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Waste Pickers

NIGERIA. “Scavengers’ Search For Survival On Refuse Sites.” Leadership (29 Jan 2012) by Kehinde Ajobiewe. Health is wealth they say, but some people neglect the basic hygienic rules to make money in order to earn a living. Kehinde Ajobiewe takes a look at the hazards posed on scavenger in their quest for survival.

INDIA. “Rag-pickers to get health benefits under Arogyasri.” The Hindu (27 Jan 2012). Hundreds of rag-pickers gathered at the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike on Thursday, where they were given identity cards by the civic body.

INDIA. “Pune: A (Nearly) Waste-Free City.” MIT Public Service Center (26 Jan 2012) by Sam Kornstein and Paul Artiuch. Each day, Pune generates about 1,400 tons of waste – 800 tons of organic waste and 600 tons of dry waste (e.g., paper, plastic, glass, and metals). In addition to the city’s municipal waste collection agency, Pune also has a sizable waste-picking community, with over 2,000 individuals who work full time as part of a cooperative to collect and sort the city’s waste.

INDIA. “The Waste Pickers’ Oral Histories.” The Audioboo Blog. The interviews took place with the help of waste picker organisations in some of India’s biggest cities (Delhi, Chennai, Bangaluru and Pune), amid the constant honking of passing traffic and endless cups of sugary chai. With the use of Audioboo it is possible to listen to some of the waste pickers, and waste picker activists, analyse and discuss in their own words, the issues they face in their daily lives and work, and how they have formed unions and organisations to struggle for social justice.

NAMIBIA. “Government to train Kupferberg population.” Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (25 Jan 2012). The Prime Minister said government was also working towards offering training to the Kupferberg population. Nahas Angula believes that the solution to the Kupferbeg situation does not only lie in cash for work but in skills training to enable them to work for themselves.

PHILIPPINES. “Sifting Through Rubble.” National Geographic (25 Jan 2012). Photographs by Lisa Wiltse. Pictures: Scavenging for Charcoal Fuel in the Rubbish of Manila.

NAMIBIA. “Kupferberg scavengers demand cash for work.” Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (24 Jan 2012). People scavenging at the Kupferberg dumping site outside Windhoek are demanding cash for work from government.

BRAZIL. Photo collection: “Hard Life( Paper Collectors).” Behance Network (no date) by Hugo Palotto. The aim of this project is to show the lives and work of a community often forgotten by Brazilian society, yet who are vitally important to their cities. It explores the streets of Sao Paulo and those who live off them. They are the “Catadores”, the people who clean the streets but often go unseen.

MEXICO. “Mexico City closes noxious landfill but fails to find alternative dump.” Chron (22 Jan 2012) by Dudley Althaus). Now, under federal orders, the city government has closed the 927-acre sanitary landfill where most of the capital's refuse - as much as 76 million tons of it - has been buried during the past 26 years. But the landfill, called the Bordo Poniente, was closed Dec. 19 without definite plans as to where to reroute the city's offal. Nearby cities are unwilling or unable to take much of it.

INDIA. “Waste-to-energy units are flops.” The Hindu (21 Jan 2012) by Staff Reporter. Chennai Corporation must adopt a decentralised approach to manage the solid waste generated in the city instead of setting up facilities to produce power from waste in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi, environmentalists said here on Friday.

INDIA. “With Tempos not arriving on time, PCMC’s project falls flat.” Daily News & Analysis (21 Jan 2012) by Manasi Joshi-Saraf. The Solid Waste Collection And Handling (SWACH), an ambitious project of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to involve scrap pickers in garbage collection to make them self-reliant, has fallen flat. Reason: The Tempos that these women were supposed to drive did not arrive in time.

INDIA. “Garbage pickers livelihoods threatened by power plants in India.” ABC Radio Australia (23 Jan 2012). In India, thousands of poor garbage pickers are having their livelihoods threatened by plans to build three rubbish-fuelled power plants in the capital.

