Articles by Simon Loffler

Balsena children and a Shaishav staff member work on preparing the Child Right Audit in Bhavnagar, Gujarat in India. Photo and story by Peter Norris.

Zines (pronounced ‘zeen’) are the lesser known little sibling of magazines. They’re often handmade and roughly stapled, photocopied on tired old copy machines and occasionally even sewn together. They’re raw and from the heart, and more often than not teach you something new about the beautiful awkward world that we live in.

The only way to make Friday better? Winning something from the NI Shop. It’s time for New Internationalist’s Friday contest!

The production of handmade paper umbrellas, also known as “Khan Nyu”, is a craft that has been passed on from generation to generation in Xieng Khaung Province in the far north of Laos. Photo by Khan Nyu.

Sometimes the best journeys are the ones you take on your own.

After working with street children in Kisumu, Kenya, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel through east Africa while making my way home. I had joined a tour group travelling from Nairobi to Johannesburg, which to my disgust, seemed more interested in drinking and complaining about the quality of accommodation than having any experience of the sights and sounds of Africa.

Photo and words by Jessica Stevens

Victim of the Mumbai train blasts cries in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Photo by Adeel Halim, Mumbai, India.

In many parts of India, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as the kite-flying day. The festival is a time of thanksgiving for the religious, since it marks the awakening of the gods from their long slumber.

Words, photos and video by Adeel Halim, Mumbai, India.

Even after their defeat in 2001, the strict Islamic conventions regarding the wearing of Burqa’s the Taliban enforced are still around in Afghanistan today. Photo by lakerae. Words by Alex Smale.

Climate change is one of those big global issues that grows exponentially as you research more into the causes and solutions. Its easy to let it overwhelm and write it off as one of those ‘too big for me’ situations. But it need not be.

A solution that works for me and helps me own the problem and feel good about the little steps I’m taking towards change is personalising it, working out where my life fits in the big picture, and taking it from there.

Photo by: Jake LeBoeuf

The Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd has promised the coal industry $1.2 Billion dollars in compensation before the Australian emissions trading scheme is finalised. Seem a bit ridiculous? That’s what Greenpeace Australia thought, so they teamed up with Andrew Hansen from the social commentary spoof show The Chaser’s War on Everything to create a campaign calling Mr Rudd to reduce the handout. Click continue reading to see what they came up with.. it sure got a giggle out of me.

A great new way to monitor your carbon usage on-line.. if you live in the UK.

Photo by: Wend Lear

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide, measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM - it’s the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

Photo by: Wend Lear

Great news for anti-war protesters in Australia with the announcement that the APDSE (Asia Pacific Defence & Security Exhibition) has been cancelled!

Photo by: Drew Brayshaw

The anti-arms-trade-fair movement is growing and Tom from over at Breakdown Press has been nice enough to share his lovely hand drawn poster with us:

There’s an international weapons trade fair coming to my lovely little city of Adelaide, Australia and we’re not happy about it!

Are you a fun, smiley lefty with a love for all things social justice?

I just had news that my lovely home-town solar city of Adelaide, Australia will be the venue for the next Asia Pacific Defence & Security Exhibition.

Hosted by the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability, this series will explore the anticipated impacts of global climate change and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. The seminars will be held in Napier Lecture Theatre G04, University of Adelaide, North Terrace Campus, 5-7 pm each Tuesday during the first semester starting 4 March 2008. Leading researchers, and guest speakers from government and industry, will address the following topics:

A thought provoking viral developed by the NI community. Please show at gigs, cinemas, community centres, schools etc. The music was written by some very special Oxford guests!

It’s your friendly NI designer here again.  Thanks everyone who submitted artwork and photographs for the NI Planner 2009.  The images look fantastic, but they’d be nothing without great text to go with them.

This is a call for alternative illustrations, paintings, photographs and any other artwork for inclusion in an international diary for 2009 - the New Internationalist Planner - aimed at young people, students, activists.  Last year’s diary was a great success, with lots of young artists from all around the world submitting artwork.