Global Issues News Headlines for “Democracy”

Kyrgyzstan: Efforts to Tackle Bride Kidnapping Hit Polygamy Snag

2012-02-11T09:47:00-08:00

Legislation designed to discourage the controversial practice of bride kidnapping fizzled recently in Kyrgyzstan's parliament.

Burma In The Throes Of Change — Part Ii:

2012-02-11T01:02:00-08:00

As 'positive' news flows out of Burma - release of political prisoners, ceasefire talks in ethnic areas, increased freedom, formation of labour unions — people inside the country and exiles have been in heated discussion. What does 'reform' entail and are the changes going to be fully implemented?

Brazil: Rio Police Reports to Respect Transgendered Identities

2012-02-10T20:19:00-08:00

The state of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil will introduce a pioneering policy in March to reduce the under-registration of crimes against transvestites and transsexual people, who will be able to identify themselves with their preferred names when they report crimes to the police.

Anti-Drug Vaccines Hold Promise - But Little Profit:

2012-02-10T12:05:00-08:00

Vaccines against drug addiction appear to be a better strategy than the repressive worldwide 'war on drugs', but first they must overcome resistance from pharmaceutical laboratories and secure financial backing, scientists say.

Q&A: U.S. Women's Commissions Under the Budget Axe

2012-02-10T08:34:00-08:00

State and local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) are facing shrinking budgets and even total elimination at a time when women are some of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, says Susan Rose, vice chair of Human Rights Watch's Santa Barbara Committee.

Mauritania: Ravaged by Drought - the Number of Malnourished Children Rises

2012-02-10T07:27:00-08:00

Mariem Mint Ahmedou sits cross-legged on a worn-out carpet in a basic tent built with mud bricks and layers of sewn-together fabric. Her eight-month-old twins, Hussein and Hassan, lie weakly against her body. Both of them have been malnourished since birth, because Beydar, undernourished herself, cannot produce enough breast milk to feed them.

Mali: Fifty Thousand Flee as Political Parties Call for Dialogue

2012-02-10T05:43:00-08:00

Mali's political parties have jointly called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation as a way to end a Tuareg rebellion launched several weeks ago. The uprising has forced around 55,000 people out of their homes, the majority fleeing the fighting in the north of the country, but others are seeking shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in cities in the south.

Arab Spring Comes Late To Morocco:

2012-02-10T02:25:00-08:00

Deadly clashes between police and youth in the Northeastern town of Taza last week suggest that, far from bringing change and stability, Morocco’s new government is simply repeating mistakes of the past, stoking tensions and fuelling a spate of protests against the regime.

Kazakh Media Faces Harsh Crackdown:

2012-02-10T02:06:00-08:00

President Nursultan Nazarbayev is orchestrating a media crackdown that editors and independent analysts say is the harshest since he began ruling this Central Asian republic in 1989.

India: Community Radio Saves Lives and Livelihoods

2012-02-09T23:21:00-08:00

Fisher Wanka Masani, 25, has been inseparable from his two-dollar transistor ever since a community radio (CR) station started up in this coastal town. The square black box blares popular songs while Masani waits for his brothers to land the daily catch.