Culture news Margaret Atwood comments on 'The Handmaid's Tale' Alberta book ban Margaret Atwood is taking aim at Alberta’s new rules on school libraries and has even posted a new short story which satirizes the censorship at play. 02/09/2025
Culture news Downing Street warns author Sally Rooney over Palestine Action support Downing Street has warned Irish author Sally Rooney that supporting Palestine Action – a group recently proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK – could amount to a criminal offence under the Terrorism Act. 19/08/2025
Culture news Author Sally Rooney vows to keep backing banned Palestine Action group Sally Rooney says she will defy the UK’s ban on Palestine Action, warning the move sets a dangerous precedent for free expression in the arts and public life. 18/08/2025
Culture news Watch Kneecap condemn Viktor Orbán in surprise Sziget 2025 broadcast The Irish rappers were banned from attending Sziget festival, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prohibiting them from entering Hungary for three years. Still, that didn't stop Kneecap from getting their message across to disappointed fans... 13/08/2025
Culture news Wikipedia loses challenge against UK Online Safety Act rules A High Court ruling in the UK has quashed Wikipedia’s attempt to overturn part of the country’s divisive Online Safety Act. Judges dismissed the Wikimedia Foundation’s challenge to rules that could place the online encyclopaedia under the law’s strictest category of regulation. 12/08/2025
Europe News German officials worry 'trusted flaggers' may curb free speech Politicians and experts alike have criticised Germany's reporting centres for confusing opinion with hate speech, as concerns continue to rise over state-funded "trusted flaggers". 05/08/2025
Europe News New Russian law criminalises searching for content deemed 'extremist' The changes represent Russia's latest internet restriction, following measures taken against social media platforms and foreign technology companies since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. 22/07/2025
Culture news Algerian court upholds writer Boualem Sansal’s 5-year prison sentence The novelist’s case has united European lawmakers, who have demanded Sansal's release. His case has raised alarm over freedom of expression in Algeria, and his supporters now hope military-backed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will grant a pardon on Saturday, when Algeria marks Independence Day. 01/07/2025
Culture news Turkish police detain cartoonist over Prophet Muhammad caricature Leman magazine's cartoon, depicting Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses exchanging greetings as missiles rain down from the sky, has led to the arrest of the cartoonist and several protests. 01/07/2025
Culture news Iranian Palme d'Or winner Jafar Panahi calls for fall of Tehran regime In a powerful message posted on Instagram, the Iranian filmmaker appealed for an end to the conflict between his country and Israel. While urging for an international trial against the Jewish state, Panahi also called for the fall of the Tehran regime. 19/06/2025
Culture news Kneecap rapper released on unconditional bail over terror charge Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, is accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah at a London concert last year. 18/06/2025
Culture news Culture catch-up: Jafar Panahi’s Cannes win & politics of Iranian film In this week’s cultural review, we focus on Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whose latest film 'It Was Just an Accident' won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, despite being previously imprisoned and censored for his art. 30/05/2025
Culture news Iran summons French diplomat over praise of Palme d'Or-winning film Iran's Palme d'Or-winning director Jafar Panahi was cheered as he arrived home after his Cannes win. However, the national press and political reaction has been more muted. Iran has also summoned a French diplomat over praise of 'It Was Just An Accident'. 27/05/2025
Culture news Why is Trump calling for ‘major investigation’ into Bruce Springsteen? Another day, another bizarre and headline-hogging outburst from the US president... This time, he's calling for a "major investigation" into musicians who supported Kamala Harris - and has started a childish back and forth between him and Bruce Springsteen. Here's everything you need to know. 20/05/2025
EuroVerify Fact check: What are the German coalition’s plans to tackle fake news? Misleading claims that the "black-red" coalition government led by Friedrich Merz is set to introduce "censorship laws" under a "Ministry of Truth" are circulating online. Euroverify fact-checks. 13/05/2025
Culture news Algeria issues two arrest warrants for Gouncourt winner Kamel Daoud The author is accused of having used the story of a survivor of a massacre during the Algerian civil war without her consent – an accusation he denies. Daoud’s publisher denounced the “violent defamatory campaigns orchestrated by certain media close to a regime whose whose nature is well known.” 08/05/2025
Europe News Rubio on AfD verdict: 'Germany is tyranny in disguise' The decision to label the AfD as "right-wing extremist" is straining US-German relations. The Trump administration has previously criticised the behaviour of European governments towards right-wing populist, anti-immigration parties. 03/05/2025
Culture news Artists support Kneecap as UK police confirm investigation London’s Metropolitan Police force has issued a statement saying that further investigation is needed regarding two controversial videos. Politicians are putting pressure on festivals to axe Kneecap from their line-ups, while an open letter has been signed by various artists to support the trio. 01/05/2025
World News Russia convicts four investigative journalists for alleged extremism The closed-door trial was part of a crackdown on dissent that reached an unprecedented scale after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 15/04/2025
Culture news ‘My Favourite Cake’ directors given suspended prison sentence in Iran ‘My Favourite Cake’ directors Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam receive 14-month suspended prison sentences in Iran. The film’s heroine is seen without a headscarf, and the filmmakers were accused of ‘disturbing public opinion’. 14/04/2025