Many science fiction and fantasy readers are disappointed to encounter everyday sexism in a medium that is supposed to offer an escape.
Category: Latest News
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
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Acid attack on Bolshoi artistic director
Sergei Filin had already received numerous phone threats, and his email and Facebook accounts had been hacked.
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Another gang rape on a bus in India
The bus driver and his helper took the woman to an undisclosed address where five others joined the two men and raped her throughout the night, police said.
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Obama unveils gun control proposals
He signed 23 unilateral orders, including an end to a ban on gun-violence research by the CDC.
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Islamists flee Timbuktu
The people of Timbuktu are overjoyed. “Today everyone can do as they please. We would like the French to come to Timbuktu.”
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Selective abortion of girls taking place in the UK
Officials have found signs that birth rates for girls and boys vary noticeably according to where their mothers were born.
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Pakistan: 10 years in jail for misquoting a Hadith
The accused was acquitted of blaspheming the prophet, but imprisoned for ten years and fined Rs200,000 for outraging religious feelings.
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Delhi rape victim’s friend gives his account
“We tried to resist them. Even my friend fought with them, she tried to save me,” he said.
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The rapes that India forgot
On most days, Indian newspapers report atrocities – a 10-month-old raped by a neighbour in Delhi; an 18-month-old raped and abandoned on the streets in Calcutta…
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Malala has left the hospital
She will continue to receive treatment as an outpatient.
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Jesus and Mo discuss sex and hedonism
Hedonism is wrong. Wrong wrong wrongity wrong.
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Abortion website hacker caught
A hacker broke into the website of Britain’s biggest abortion provider because he “disagreed” with the decisions of two women he knew over their pregnancy terminations.
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The year it became okay to blame victims of sexual assault
Reddit has entire categories dedicated to “raping women”, “hot rape stories”, and “choke a bitch”.
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The progress of Nirmukta
Nirmukta has successfully brought together a diverse group of people from all over the world who share our passion for promoting Science and Humanism.
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India: rape victim kills herself
An 18-year-old girl who was gang-raped last month committed suicide after a police officer pressed her to drop the case and marry one of her attackers.
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Uganda: gay rights group office vandalized
The office of the Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) has been vandalized and robbed, potentially putting gay Ugandans at risk.
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Delhi gang rape victim dies
She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain.
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Iowa Supreme Court: ok to fire a woman for being too hot
Hey it’s better than putting her in a burqa, right?
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Timbuktu: Islamists destroying remaining mausoleums
“Allah doesn’t like it,” said Abou Dardar of Ansar Dine. “We are in the process of smashing all the hidden mausoleums in the area.”
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Pakistan: polio campaign will go on despite murders
The CIA may have used a vaccination programme (though not of polio) to find bin Laden, but polio still needs to be eradicated.