INDIA. “Subir Roy: A waste of an opportunity.” Business Standard (21 Jan 2012) by Subir Roy. Here are two models for solid waste disposal in two major cities — Kolkata and Pune. Kolkata has a history of garbage lying on streets, with a brief period in the sun during the early 2000s when the garbage disappeared, to make a partial comeback in the last several years. Pune, in the last decade, has seen explosive growth, with information technology taking over the baton from engineering.

SÃO PAULO. “Waste Management Green Grease Capivara” . Co Lab ((15 Dec. 11). Launched in January 2010 with support from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Green Grease Project began as a conversation among CoLab, the MIT Biodiesel Club, and Rede Cata Sampa, the local São Paulo chapter of Brazil’s national union of catadores (waste pickers).

SOUTH AFRICA.“Respect waste pickers”. Blue Green Blog (6 Dec. 2011) By Kelly Schwinghammer This morning at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, the Global Alliance for Waste Pickers and Allies were dancing and singing while holding a sign that said “Respect for Waste Pickers: Protecting the Climate through Recycling

SOUTH AFRICA.“The Global Alliance of waste pickers visit South African landfills” Globalrec (3 Dec. 2011) By Manisha Desai. There were collective gasps from the wastepickers present when they saw the amount of good recyclable waste being buried in the landfill.

SOUTH AFRICA. “Group touts green solutions for municipal waste at climate talk”. EcoWatch (6 Dec. 2011). Waste pickers attending COP17 Dec. 5 called for a Green Climate Fund with direct community access and an end to clean development mechanism (CDM) waste-to-energy projects.

SOUTH AFRICA. “Trash into treasure, waste pickers speak at COP 17”. Gender Links (04/12/11). By Florence Sipalla. A gender-sensitive project approach and a clear commitment to gender equity and the empowerment of women are critical in waste management

INDIA. “SWaCH plans to turn garbage into gold”. Sakaal Times (03 Dec. 2011). By Supriya Shelar. SWaCH is also exploring the idea of recycling garbage in an artistic way.

INDIA. “How Waste Pickers Brave Landfills to Make a Living in Delhi ”. The Economic Timest (22 Nov. 2011). Durga Mukherjee remembers the first time she climbed to the top of New Delhi's largest and oldest landfill, joining the dogs, cows and crows there to begin her life as a waste picker.

INDIA. “Indian waste workers fear loss of income from trash-to-electricity projects”. The Washington Post (20 Nov. 2011). By Rama Lakshmi. But an incinerator under construction not far away may mean that he and other waste workers will lose access to the trash, he said, which fetches his family a little over $5 a day.

SOUTH AFRICA. “Brazilian model may be ideal for some poorer communities”. Waste Management World (10 Nov. 2011). By David Jackson. A DIFFERENT model of waste collection and disposal may well be needed in some of SA's more indigent areas, with options and strategies geared towards the needs and capacities of the various communities.

CHINA. “Don´t put pickers in the trash pile”. Global Times (03 November 2011). By Li Ying. Beijing's largest garbage recycling center, in Dongxiaokou township, Changping district, is scheduled for demolition in the coming months, forcing thousands of people who make their living sifting trash to relocate.

INDIA. Baba Adhav Felicitates Waste Pickers' Children The Times of India . (October 19, 2011) Two hundred and eighty-nine children of waste pickers were felicitated for scoring good grades at the school-level, clearing the Board exams and for graduating, by activist Baba Adhav at a programme organised by Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) on Tuesday.

COLOMBIA. “Member Profile: Asociación de Recicladores de Bogotá (ARB)”. GAIA(02/10/11). Por Cecilia Allen. ARB has achieved an impressive level of organization in Bogota, and currently negotiates contracts with the private and public sectors

INDIA. “Waste pickers’ children who underwent vocational training felicitated" . Indian Express.com(30/09/11). Hamal panchayat leader Baba Adhav on Thursday felicitated 33 children of waste pickers who finished driving and beautician training.

BRAZIL. Brazil's Garbage Becomes an Olympic Challenge. Huff Post World (08/09/11). By Eric Ehrmann. With the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics putting the world's 5th largest economy in the global spotlight waste collection and disposal is a problem the land of the samba can't dance around.

INDIA. “To keep fest green, volunteers to collect, recycle nirmalaya”. Indian Express.com (6 September 2011). A 500-member group has been readied by NGOs eCoexist and SWaCH Cooperative for collection and recycling.

