Russian media outlets that print swear words face fines under rules signed into law on Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The law stipulates fines for “the use of foul language,” but does not give a list of banned words, leaving journalists confused about what is prohibited.
Journalists could face fines of up to 3,000 roubles (US$96.50), while media outlets could be made to pay up to 200,000 roubles if they fall foul of the regulations.
VAGUE
However, in keeping with most Russian laws, the rules were vague.
Journalists were left wondering if they should replace some letters in swear words with asterisks, or whether that would also break the law. Even the Kremlin-run Russia Today headlined its story on the law “Russia bans swearwords in mass media — but which ones?”
TOPLESS ACTIVISTS
News of the law spread as Putin, on a visit to Germany, was accosted by Femen demonstrators.
Topless activists from the Ukraine-based feminist protest group disrupted the president’s visit with the words “Fuck dictator” written in English on their chests and “Fuck off, Putin” in Russian on their backs.
Swearing has an unusual history in Russia: On the one hand, it is taken far more seriously than in the West and is considered inappropriate for use in polite company; on the other, it is considered an art form, with many dictionaries and manuals devoted to perfecting its use.
POPULAR
Daily swearing has become more popular with Russia’s younger, post-Soviet generation.
“You can count the number of times that swearwords appeared in the press in the past few years,” said Oleg Kashin, a prominent journalist. “And when they do, it’s usually a citation — for example, today’s Femen protester, several years ago, quoting a song from [the Russian rock group] Tatu.”
“This new law won’t change anything — it’s more a symbolic thing to show the so-called imagined ‘simple Russian people’ that the creative classes can’t live without swearing. It’s a symbolic gesture to show that Putin and United Russia are protecting the people’s traditions,” he added.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was