WebProNews

Tag: Kuwait

  • Google Maps Adds Live Traffic Info To More Countries

    Google Maps has expanded its live road traffic feature into three more countries (one city each). These include: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City, Kuwait and Guayaquil, Ecuador.

    “Now, the maps of these locations are much more useful, as drivers can quickly determine the clearest route to their destinations and reduce the amount of time spent in the car,” writes product manager Stephan Seyboth in a blog post. “In addition to being able to see current traffic conditions, estimated travel times are also available to ease anxiety and help you plan your trips accordingly.”

    In addition to the new countries/cities, Google has improved live traffic info to include more roads and highways in 15 other regions, where the feature already existed. These include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.

    “We hope this more comprehensive coverage provides a more accurate picture of the traffic conditions in these areas, and helps people to not only avoid getting stuck in traffic jams, but also more easily get where they want to go,” says Seyboth.

    In other Google Maps news, the company also launched some improved syncing features for the Android version, as Google Maps has disappeared from iOS (in favor of Apple’s own Maps product).

  • Kuwait Prepares to Limit Social Media

    Kuwait Prepares to Limit Social Media

    Kuwait, which just sentenced a man to seven years in prison for an inflammatory tweet, is gearing up to restrict the use of social media in the country.

    Sheikh Mohammad al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Information Minister, last week declared that Kuwait plans to enact new laws which stifle the use of social networks like Twitter to better “safeguard the cohesiveness of the population and society.” Sites like Twitter and Facebook have been ignited already tense relations between Sunnis and Shi’ites in the region. Besides the Kuwaiti citizen who was sentenced to 7 years for insulting Kuwait’s Shi’ite Muslim minority, another man was recently arrested for allegedly insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammad on his Twitter account, which lead to social unrest, with groups demanding that he be executed.

    Up until recently, Kuwait was described by OpenNet as having “the most outspoken (network) in the Arab world.” Though, anything to do with pornography, anti-religion, anti-tradition, and anti-security is blocked by the Ministry of Communication. It’s not yet clear exactly what new rules will be put into place, though they will likely have to do with content that incites social tension, and anything to do with anonymous speech.

  • Kuwaiti Man’s Tweets Get 7-Year Sentence, $18,000 Fine

    Kuwaiti Man’s Tweets Get 7-Year Sentence, $18,000 Fine

    If you’re a regular Twitter user, you’ve likely come across some inflammatory if not outright insulting tweets in your time. Some may be legitimate, some may be over the line – you may have even sent some of said tweets. However, depending on your culture, be careful how you use your 140 characters because in some regions of the world that could land you a heavy penalty.

    Take one Kuwaiti man’s experience: after being found guilty of insulting Kuwait’s Shi’ite Muslim minority on the micro-blogging site, he’s been sentenced to 7 years and prison and ordered to pay $18,000 in compensation.

    Kuwait’s government hasn’t been shy about doling out punishments to people posting controversial tweets. Last month, a man was arrested for allegedly insulting the Muslim prophet Mohammad on his Twitter account, but he claims that it wasn’t his words and that his account had been hacked. Still, his tweets prompted several protesters to condemn the man and demand that he be executed.

    The man accused of insulting the Shi’ites, Mohammad al-Mulaifi, was arrested in February. He’s been convicted of spreading falsehoods about sectarian divisions in Kuwait, insulting the Shi’ite faith and its scholars, and for damaging Kuwait’s image in the region.

    According to The Next Web, al-Mulaifi has apologized to the Shi’ites and claimed that his words were misunderstood. He defended himself by saying that he didn’t intend to insult Islam or his family, though that defense appears to not have worked out so well for him. In addition to the prison sentence and monetary fine, he’s also been sentenced to hard labor and may even have his Kuwaiti citizenship revoked.

    [Via Yahoo! News.]