Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

(Newser) - After a huge international backlash and a boycott movement led by celebrities including George Clooney, Brunei says it won't be enforcing the death penalty for gay sex or adultery. The tiny sultanate, which brought in the penalties last month as part of an ongoing rollout of Shariah law, says...

(Newser) - The official name of the tiny nation of Brunei is Negara Brunei Darussalam , with Negara meaning country and Darussalam translating to "abode of peace." Outraged people around the world might find that latter part a misnomer. Brunei was on Wednesday set to introduce the most drastic elements of...

(Newser) - Don't be caught wearing a Santa hat in Brunei unless you want to spend the next five years in prison. Hassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of the Muslim country on Borneo, has banned "the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly" for fear it could lead to "tasyabbuh...

(Newser) - Beginning in April, adulterers in Brunei could find themselves stoned to death. That's because the country today announced that it will in six months begin enforcing sharia criminal law, which also includes such punishments as limb severing for theft and flogging for drinking alcohol. Sharia law will only apply...