Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2006 November 22-31

Essex, England, police descended on Robert Emerson's home and seized his pet kitten. Emerson had adopted the feline from a shelter, and when he missed an appointment with the adoption agency, it decided to reclaim the cat. The agency called for police assistance just in case there was trouble. Emerson eventually got his kitty back.

Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal are facing charges in a Turkish court of insulting "Turkishness" and inciting hatred against Islam. The men allegedly complained about Turkey's compulsory military service and called Islam a "primitive and fabricated" religion. They have denied the accusations. The two face up to nine years in prison if convicted.

Toronto's Sutton Place Hotel faces more than $600 in fines after actor Sean Penn smoked a cigarette during a press conference there during a film festival. Some health officials wanted Penn also charged under the province's anti-smoking laws, but an investigation found the hotel had not informed Penn he could not smoke.

Authorities in Bristol, England, have banned doormats in public housing. They say the mats can cause people to trip. Officials say they'll seize any mats not voluntarily removed by residents.

Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury faces a possible death sentence on charges of sedition, treason and blasphemy. Choudhury has been charged because of articles he ran in his newspaper that the government considers too critical of Islam and too favorable towards Israel. At his trial, Choudhury's attorney will be able to cross examine government witnesses but will be unable to present witnesses of his own. When a mob including members of the country's ruling party stormed his office and attacked him earlier this year, the government refused to allow him to press charges.