelling to the rally.