Contents newint.org

Agenda

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Stories making the news this month 8 Chris Hani remembered 8 Israeli drone crimes 9 Bikes for guns in Uruguay 9 Introducing John Mahama 9 FGM rates cut 10 Ill winds in Mexico 10 Extreme trade threat in Egypt 11 Indian copyright clash 11 Fair freight ahoy! PLUS: Scratchy Lines by Simon

Ignacio Garrido Garcia / UCIZONI

Kneebone, and Reasons to be cheerful.

The Big Story – Housing

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12 Safe as houses? Beyond the scandal and delusion of property bubbles,

Larry Downing / Reuters

Dinyar Godrej looks at ways to turn houses into homes. 16 Sparks from the Spanish crucible

The movement for housing justice gathers pace. Melissa García Lamarca reports. 18 Housing – The Facts 20 Dreams deferred China’s property boom leaves workers out in the cold, finds

Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore. 22 Beyond the barricade Unity is survival in Manila’s slums. Iris C Gonzales meets some survivors. 24 Joining hands Housing models to beat the tyranny of the marketplace explored by Samir Jeraj.

Feature 32 The real story behind the terrorist attack on the Algerian gas plant There is strong evidence of Algerian secret service complicity in the attack, says Jeremy Keenan.

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Louiza / ABACA / Press Association Images

Front cover: Andrew Kokotka. Magazine designed by Alan Hughes, Andrew Kokotka and Ian Nixon. All monetary values are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise noted.

Mixed Media 38 Film reviews: Good Vibrations, directed by Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn; 7 Stones, directed by Conor McCormack; and Spirit of ’45, directed by Ken Loach. 39 Music reviews: Mala by Devendra Banhart; and

Mo7it Al-Mo7it by Jerusalem in My Heart. 40 Book reviews: Telling the Bees by Peggy Hesketh; The General by Ahmed Errachidi with Gillian Slovo; The People of Forever are Not Afraid by Shani Boianjiu; and The Second Arab Awakening by Adeed Dawisha. 41 Also out there...

Opinion 28 Argument: Should prostitution be legalized? Human rights lawyer Dianne Post and writer and filmmaker

Bishakha Datta go head to head. 31 Mark Engler A Nobel Prize for drone strikes? 43 Steve Parry Why can’t the one per cent play nicely?

PLUS: Polyp’s Big Bad World cartoon.

Regulars 6 Letters 7 Letter from Botswana Wame Molefhe considers the rituals of death – and of life, as she bids farewell to a friend. 26 Country Profile: Mauritius 42 Worldbeater G4S – the world’s biggest bully. 44 Southern Exposure Miguel Araoz Cartagena looks to the stars. 45 Puzzle Page PLUS: Marc Roberts’ Only Planet cartoon. 46 And Finally Film director Ken Loach on drawing inspiration from those who fight back against oppression.

I’m a New Internationalist

Alan Hughes Graphic designer

I first came across the New Internationalist in 1985. I found it a breath of fresh air. Here was a magazine with a clear sense of purpose, with the stated aim: ‘the people, the ideas and the action in the fight for global justice.’ And they were looking for a graphic designer! I applied and, to my amazement, got the job. I have been at New Internationalist ever since and will retire this month. It’s been a highly rewarding journey. The job has allowed me to be consistently creative, and experience being a member of a workers’ co-operative to boot. But the greatest reward has been to be part of something that is attempting to make the world a better place. In the end it has always been – for my colleagues and me – more than just a job. It was, and is, about giving a voice to people suffering appalling injustice. I’m often reminded of a quote by the late Labour Party MP Michael Foot: ‘We are here to provide for all those who are weaker and hungrier, more battered and crippled than ourselves. That is our only certain good and great purpose on earth, and if you ask me about those insoluble economic problems that may arise if the top is deprived of their initiative, I would answer, “To hell with them”. The top is greedy and mean and will always find a way to take care of themselves. They always do.’ ■

Are you a New Internationalist? If you would like to appear in this space email: iloveni@newint.org

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