cafebabel.com

Censorship: EU vs Turkey's 138 internet domain name ban

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:06:11 -0000

Rated ‘partially free’ in the reporters without borders freedom index, Turkey is the European country with the highest amount of domain name bans. The Turkish telecommunications directorate list of 'expurgatorial words' - for example, you can't use the word for sister-in-law (Bildaz) - was sent to web hosting companies on 28 April. In the EU there are less amusing comparisons

Art or porn? Youtube censor for Juan Francisco Casas

('ckb',) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:30:00 -0000

'The truth is that it is a little outrageous that a suggestive image of a breast could be shocking in 2011,' complains the Andalusian artist Juan Francisco Casas. In March, youtube censored a video which contained images of his works, which are photos and art taken always with a close entourage

Ukraine feminists ‘Femen’: topless a political weapon

("Miriam O'Brien",) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:05:00 -0000

At first the 300 members of the feminist community came to the streets to protest against the expansion of sex tourism in the Ukraine. The 12, 000 active 'sex pats' are growing under the indifferent gaze of the authorities. Femen has been organising nude performances as a political weapon for three years now. After a run-in at the Italian embassy, Inna Shevechenko vents her anger

Hungary's new media law no surprise for Europe

('Koen Colpaert - Brussels',) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:14:43 -0000

The 'media act' was passed on 21 December in Hungary and was implemented on 1 January 2011. It's not such a derogation in Europe, because the context of this law is nothing more than just another sign of an alarming trend in Europe

Alice in Belarus (Wonderland): politician tries to enter local elections

('Peter Robbins',) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:50:27 -0000

This is the story of Olga Karatch, a Belarusian dissident and 'Nash Dom' human rights activist, and her participation in local elections in Belarus. Those were in May 2010, but Olga’s testimony has lost none of its relevance. Unfortunately, it's all too synonymous with the state of Belarusian politics as a whole, and with elections looming on 19 December

The parallel (and enigmatic) life of Russian cinema

('Kate Stansfield',) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:12:19 -0000

Russia and its cinema are developing behind the EU's back. The films succeeding over there fail over here, and vice versa. Why? From Paris, a panel of experts decipher the unfathomable tastes of audiences on both sides of the former iron curtain over a screening of Pervyi Etazh (‘Ground Floor’)

Bloggers in Romania, hailed by President Terminator

('Caroline Prosser',) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Between fierce entrepreneurs, A-listers, history re-writers and new media journalists, bloggers are thriving in Romania. It's hailed by the president, but not well liked by other media stalwarts. The country, one of three ‘partially free’ medias in the EU (alongside Bulgaria and Italy), ranks a poor 50th on the European press freedom index

'Free', 'partly free', 'not free': press freedom in Europe

('Andrew Burgess',) — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:30:00 -0000

American NGO Freedom House uses three categories to rank the degree of press freedom in countries across the world. On 3 May 2010, world press freedom day, each region of Europe learnt its category: the press in western Europe is 'free', central Europe is 'partly free' and in eastern Europe the press is 'not free'. But there are signs that the trend could change

Julien Frisch: quick chat about blogging in Europe

('James Friscia',) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Believe in the European concept? Fantasise about a more transparent bureaucracy in Brussels? The answer is to blog. Well, this German does. The Berlin-based editor of bloggingportal.eu, a European blog portal, predicts what online European news will bring us in the coming years

Sarkozy affair: why the Brit media and co were interested

('Andrew Burgess',) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Whether it is fact or fiction, the rumours of extramarital romantic affairs relating to the French president first-born on Twitter has impassioned the European media, despite the notable absence of newspaper treatment in France. Are European news networks coming to the rescue of national censorship?

1000 euros for a night with Silvio Berlusconi

('euro topics',) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:18:25 -0000

Southern Italian businessman Gianpaolo Tarantini stated* in a 29 July police interrogation that he had recruited 30 young women for 18 parties in the prime minister's private villas between September 2008 and January 2009. Some are said to have received up to £880 to spend the night with Berlusconi. The Spanish, Italian, French and British press is outraged

Crisis in European journalism

('Helen Swain',) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:48:28 -0000

Between the precarious nature of the work and fear for the vocation, journalism hardly dares to testify anymore against its patrons, the big communications companies. The public’s right to information is decreasing alarmingly as a result of the current economic crisis

'Virtual Life': EU's three year, 3.3 million euro 3D virtual world project

('Hayley Wood',) — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Virtual constitutions and nations, a 3D world, democracy and censorship: these are the keywords of a virtual reality project in the style of Second Life financed by the European Union for a total of three million euros. Welcome to Virtual Life