INDIA. “Garbage is precious commodity for these diligent workers”. The Hindu (30 August 2011). By Vasudha Venugopal. For the nearly 1,000 waste-pickers like them, who depend on the Kodungiyur dumpyard, the garbage we discard is indeed a precious.

INDIA. Garbage is precious commodity for these diligent workers. The Hindu (29.08.11) By Vasuda Venenugopal. The prices of plastic and paper have increased, so has their income by a few more rupees, but their lifestyle has not seen any improvement.

SOUTH AFRICA. Informal waste pickers contribute to waste management. Engeneering News (19/08/11). By Dimakatso Motau. The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) highlights the significant role waste pickers play in the waste management industry

EGYPT. Arab Spring in Egypt Brings ‘Pivotal Moment’ for Garbage Collectors GoldmanPrize.org (05/08/11). By Goldman Staff. 1994 Goldman Prize winner Laila Iskandar and her Cairo-based NGO, the Spirit of Youth Association (SYA), saw an opportunity in Egypt’s recent political uprising to raise awareness about the importance of proper waste management.

SOUTH AFRICA. Landfill waste pickers want to be separators. SheqAfrica.com (22/07/11). About 88 000 waste pickers on South African ‘one stream’ landfills want opportunities to assist waste generators and collectors in waste separation.

INDIA. HSC Exams: Waste-collectors’ Children Do Well. Times of India (28 May 2011). More and more children of the KKPKP members are taking up education and doing well. A few of them also want to pursue administrative services. KKPKP conducts regular workshops and ensures that the children of waste pickers pursue extra-curricular activities too.

INDIA. Street Vendors Launch Indefinite Strike. Deccan Herald (7 April 2011). Claiming that their eviction by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has left them jobless, street vendors on Thursday began an indefinite strike.

SRI LANKA. New Lease for Street Vendors. Daily News (6 April 2011). President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allowed street vendors to engage in their trade along by-roads and in special areas until alternative places are allocated to them following representations made by the Federation of Self-Employees.

GHANA. AMA Bye-Laws Gradually Taking Effect. Ghanaian Chronicle (6 April 2011). Hawkers on the streets of Accra are gradually respecting the bye-laws of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) on the ban of street hawking, which took effect from last Friday, April 1. The assembly had identified 14 places where hawking activities go on.

INDONESIA. Street Vendors, Foodies Enjoy Cozy New Location. Jakarta Post (6 April 2011). Along a narrow road between business hubs in central Jakarta, about 80 semi-permanent food stalls provide a profitable location for some former mobile street vendors, while other vendors are experiencing lower incomes after a relocation project.

CANADA. Emily Carr Creativity Combines with Digital Business to Cook Up a Tasty New Social Media and iPhone App. Vancouver Sun (4 April 2011). A new location-based iPhone application delivers directions, menus and information about various street food carts in your area, Twitter feeds, and access to full-length episodes of the Eat St. TV show that samples the best street food in cities across North America.

EGYPT. Ramses Street Vendors Defy State Efforts to Evict Them. Al Masry Al Youm (3 April 2011). A week after being violently evacuated by police and military forces, street vendors in Ramses Square are still in business and have started a campaign, starting with a march on Sunday and the creation of a page on Facebook, to demand better rights.

KENYA. Kisumu Hawkers Call for Peace. AllAfrica.com (2 April 2011). Kisumu hawkers yesterday appealed for peace and dialogue with the municipal council. Their representatives said at a meeting between the council and administrators they would not oppose relocation plans as long as discussions precede such decisions.

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Street Vendors

INDIA. “Vendors and Hawkers Make Women Feel Safe.” Hindustan Times (22 January 2012) by Neelam Pandey. For many, they might be encroaching upon public space, but for a section of women in the city, vendors and hawkers make them feel safe in public places.

INDIA. “‘Enact Law Ensuring Security of Street Vendors.’” The Hindu (21 January 2012). The Union government should enact a law ensuring security of street vendors in line with the Supreme Court judgment on the issue. This was among the major demands put forward at a State level seminar on Problems and Solutions of Street Vendors jointly organised by the Centre for Women’s Studies and Department of Social Work, Holy Cross College, Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University, and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) here on Friday.

