23 Sep 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Cinemas in the Nigerian capital, Abuja have been asked by the Information Minister Dora Akunyili to stop screening sci-fi blockbuster District 9 as it discriminates against Nigerians by negatively portraying them as violent gangsters and criminals.
Akunyili has also asked for an apology from Sony Pictures, and requested that they edit out all references to Nigeria in the film, as well as the name of the gangster Obasanjo, which bears resemblance to that of the Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
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23 Sep 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Egypt’s Farouk Hosni has lost the vote to head the United Nations Agency for Education, Culture and Science (Unesco) to Bulgarian Irina Bokova. Hosni had been a controversial candidate accused of making book-burning comments last year and for being associated with media censorship in his country.
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22 Sep 2009 | Comment
As Iran’s president prepares to address the UN General Assembly, Malu Halasa calls for the release of her friend and colleague, Canadian-Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari
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22 Sep 2009 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
A gay pride parade in Belgrade scheduled for 22 September was called off after police told organisers that they could not guarantee their safety. The decision came after a wave of homophobic graffiti scrawled by across city walls by ultra-nationalists, with slogans such as “Gay parade, we’re waiting for you” and “Death to homosexuals”. (BBC)
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