Sex and the City 2 has been banned from the city in which the film is set, Abu Dhabi. A spokesperson for the National Media Council said on 19 May it had banned the film from the country because the “theme of the film does not fit with our cultural values”. The United Arab Emirates previously denied them permission to film in the country, and they also banned the first Sex in the City in 2008.
Maria Luisa Busi, presenter of the TG1 evening news programme on Rai 1 has quit her job in protest at prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s control of the Italian media. Her move comes after Augusto Minzolini, handpicked for the job by Berlusconi himself, was appointed editor of TG1. The president of Rai 1, as well as staff at TG1, have all voiced concerns over bias and Berlusconi’s media monopoly.
A new exhibition in Vienna displaying North Korean poster art and architecture has been slammed by the Association of Austrian Koreans. The “Flowers for Kim II Sung” exhibition at the MAK museum, has been described as “idolising” and “embellishing North Korea’s dictatorial system”. Museum chief Peter Noever has denied that the exhibition is in any way an endorsement of the North Korean regime in interviews.
Newcastle Upon Tyne local authority has been deemed the worst offender in Britain for covert surveillance operations, according to a study this week. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, local authorities have carried out over 8,500 covert surveillance and bugging operations over the last two years. With 231 checks in two years, Newcastle local authority has the worst record of spying on residents in the UK. With Ripa authorisation, the council carried out surveillance to check on the activities of Newcastle residents, ranging from fly-tipping to sick pay claims. Over a dozen councils have used Ripa to punish dog-fouling. Of the 8,500 national covert surveillance, a little under 4.5 per cent have resulted in prosecution.