Europe was once again be swept away by a sparkly hurricane of techno beats and pompous ballads, kitschy and/or traditional costumes, wind machines, pyrotechnics, heavily accented English, awkward host banter and nul points. Yes, Eurovision took our breath away in more ways than one, Milana Knezevic writes.
An election is always a good litmus test for a country’s media freedom — particularly in Bulgaria. It consistently ranks last amongst European Union members for media freedom, and the US Department of State called its “gravely damaged media pluralism” one of its most pressing human rights problems, Georgi Kantchev reports.
Once the Islamic republic’s biggest cultural event, the Tehran International Book Fair has wilted under President Mahmood Ahmadinejad’s hardline government. Maral Mehryari reports on the recession in Iran’s publishing industry.
Since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak two years ago, artists have been active in breaking Egypt’s age-old taboos around sexual violence, especially since sexual harassment has been on the rise.
Melody Patry reports.
Andrei Aliaksandru: Two more journalists arrested in Belarus
Secrecy of Warwickshire police “against open justice” says Index on Censorship chief
Andrei Aliaksandru: Belarusian journalists draw sentences for covering opposition rally
Changes are being made to England’s defamation law after a three-and-a-half-year campaign, writes Padraig Reidy
Mumsnet co-founder Justine Roberts explains the site’s commitment to giving women access to free speech
The Libel Reform Campaign is concerned that the government will force through an amendment tabled by libel barrister Edward Garner QC allowing corporations to sue individuals for libel