Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — At first, fans politely applauded the Gypsy performers sharing a stage in Romania with Madonna. Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Gypsies, and the cheers gave way to jeers. The sharp mood change swept the crowd of 60,000, who had packed a park for Wednesday night's concert in Bucharest. Gypsies are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent. They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions. "It has been brought to my attention ... that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," Madonna said during the show. "It made me feel very sad." Thousands booed and jeered her. A few cheered when she added: "We don't believe in discrimination ... we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone." But she got more boos when she mentioned discrimination against homosexuals and others. Madonna did not react and carried on with her concert.

Malaysia's government has barred Muslims from a concert by U.S. hip-hop stars the Black Eyed Peas next month because the event is organized by Irish beer giant Guinness, an official said Thursday. The prohibition comes amid a clampdown on alcohol consumption among Malaysia's Muslim majority. The Black Eyed Peas will perform at a theme park near Kuala Lumpur on Sept. 25 as part of worldwide celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of Guinness' flagship brewery in Dublin. Malaysia's largest city is one of five places hosting Guinness concerts. The Malaysian show's official Web site said, "The party is only open to non-Muslims aged 18 years and above." Previous major pop concerts in Malaysia have always been open to Muslims.