Mile-High Skyscraper, Twice the Height of Burj Khalifa, Gets Go-Ahead

A skysraper twice the height of the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, has been given the go-ahead in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Architizer reports: "Here are some facts: 'Kingdom Tower' will be one mile high. It will contain almost 12 million cubic feet of space. It will be part of a larger urban development built to house about 80,000 people, at a cost of almost 30 billion dollars. Using your average elevator, it would take 12 minutes to reach the zenith."

Gay Saudi Diplomat Seeks Asylum In The United States

NBC News reports on a story about a gay Saudi diplomat living in Los Angeles who is asking the Department of Homeland Security for political asylum in the United States. Ali Ahmad Asseri, who works in the Saudi Consulate in LA, says Saudi officials want him sent back to his home country, where he could face political persecution or death. Asseri, who apparently has also threatened to release "politically embarrassing information about members of the Saudi royal family living in luxury in the U.S.," says that if he returns to Saudi Arabia, he will be killed "openly in broad daylight.”

  NBC News reports:

The Saudis have also been sharply condemned by the U.S. State Department and human rights groups for religious and political intolerance, including the treatment of gay people. The most recent State Department human rights report on Saudi Arabia notes that, in addition to denying political and religious rights to minorities, “under Sharia (Islamic law) sexual activity between two persons of the same gender is punishable by death or flogging.” While the report stated there was no “official discrimination” on the basis of sexual orientation in employment and housing, “sexual orientation could constitute the basis for harassment, blackmail, or other actions.” It noted that in one case reported in a Saudi newspaper three years ago, two men in the Saudi city of Al-Bahah were publicly lashed 7,000 times after being found guilty of sodomy.

Asseri says that his co-workers went out of their way to find out about his homosexuality:

Asseri, in a recent telephone interview, said that has been assigned to the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles for the past five years. His problems began some months ago, he said, when Saudi consulate employees who suspected he was gay began following him to gay bars. They also discovered his close friendship with a Jewish woman from Israel. It was some time after these discoveries, Asseri said, that consulate officials began harassing him, refusing to renew his diplomatic passport or provide him with badly needed medical treatment for a painful back ailment. They also continued to monitor his private life and have demanded that he return to Saudi Arabia.

Asseri officially applied for asylum as a member of a “particular social group" and met with a representative from Homeland Security last month and if it is granted, he would be the first diplomat to receive it in over 15 years.

Saudi Arabian Man Gets 1,000 Lashes, Year in Jail, and Fine of $1,330 for Posting Harmless 'Gay' Video to YouTube

Yesterday, I posted about the 27-year-old Saudi Arabian man who was arrested and charged with "homosexuality", among other offenses, after a video he posted to YouTube went viral.

Now we have learned his punishment: "A 27-year-old Saudi man from Jeddah has been sentenced to 1,000 lashes, a year in jail and a fine of 5,000 riyals ($1,330) after appearing in an amateur gay video (above). The film, which lasts 2 minutes and 46 seconds, shows him dressed in a police uniform asking to inspect someone’s driving licence and then flirtatiously demanding 'physical comfort' after saying the licence is expired. He later opens his shirt and rubs his chest, removes his cap flaunting his long hair and waves a gun suggestively. That’s as far as it goes."

The video, if you missed it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Watch: The Video That Got a 27-Year-Old Man Arrested for Homosexuality in Saudi Arabia

 

A man in Saudi Arabia has been arrested and charged with "homosexuality", among other offenses, after a video he made with a friend was posted on YouTube and went viral in Saudi Arabia.

Arab News reports: "Police First Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq told Arab News that the 27-year-old man had been previously charged 'with a homosexual case but was bailed out.'  ... 'This time he is facing three charges: One is for homosexuality; the other for general security; and the third is for impersonating a police officer,' said Al-Bouq. The video depicts a young Saudi man dressed in a police uniform inside a vehicle flirting with the man holding the camera. He asks the cameraman for his driver’s license and offers 'comfort.' At one point, he waves around what appears to be a real handgun. Later in the approximately two-and-a-half-minute video on YouTube, he lifts up his shirt and rubs his chest. The video quickly spread online and through SMS until police detained both men involved in the act. Attempts have been made to block the video from being viewed in Saudi Arabia."

Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

67 Filipino Men Arrested at Gay Party in Saudi Arabia

A gay party celebrating the Philippines' independence day at a villa in Riyadh was the target of police, who arrested 67 men, some of whom were in drag:

"Alcohol, which is strictly banned, was found, while cross-dressing - 'imitating a woman' in legal language - is also against local law. Some of the men may also be charged with 'displaying homosexuality', though none is accused of homosexual acts, an offence which carries much heavier penalties in Saudi Arabia. The men were released pending formal charges. They face sentences of up to six months imprisonment and 60 lashes. The arrests were confirmed by the Philippines' vice-consul in Riyadh, Roussell Reyes. 'Some of those arrested were reportedly wearing gowns and wigs and drinking liquor,' he told a radio station. 'It seems that there was a party.'"

Similar arrests happened last year in June and July.

News: Mario Cantone, Vail, Formula One, Sam Adams, RuPaul

Saudi Arabia beheads two men after they are convicted of raping another.

It's on again but has the message been lost? Join the Impact notes that the focus of the nationwide protests happening this weekend is DOMA but nowhere is it mentioned in this report on the upcoming Saturday protest in Pasadena.

Humiliation on the slopes in Vail...

DOMA author Bob Barr: Repeal it.

Spain is "key front" in Vatican's church-state battle: " In a recent interview in Madrid, the secretary general of the Spanish Bishops Conference, Msgr. Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, said it was important for the church 'to use all the means at its disposal to promote and defend its fundamental rights.' He called the 2005 law legalizing gay marriage and adoption 'very strange and very irrational and very unjust.' The implications are broader, since Spain, with its 42 million Catholics, remains a touchstone for Latin America. South America alone has 324 million Catholics, the world’s largest concentration."

Great White Shark autopsy to be conducted in front of 1,000 people, streamed live online: "We’re interested in the gut content to see what the shark has eaten – it could be anything from seals, penguins, fish or even whale blubber. We’re certainly hoping not to find any human bits inside, but you never know."

"Marriage Equality Rights for LGBT couples nationwide" is among the top 10 ideas voted up by visitors to the Change.org website. You can vote it up HERE.

Cristiano Ronaldo takes his final bake of '08.

Mario Cantone's Superstar musical headed to Broadway? "Superstar is the ultimate interactive theatrical experience. Capitalizing on the cultural phenomenon of reality television talent contests, Superstar brings to life the story of six finalists in a heated talent competition. With its radio-ready, contemporary score and lyrics, Superstar artfully blends the on-stage reality show with all the backstage drama. Incorporating romance, conflict, plot-twists and foul play - everything they don't show you on TV - Superstar captivates audiences of all ages - entertaining traditional and non-traditional theater-goers alike. Driving the competition is the audience - an integral part of the show itself, in that, EVERY NIGHT THE AUDIENCE VOTES - live during the show - and on any given night, ANYONE can win!"

Cover Girl: RuPaul releases new video to coincide with premiere of Drag Race show.

Ordinance barring discrimination against gays and lesbians challenged in Kalamazoo, Michigan; likely to go before voters.

One if by land: Family Research Council warns of gay marriage invasion.

Conservative gay SoCal blogger Boi from Troy calls it a day.

NYT on Arkansas foster care - adoption law not in the child's best interest: "The new law is undeniably discriminatory. Under Arkansas law, people convicted of major crimes, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, remain eligible to adopt children or become foster parents. Single people who have no partner — or who have a large number of casual sex partners — are also eligible. Anyone who is in a committed relationship, gay or straight, but is not married is automatically barred."

AfterElton has a crush on Portland's new gay mayor Sam Adams.

Head of Formula One racing accused of homophobia and racism in UK lawsuit.

Palin family embroiled in suspicions of nepotism, abuse of power once again: "Levi Johnston this fall began working at the Milne Point oil field through the ASRC Energy Services apprenticeship program. However, radio talk show commentator Dan Fagan, in a column published Sunday in the Anchorage Daily News, questioned how Johnston could take part in the apprenticeship program without the required high school education. Johnston's father, Keith Johnston, said in a telephone interview that his son decided to resign and return home to work on his education."

Bush cat dies, had nine lives and three names: "'Willie' apparently couldn't bear life after the White House. The Bushes' 18-year-old female black American Shorthair died Sunday at home in the Executive Mansion. Named by a then-9-year-old Barbara Bush, the cat, who was also called 'Kitty' by the family, was given the name 'India' after the former Texas Ranger baseball player, Ruben Sierra, who was called El Indio."

Lindsay Lohan has not had her Anne Heche moment yet.

Lone hacker responsible for infiltrating celebrity Twitter accounts, says Twitter: "The issue with these 33 accounts is different from the Phishing scam aimed at Twitter users this weekend. These accounts were compromised by an individual who hacked into some of the tools our support team uses to help people do things like edit the email address associated with their Twitter account when they can't remember or get stuck."

Oprah gets depressed too.