Here are this week’s article suggestions from IPF’s Section Editors.

As always, you are also welcome to pitch your own ideas to us. Should you wish to do so, please email our editors at editor@internationalpoliticalforum.com.

If you have any questions about the suggestions below, please feel free to get in touch with us and our editors will be happy to help you with the article.

POLITICS

Editor: Will Perry Evans

• [Middle East] Hajj stampede
  Hundreds were killed in Mecca during the final rituals of the Hajj. Previous years have also seen stampededs during the Hajj. With no explanation as to what happened to cause the events, it would be interesting to hear from people who have made the pilgrimage to understand why they do it and what it is all about. Connect with someone who made the pilgrimage this year and speak to them about the Hajj.
  
• [Asia] China and U.S. Summit, uncertain progress
  Following a meeting between President Barack Obama and China’s Presdient Xi Jingping, areas of paternship and tension emerged. Speak to a young American and a young Chinese person – ask them about their views on the summit, what they think are some of the successes and what are some areas of concern? Also find out how this might impact their lives personally and ask them about the general reaction from people in their countries.
• [North America] John Boehner’s resignation from Congress
  Interview some young Americans about his resignation and ask them the following: Does speaker Boehner’s resignation from Congress show defeat for the traditional Republican party by its extreme conservatives? What can Americans look forward to, on the federal level, in the final year of President Obama’s term? Does this mean that governance will have to be reduced to the state and local levels?
  
• [Europe] Pope Francis’ U.S. visit
  With the Pope’s recent visit to the United Sttaes, he seems more than willing to take action on important causes. It would be interesting to find out from young people across Europe, as well as the United States, what they think about the Pope. This can be done by getting quotes from people via social media, or going out and interviewing them on the street. A compliation of quotes could work – make sure to include people’s names, ages and country.

WOMEN

Editor: Adriana De Sousa Calado

• Revolar Kickstarter: Intelligent safety gadget
  This article was published in IPF last April, and there have been some updates on the story recently. We need someone to rewrite it with the updated info and, if possible, an original interview with the CEO. Would be good to ask around some people their opinions – someone who has experienced some sort of sexual assault would also be brilliant.
• Gener stereotypes in children’s clothing
  Fashion has come a long way in adult’s clothing in terms of breaking down stereotypes and allowing styles to become more and more cross-gender. A woman can wear a blazer and pants, while a man can rock his outfit on a pink shirt. However, children’s clothing tends to be less diverse. This article has been published in IPF this June, and could work really well with some interviews of mothers and one or two professionals from the fashion industry. We could also try making a quick video (similar to the styles of Buzzfeed of HuffPo.) where we get children to try clothes on which are normally supposed to be worn by the opposite gender – get their reactions.
• #ShoutYourAbortion
  Women are speaking out against stigmas around abortion by sharing their stories on social media. On Wednesday, Joe Biden said abortion is always wrong, heating up the debate. Interview ONE woman who has been through an abortion (focusing on one case study will allow the public to connect better with her story). Get a health specialist to comment on the mental and physical harms of abortion, and maybe find an activist who is fighting for this cause to explain why it is so important. (Some context would be nice – have abortions increased or decreased since last year? Any recent changes to legislation? etc.)
• Stopping periodsMany women have, over the past years, decided to stop their natural menstruation cycles for reasons of commodity and comfort – or even money (there has been a petition to stop taxing pads and tampons, since we don´t really have an option but to bleed once a month). But to what extent is it really a good idea to mess with your biology? Are there any potential physical harms? Have there been any reported cases of side-effects? This is a good material for a feature – Speak to health specialists and also women who have done it – then, survey the ones who haven´t and get their opinions about it.
• Female genital mutilation (FGM)We have written a lot about FGM before, but this time, we will focus on the story of one girl or young woman who has gone through genital mutilation. Leyla Hussein has become a voice for these women all over the UK, along with Fahma Mohammed, who petitioned the government to spread awareness in schools. They have opened the discussion, so it shouldn’t be overly hard to find someone willing to share their story. In addition, there have been medical advancements that promise these girls their femininity back through a very simple surgery. Two key names – Marci Bowers and Harold Henning – look them up.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Editor: Jamal Russell Black

• Affirmative Action in the application process
  
  Interview someone who has experienced this during the application (as a minority or as a member of the majority population) Does this still have a place in the hiring or schooling? What is the efficacy of affirmative action? Has it had the effects originally sought when first implemented? Do you honesty feel you deserve the result?
• Anti-immigration and those against accpeting refugees
  Interview someone who is against their country taking in refugees or may have started a petition to prevent this from happening. Speak to them about their views and may be ask them some of the following questions: Why are you against refugee flows? What dangers do you identify with the accepting of refugees in your country? Cultural clash? Violence? Economic Impact? Describe an experience that has influenced your views.

