Smashed Hits 2.0: on air

Index contributor Malu Halasa was talking about free speech and hip hop on BBC Radio 5 live’s show Up All Night last Saturday, September 11, with editor Jo Glanville. You can listen on BBC iPlayer here, 38 minutes in. 5 live’s Up All Night will be dedicating another half-hour show to Index’s new issue on music and censorship, Smashed Hits 2.0, on Saturday 18 September at 0130am, with musician and writer Khyam Allami.

Don’t miss Fari Bradley‘s show, also on 18 September, 2300-0100, on Resonance FM. She’ll be playing protest music and music from countries where censorship is rife, to tie in with the publication of Smashed Hits 2.0.

Listen to Index’s playlists on Spotify and iTunes here. All tracks chosen by contributors to the music issue, including Radiohead‘s Colin Greenwood, jazz musician Gilad Atzmon and veteran rock manager Peter Jenner.

UK: 54 per cent rise in privacy cases

Cases involving privacy arguments have risen by 54 per cent in the last year, according to figures released by legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell. Their report revealed that privacy cases were up from 28 in 2009 to 43 in the last twelve months. Of the 43 cases reported, 22 were brought against the public sector, making up 51% of all privacy cases. The number of cases brought by high-profile individuals has also increased, almost trebling from 2008-09 to 2009-10. Recent examples include Matt Lucas, Colin Montgomerie, and three injunctions from England footballers.

UK: Wayne Rooney to sue The Sun

Footballer Wayne Rooney is launching a libel claim against The Sun newspaper over stories that suggest he booked a holiday which would take place during the closing stages of the World Cup before England was knocked out. The two articles, published in June and July, alleged that Rooney confirmed a holiday two days before the team’s last match in the competition. The player denies this and argues the stories damaged his personal and professional reputation. Rooney is seeking an injunction against any repetition of the allegations.