Saturday, January 28, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Mother calls for public inquiry into soldier son’s Deepcut death

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Summary of story from DeadlineNews, January 24, 2012 Yvonne Heath, mother of a soldier who died at Deepcut army barracks in Surrey, England, nearly 10 years ago, is calling for a new public inquiry. She hopes the anniversary will renew pressure on the army to re-open the investigation into the death of her son, Private James [...]

Facebook game aims for stand against dowry payments

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Summary of story from Voice of America, January 24, 2012 A new Facebook game, developed by a matchmaking company, aims to inspire women to oppose the illegal practice of giving – or taking – a dowry in India. Angry Brides – a game reminiscent of the popular Angry Birds – allows players to take on the [...]

Plaid Cymru leadership frontrunner Leanne Wood

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Summary of story from The Independent, January 26, 2012 Leanne Wood, the frontrunner in the race to be the next Plaid Cymru leader, traces her political beliefs to growing up in the ’80s in Wales, and witnessing first-hand the effect of Margaret Thatcher's scorched earth economic policies. It had, she says, a profound influence on [...]

Vigilance needed, sisters

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Summary of story from the Morning Star, January 24, 2012 The decision by the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) in the UK to allow ads for post-conception advice services has the usual suspects in a lather, writes Louise Raw. It’s no use in wearily pointing out to them that pregnancy advice agencies actually give [...]

Sex trafficking victims tell of “witchcraft, torture and death threats” in Scotland

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Summary of story from the Daily Record, January 27, 2012 Ten women, victims of sex trafficking in Scotland, have told how they were enslaved by "witchcraft, torture and death threats". The women – nine from Africa, and one from South America – told their stories to a Glasgow charity, Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA), in [...]

Women and children “slaughtered” in Syria violence

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Summary of story from Time, January 27, 2012 At least 30 people were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs yesterday, including a family of women and children. Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad pounded residential buildings in the Karm el-Zaytoun district with mortars and machine-gun fire. Some residents reported that a massacre took [...]

Claire Short: Can Leveson get rid of topless pictures?

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Summary of story from The Independent, January 26, 2012 Former Labour Party Member of Parliament Claire Short writes about her attempt in 1986 to introduce legislation to ban pictures of topless women in Britain’s tabloid newspapers, and its relevance to the Leveson enquiry into media ethics. She says that MPs giggled and sneered at her suggestion that these pictures degraded women. There [...]

Premiere of film about Burma’s political prisoners

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Summary of story from VoA, January 24, 2012 A documentary film about Burma's political prisoners and the underground movement helping them premiered this week in Asia, drawing attention to the plight of the country's activists as the government releases hundreds of prisoners in an amnesty program. Director Jeanne Hallacy said former political prisoner and activist [...]

Forty years of Ms. magazine

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Summary of story from VoA, January 24, 2012 Forty years ago, Ms. magazine appeared on American newsstands alongside the periodicals exclusively devoted to housework, motherhood and catching a man. Ms. was founded by veteran journalist and feminist Gloria Steinem, backed by glossy New York Magazine, and promised to be 'something more': a place where women [...]

Outrage as India honours police chief accused of ordering torture

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Summary of story from The Hindu, January 26, 2012 Women and human rights activists have been protesting against the Indian government’s decision to present a gallantry award to a police officer who allegedly supervised the torture of a school teacher accused of assisting the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The officer, Ankit Garg, was awarded [...]

Julia Gillard’s shoe held by Aborigine protesters

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Summary of story from The Daily Telegraph, January 27, 2012 Aborigine protesters have brandished a shoe lost by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as she was rescued from a violent rally, claiming they want it to be the symbol of a move to “give us back our country”. The shoe – a dark blue, size 36 Midas [...]

Holocaust survivor tells story of sister’s suitcase

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Summary of story from deadline, January 24, 2012 Auschwitz survivor George Brady lost his sister Hana in the notorious death camp, where hundreds of thousands of their fellow Jews perished in world war two. Decades later, thanks to the superhuman efforts of a Japanese museum worker, George was reunited with a poignant memento of Hana: [...]

Dianne Abbott resigns from UK’s abortion counselling group

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Summary of story from The Guardian, January 26, 2012 A Labour party Member of Parliament (MP) has walked out of an all-party group convened to discuss the rules on abortion counselling, claiming it is no more than a front to push forward an anti-abortion agenda in the UK without a debate in parliament. Dianne Abbott [...]

Nigerian women protest at Chevron site

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Summary of story from AllAfrica, January 25, 2012 Business at Chevron Nigeria’s Warri facility was disrupted for several hours this week by protesters. Local women sang war songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as “WHO, save our lives”, “No hospital facilities” and “No fish in the river”. The protest followed a fire outbreak at [...]

First female director of World Editors Forum

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Summary of story from South Africa.info, January 26, 2012 South African journalist and editor Cherilyn Ireton has become the first woman to be appointed executive director of the World Editors Forum. Ireton has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist and editorial manager on South African newspapers including The Sunday Times and Business Day. [...]

South Africa Health Department criticised over domestic violence response

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Libby Ruffle WVoN co-editor South Africa’s Department of Health has been accused by the Democratic Alliance party of failing to adequately assist a parliamentary committee on domestic violence. The Director-General of the Department of Health failed to attend Wednesday's meeting with the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with Disabilities. Other department officials arrived 40 [...]

Invest in women’s education, urges UN Secretary-General

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Summary of story from UN News Centre, January 26, 2012 Business leaders must invest in women's education and health, the Secretary-General of the United Nations said yesterday. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ban Ki-moon said investing in the health of women and girls was "the right thing to do and the smart [...]

Pushing the limits: Helen Skelton skis, kites and cycles to South Pole for Sport Relief

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Rosy Moorhead WVoN features editor  Permanent blisters, a hacking cough, a dodgy tummy and a bad bout of dehydration. This would wipe the best of us out, but of all that whilst travelling 500 miles in temperatures approaching -48 degrees Celsius and severe snow storms? You’d have to be mad, wouldn’t you? Or Blue Peter [...]