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  1. Quote

    | 28 notes

    Azerbaijan’s hosting of the Eurovision song contest has thrust the oil-rich country into the international spotlight.

    The very nature of Eurovision, a kitschy pop spectacle in which competitors representing about 40 countries (of which 26 reach the final) perform a song live on television, is in stark contrast to the grim reality of life in Azerbaijan.

    Miriam Elder from Baku: Eurovision does little to help human rights in Azerbaijan

    (Source: )

  2. Photo

    | 108 notes
    This scene makes events in the British parliament seem somewhat sedate in comparison, with Ukrainian deputies scuffling in the Kiev chamber. What were they fighting about? The basics of language policy, reportedly Photograph: Reuters

    This scene makes events in the British parliament seem somewhat sedate in comparison, with Ukrainian deputies scuffling in the Kiev chamber. What were they fighting about? The basics of language policy, reportedly Photograph: Reuters

    (Source: )

  3. Photo

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    Well done HRH! A pre-diamond jubilee surge in royalism means the British royal family is enjoying record popularity. See the breakdown in numbers from 1950’s to present. Photograph: Carl Court/PA Was it all down to Wills and Kate’s wedding? Read our thinkpiece behind the figures here: “My sense is that Buckingham Palace feels pretty comfortable at the moment. The Cambridges are coming on. And the jubilee, barring a catastrophe, will work to their advantage,” said Oxford University historian Dr Frank Prochaska, author of The Republic of Britain. “Don’t forget, they are very clever at adjusting and they have been reasonably successful.”

    Well done HRH! A pre-diamond jubilee surge in royalism means the British royal family is enjoying record popularity. See the breakdown in numbers from 1950’s to present. Photograph: Carl Court/PA

    Was it all down to Wills and Kate’s wedding? Read our thinkpiece behind the figures here:

    “My sense is that Buckingham Palace feels pretty comfortable at the moment. The Cambridges are coming on. And the jubilee, barring a catastrophe, will work to their advantage,” said Oxford University historian Dr Frank Prochaska, author of The Republic of Britain. “Don’t forget, they are very clever at adjusting and they have been reasonably successful.”

    (Source: )

  7. Photo

    | 129 notes
    A woman shows her ink-stained finger after casting her vote. Egypt commenced two days of presidential voting after 16 months of interim rule by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This election is the first free presidential race since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.Photograph: SUHAIB SALEM/Reuters Jack Shenker writes in from Cairo: Two misapprehensions underpin much of the discussion about the revolution. The first is that the metric of revolutionary success lies solely in the formal arena of institutional politics, and the development of democratic mechanisms within it. The second is that Tahrir, along with the ludicrously titled “Facebook youth” who populated the square in January and February last year, is the only alternative space in which pressure on the formal arena is thrashed out.

    A woman shows her ink-stained finger after casting her vote. Egypt commenced two days of presidential voting after 16 months of interim rule by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. This election is the first free presidential race since the fall of Hosni Mubarak.Photograph: SUHAIB SALEM/Reuters
    Jack Shenker writes in from Cairo:
    Two misapprehensions underpin much of the discussion about the revolution. The first is that the metric of revolutionary success lies solely in the formal arena of institutional politics, and the development of democratic mechanisms within it. The second is that Tahrir, along with the ludicrously titled “Facebook youth” who populated the square in January and February last year, is the only alternative space in which pressure on the formal arena is thrashed out.

    (Source: )

  8. Photo

    | 15 notes
    Britain bakes! More hot sunny weather on the way… Visitors to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show eat ice-creams in the sunshine Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

    Britain bakes! More hot sunny weather on the way…

    Visitors to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show eat ice-creams in the sunshine Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

    (Source: )

  9. Gallery

    | 39 notes

    Some funky pictures from the opening of the Tokyo Skytree: the world’s tallest broadcasting tower

    The tower measures at 634 metres (2080 feet), and opened to the public on a grey, cloudy morning in Tokyo. Despite the weather, 8,000 visitors turned out to see the limited 360-degree views of the Japanese capital from two observation decks. Photos: Kimimasa Mayama/EPA, and Itsuo Inouye/AP

    (Source: )

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