27 Aug 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
Singer Lily Allen’s half-sister has launched legal action against Now magazine over an article about her famous relative. Gala Talbott is suing the publication’s owner IPC Media, seeking libel damages of up to £15,000.
The nineteen-year-old claims that an article entitled “Lily’s Heartache over Secret Sister” made false allegations about the relationship between the two women. She said the story was distressing and embarrassing, and that it had damaged her reputation. In addition to her libel claim Talbott is seeking an injunction banning any repetition of the same allegations.
27 Aug 10 | Index Index, minipost
Police arrested human rights campaigners and prevented them from gaining signatures for petitions at U2’s first concert in Russia, on 25 August. The tents of Amnesty International, Greenpeace Russia, and U2’s own charity the ONE campaign for Aids, were all removed by police. Campaigners were not allowed to hand out leaflets or talk to any of the 75,000 fans at the Moscow venue. Head of Amnesty International in Russia, Sergei Nikitin, said that the organistation had carried out similar publicity events at many of the band’s concerts in Europe.
20 Aug 10 | Events
Index on Censorship celebrates the launch of its new magazine on music and free expression with performances by the Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat and oud player Khyam Allam at the Free Word Centre.
Mahsa Vahdat is winner of the Freemuse Award 2010.
Khyam Allami is the first recipient of BBC Radio 3’s World Routes Academy scholarship and made his debut at Womad and the Proms this summer.
Index on Censorship invites you to join the festivities and tune into Smashed Hits 2.0 Live.
To reserve a place, call 020 7324 2570 or click here
6:30pm. 21 September 2010. Free Word Centre, London
11 Aug 10 | Index Index, minipost, News and features
The YouTube sensation ‘Newport State of Mind’, a parody of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song ‘Empire State of Mind‘, has been banned. Initial reports stated that EMI music or EMI publishing were behind the ban, however, recent accounts state that it may have been following a direct request from the artists credited with the song. Videos of a live performance of ‘Newport State of Mind’ are still available on YouTube, as are those of a rival spoof based around the same song by Newport rappers Goldie Lookin’ Chain.