HEALTH

Editor: Abbie Saunders

• Suicide awareness month
  There are many angles you could take with this: interview someone working with suicide in mental health services, interview family or friends of a suicide victim to raise awareness of the reality of one of the world’s biggest killers, interview someone campaigning for awareness or funding in the light of recent cuts to mental health services.
• Junior doctors pay and strike
  Use this Telegraph article as a basis – there are many newly qualified doctors with different takes on the issue that could be interviewed to find out about their views on it.
• Happiness projects implemented by Dalai Lama
  New reports on teenage confidence while new science-based happiness project is implemented by Dalai Lama in schools. Interview teachers involved in the project, or students with experience of mindfulness in schools with an aim to discovering what the future of mindfulness in education is and whether it can reduce the rate of depression and anxiety in youths.

LGBTQ

Editor: Michael Rose

• Bi Visibility Day: Prevalence of western biphobia
  Interview someone who has felt personally targeted/discriminated against as a result of their bisexuality. Much of this surrounds official institutions (NHS etc.) who, for example, may have failed to recognise their sexual identity or simply treated it with little discretion and/or authenticity. Do they have experiences of this? What happened? How can conditions be improved?
• [North America] Obama’s nomination of gay man as Army Secretary
  Interview someone who serves, or has served, as a gay man or woman under the military (whether it be American or otherwise). What was this experience like? Were they able to be open about their sexuality under these circumstances? How do they view this popular LGBTQ+ story re: Obama’s nomination?

SPORT

• Me and my agent
  With the public image of young football players such as Saido Berahino and Raheem Sterling damaged due to the poor advice of their ‘money-hungry’ agents, find a young player (this could be a young professional player in any league/part of the world) who has suffered the consequences of signing an exploitative contract/dealing with an improper football agent. What regulation could be introduced to reduce this problem for vulnerable young players?
• Hoop Dreams UK
  Find a young NBA hopeful in the UK with strong and credible ambitions to play in the league. Document the socio-economic barriers which they currently face. Is it too difficult to secure a scholarship for the NBA? Are there not enough opportunities for young British players to impress US scouts? Is success really based on merit within this aspect of the sport? Are socio-economic factors a credible reason for why there isn’t a strong UK presence in the NBA?
• Iranian Football Team Niloufar Ardalan unable to attend Asian cup
  With the captain of the Iranian Football Team Niloufar Ardalan unable to attend the Asian Cup due to a failure to obtain permission from her husband (Under Iranian law – women must obtain permission from their husbands to travel abroad), find an introspective story from a young woman involved in any level of sport, speaking about how their gender has been an obstacle for them, either for religious, family or any other relevant societal reasons.

ECONOMY

Editor: Tor Abrahams

• [Europe/Syria] The refugee crisis: Refugee contribution to UK economy
  David Cameron has announced a further £100m has been allocated to the refugee crisis in order to cope with the 20,000 refugees coming into the UK. Interview someone who has sought refuge in the UK and speak to them about the contribution they have made to UK’s economy or to support the government’s proposition to allow 20,000 refugees into the country. The EU have released minutes of their meeting regarding the crisis with specific terms of the agreement. 
• [Europe] Greek debt crisis video
  We would like someone to briefly explain the Greek debt crisis in a short 2-minute video. It may have not been as publicised in the news right now, but they are far from over.
• [Asia] Chinese stock market crash
  We would like someone to briefly explain the Chinese stock market crash in a short 2-minute video. Alternatively, briefly interview an expert who has been working on the events for an article titled: “Seven things you did not know about Black Monday” for example.
• [United States] Fed interest rate hike – still a possibility?
  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen still expects rate increase this year even though the increase was not made last week. She acknowledges the economic “surprises” may change the plan. What is holding the Federal Reserve from raising rate? How could the rate affect financial markets? Speak to a finance expert or market speculator about what the potential for a rates hike and what this means for the US moving into the election, and the world currency and commodity market. Read more.