Openly lesbian Syrian blogger abducted and other news

* An openly lesbian blogger based out of Damascus in Syria has been abducted by a group of unidentified men. Amina Arraf had shot to prominence for her frank views on Syrian uprising,  politics and being a lesbian. She was kidnapped last night as she and a friend were on their way to a meeting in Damascus. The kidnapping was reported on her blog “A Gay Girl in Damascus”, by a cousin. According to the Guardian, it is “unknown if she was in a jail or being held elsewhere in Damascus. Syria has at least 13 branches of security forces, various police divisions as well as militias and gangs.” Read more. * On a lighter vein, Chandigarh’s traffic police have joined their counterparts in other cities on Facebook.  With 280 followers, the page’s objectives have been stated as follows: “stop traffic violations, Time to play your role. Join hands to make this city more SYSTEMATIC & CRIME free. Give suggestions, add pics & videos. SPEAK!”. A first look at the page shows no posts by the traffic police themselves, but plenty of unflattering posts by users like DeepSter Singh who says, “Policemen of chandigarh traffic police are more indulged in taking bribe than to manage the traffic.” But maybe it’s a temporary hiccup and they will find themselves as popular as the frequently updated Delhi traffic police page which has over 60,000 followers. * Do you live in Bangalore? We hope for your sake that you can read and write Kannada! The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has recommended that the state government bring out a legislation to get non-Kannadigas in Karnataka to clear the basic Kannada examinations. And Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said, “All the recommendations would further develop the language. The government will implement the recommendations on priority basis at the earliest.” ( Read the whole story here) * And finally, take a look at this video which is the epitome of cute. A young Glee “warbler” fan, dons the uniform, sings the songs AND does the dance moves. Enough Youtube hits and they just may make him a part of the show!