The WIP: Byline portal + WIP Contibutors

China Lets its Cash Speak in the Balkans

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:28:36 -0800

by Tamsin Walker, Deutsche Welle, Germany - As Brussels painstakingly deliberates the merits of aspiring European Union members in the Balkans, Beijing has begun an investment offensive in the region. But is China’s money talking economics or politics?

Women’s Work

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:25:02 -0800

by Linda Yablonsky, New York Times, USA - Hardly a Tweet had been sent after the Whitney Museum of American Art released the names of the 55 artists selected for its 75th biennial before it was already known as “the women’s biennial.”

The Armenian, Assyrian And Greek Genocides: An Inconvenient Truth

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:21:21 -0800

by Lucine Kasbarian, Counter Currents, India - Recent articles in the mainstream media would have us believe that governments around the world somehow question the factuality of the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides committed by Turkey.

The Politics of Empowerment in India

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:26:55 -0800

by Neeta Lal, Asia Times, Hong Kong - Short-term political gains and scoring points have been higher in the minds of Indian parliamentarians than righting the skewed gender picture when it comes to laws to increase the participation of woman in politics.

The Hard Way Out: Divorce by Khula

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:25 -0800

by Suad Hamada
- Bahrain -

• Faced with an agonizingly long and often unproductive legal fight, some women seek divorce by Khula at Bahrain's Ministry of Justice building, effectively giving up their rights. Photograph by Biju Haridas. •

Fadhila is only allowed to go to the toilet after asking permission from her husband, she also puts up with his frequent demands for sex - even when she’s menstruating – but neither is a valid enough reason to be granted divorce by Bahrain’s Shariah Court. So Fadhila’s only option is to seek Khula, or divorce without reason, from the judge. She may be granted her freedom, but there is always a price. Women who are awarded Khula are required to either financially compensate their husbands or give away their marriage settlements, including custody rights to their children. “There is no way out,” 23-year-old Fadhila tells me. “I have to end this marriage that took five years of my life, even [if it means] paying double the dowry.”

Fadhila’s case against her teen sweetheart was dismissed in court because according to the judge, meeting the sexual demands of her husband is a religious obligation. The judge also wasn’t convinced of his controlling nature. Her husband testified his jealousy kept him from giving Fadhila more freedom. His brothers, he explained, live with them at the family house and he just isn’t comfortable letting Fadhila use the toilet when they are around.

Water Wisdom

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:58:22 -0800

by Vandana Shiva, Resurgence, UK - Since 1966 – and as a consequence of the introduction of the Green Revolution model of water-intensive, chemical farming – India has over-exploited her groundwater, creating a water famine.

Africa’s Growth Lies in Agribusiness

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:21:58 -0800

by Elizabeth Tankeu, Business Daily, Kenya - As Africa embraces the wind of industrialisation, nations are determined to seize the emerging industrial development opportunities as an effective and sustainable means towards economic transformation of its raw materials.

No Place Like Home: Iraq’s Refugee Crisis Threatens the Future of Iraq

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:34:06 -0800

by Rachel Schneller, The Jamestown Foundation, USA - The massive upheaval of Iraq’s population that has occurred since 2006 threatens the long-term stability of the country, regardless of short-term gains achieved through the political process or military surges.

JAMAICA: The Other Side of Paradise

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:30:58 -0800

by Kathy Barrett, IPS, Italy - It's just before midnight, and the music pulsates through the massive speakers perched under the ceiling, scantily clad girls in their five-inch heels moving closer to the iron poles.

Back to Bloody Square-One in Darfur

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:47:29 -0800

by Julie Flint, Daily Star, Lebanon - 2002 is being rerun in 2010 – despite Save Darfur, despite UNAMID, and despite the ICC. SLA-controlled Jebel Marra is once again under attack, threatened, according to UNAMID sources, by an estimated 35,000 regular troops and 12,000 militiamen.

Australians Caught in Ethiopian Adoption Nightmare

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:44:22 -0800

by Cassie White, ABC News, Australia - Australian families have made serious allegations of corruption within Australia's inter-country adoption program with Ethiopia.

Focus on Quiet Graft

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:31:02 -0800

by Sarah Wambui, Capital News, Kenya - A report released by the World Bank indicates that if Kenya and other African countries focused on ‘quiet’ corruption with as much vigor as they did to grand corruption shams, they would achieve their Millennium Development Goals on time.

Too Many Women Dying in U.S. While Having Babies

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:24:20 -0800

by Jennifer Block, Time, USA - In a new report on pregnancy and childbirth care in the U.S., Amnesty details the maternal-health care crisis in this country as part of a systemic violation of women's rights.

The Nowhere Children

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:09:46 -0800

by Neha Dixit, Tehelka, India - Human trafficking is the third largest illicit industry after arms and drugs. Neha Dixit went undercover to meet the traffickers and the young victims sold by their own families to pimps and placement agents.

A Single Woman in Cairo: The New Challenge

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:49:32 -0800

by Mariya Petkova, Daily News Egypt, Egypt - “An unmarried woman can’t find an apartment alone. She has to live with her family. They would be afraid for her.”