Global Quickies: Manpons, Confetti, and the Australian Dream

ITALY
“Pope Francis has attacked same-sex marriage and civil unions, ahead of a debate in the Italian Senate at introducing civil unions for same-sex couples.”

UK
“WaterAid’s campaign to raise awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene playfully imagines a world where men have periods.”

THAILAND (From Mary)
“(…)Thai Smile Airways has told staffers that the airline will now sell individual seats for passengers carrying dolls known as Look Thep, or Child Angels, which have recently grown in popularity in the region after some celebrities touted the dolls’ alleged supernatural benefits.”

SOUTH AFRICA
“A South African mayor has defended the decision to award scholarships to 16 female university students, which are conditional on them remaining virgins.” “Students receiving the bursary will need to provide evidence of regular virginity tests, the mayor added.”

SPAIN
“Police are investigating claims that three nuns, who have Indian nationality, have been cloistered in the convent against their will since the 1990s when they entered as teenagers.”

WORLD
“The International Olympic Committee will now permit transgender athletes to compete in the games without having to undergo sex reassignment surgery first.”

QATAR
“A private school in Qatar has removed a copy of the children’s fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from its library after a parent complained that the illustrations in it were indecent.”

LATIN AMERICA (suggested by earthboundmisfit)
“As the World Health Organisation warns that the Zika virus could spread across the whole of the Americas, women in some parts of the continent are being warned not to get pregnant.” “However, family planning and abortion laws in predominantly Catholic Latin America are making that very difficult.”

ITALY
“Rouhani — the first Iranian leader to visit Europe in almost 20 years — met Tuesday with Pope Francis at the Vatican, but another stop on his agenda was the famed Capitoline Museum, where classic Italian nude sculptures were covered with plain white boards to avoid offending the Muslim president.”

DENMARK
“A 17-year-old girl from Denmark could be fined because she used pepper spray to defend herself against a man who allegedly attacked her.”

INDIA
“Photographer Smita Sharma has been chronicling the lives of rape victims in India for years. Helped by local health workers and non-governmental organisations, Ms Sharma has travelled the length and breadth of the country to meet survivors of rape and record their stories.”

AUSTRIA
“Austria’s carnival authority has banned jokes targeting asylum seekers, foreigners, minorities and “defenceless people” in the traditional celebrations.”

CHILE
To bring attention to the problem of catcalling, a campaign in Chile is asking kids what superhero they’d like to be. A 10 year old girl chooses the Invisible Woman.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
“Up to six more cases of sexual abuse of children by European troops have been uncovered by UN staff in Central African Republic, the body’s human rights chief has said.”

MEXICO
“These Mexican women are fighting street harassers with confetti guns and punk rock.” (autoplay video)

BANGLADESH
“When Sanjida left home to study, she met the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The only problem – her partner was another woman, and same-sex marriage is not accepted in Bangladesh. Now, instead of finding happiness, she’s facing criminal charges, accused of abduction.”

AUSTRALIA
“A powerful speech by indigenous Australian journalist Stan Grant in which he decries the Australian dream as “rooted in racism” has gone viral just before Australia Day.”

Featured image by Esparta