Watching ‘Barbie’ and Thinking About Death
A summer blockbuster left a Times columnist uncomfortable. A new play about art under totalitarianism helped her understand why.
censorship
A Crackdown on Free Speech in Jordan
A satirical Arabic website, much like The Onion, poked fun at a royal wedding in Jordan in June. Not long after, it was blocked. “We’re totally backsliding,” said one cartoonist in the kingdom.
China’s Economic Outlook: Pep Talks Up Top, Gloom on the Ground
Beijing has characterized concerns about the economic slowdown as being inflated by Western critics. Widespread anxiety and pessimism paint a different picture.
Mozilla Foundation Warns France’s Proposed Web Blocking Law ‘Could Threaten the Free Internet’
The Mozilla Foundation has started a petition to stop the French government from forcing browsers like Mozilla’s Firefox to censor websites. “It would set a dangerous precedent, providing a playbook for other governments to also turn browsers like Fire…
Vice blocked news stories that could offend Saudi Arabia, insiders say
Exclusive: Media company recently signed lucrative deal with Saudi government-controlled MBC GroupVice has repeatedly blocked news stories that could offend the Saudi government, leaving its reporters unsure if they are still able to report freely on t…
Iowa School District Is Using AI To Ban Books
According to the Globe Gazette, the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging AI technology to cultivate lists of potentially bannable books from the district’s libraries ahead of the 2023/24 school year. Engadget reports: In May, the Repub…
‘Barbie’ Debuts in Saudi Arabia, Sparking Delight, and Anger
Denounced in some Middle Eastern countries for undermining traditional gender norms, the hit movie is finding an audience in Saudi Arabia, illustrating the region’s shifting political landscape.
Lebanon in move to ban Barbie film for ‘promoting homosexuality’
Culture minister asks general security agency to act to prevent screening as anti-LGBT rhetoric ramps upLebanon’s culture minister moved to ban the film Barbie from the country’s cinemas on Wednesday, saying it “promoted homosexuality” and contradicted…
Mountbattens’ biographer claims he has been ‘spied on by the British state’
Andrew Lownie, a historian seeking access to diaries and documents, says his activities have been monitoredA biographer seeking the release of the personal diaries of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, which had been saved for the nation using £2m of public mo…
The Art of Telling Forbidden Stories in China
Many writers are looking for ways to capture the everyday realities that the government keeps hidden — sometimes at their own peril.