UK. “Street Vendors Banned from around Hampden during Olympic Football Matches.” Daily Record (19 January 2012) by David Taylor. Street vendors will be banned from Hampden for Olympic football matches. A 200-metre exclusion zone will be set up at the national stadium to keep out people selling the likes of flags, scarves and See you Jimmy hats. Companies such as Visa, McDonalds, and Coca Cola will be allowed to display adverts but no one else.

ZIMBABWE. “Street Vendors’ Protest Sparking a Revolution.” Inter Press Service News (19 January 2012) by Stanley Kwenda. There are some unlikely comparisons between the work lives of Mohammed Bouazizi, the Tunisian fruit seller who sparked the Arab revolution, and Francis Tachireva, a fruit seller in Zimbabwe.

USA. “Harlem Vendors on 125th Street Cleared in Sweep Ahead of Obama Visit.” DNAinfo.com (18 January 2012) by Jeff Mays. A crackdown on unlicensed vendors along 125th Street last week has some merchants worried that they were moved to make room for President Obama’s appearance at the Apollo Thursday.

SOUTH AFRICA. “Vendors Face Strong Arm of the Law.” New Age Online (17 January 2012) by Mel Frykberg . In a joint operation, members of Johannesburg’s metro police, the Tactical Response Team and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) conducted a brutal weekend raid called Operation Festive Season.

INDIA. “MP to Hold Urban Street Vendors Panchayat.” Daily Pioneer (14 January 2012). The Urban Administration and Development Department will organize Urban Street Vendors Panchayat at Chief Minister House on January 23. About 3,000 street vendors will take part in the event.

ZIMBABWE. “Angry Vendors Beat Up Police in Harare.” Nehanda Radio (12 January 2012) by Lance Guma. The Harare City Centre was briefly turned into a war zone on Wednesday after street vendors clashed with police trying to close down their stalls.

INDIA. “Creating Entrepreneurs at the Bottom of the Economic Pyramid.” Forbes (12 January 2012) by Manju Bansal. There is now an opportunity to use mobile technology as the enabler that allows marginalized individuals and micro-entrepreneurs to become part of the economic mainstream.

USA. “From Boardwalk to Barrio, Los Angeles Cracks Down.” New York Times (9 January 2012) by Jennifer Medin. City of Los Angeles officials are beginning to crack down on street vendors. A new ordinance that goes into effect on Jan. 20 is intended to forbid vendors who are selling items that could be considered to have utilitarian value.

ZAMBIA. “Choma Traders Cry Foul over Street Vendors.” Zambia Daily Mail (n.d.) by Mwape Mwenya. Marketeers and show owners in Choma district have appealed to government to quickly secure designated trading areas for street vendors before the situation gets out of hand.

UK. “New Rules Coming Soon on Street Trading.” Oxford Times (9 January 2012) by Liam Sloan. New rules will come into force in February which will rid residential roads of rogue car dealers and could see fast food vans on Oxford’s iconic streets.

RWANDA. “KCC Issues Ultimatum to Street Hawkers.” In2EastAfrica.com (7 January 2012) by Stevenson Mugisha. Kigali City Council (KCC) has set June as the deadline for all street hawkers to operate in gazetted areas. According to a census carried out last year, there were over 6,300 vendors in the city.

INDIA. “City to be Divided into Vendor Zones.” Times of India (6 January 2012). (Bhopal) The Urban Administration and Development Department (UADD) has proposed to divide the state capital into four zones in a bid to regular the street vendors and decongest traffic. The business of vendors and hawkers in the state is being streamlined after the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood) Act 2011 was passed in the state assembly last year.

IRELAND. “Dublin Street Traders Face License Fee Hikes.” RTÉ News (6 January 2012). Street traders in Dublin are facing increases of up to almost 600% in their license fees as councillors draft new by-laws.

MALAWI. “Malawi Mobilize Military to Mop City Streets.” NewsTime Africa (6 January 2012) by Charles Mkula. Malawi’s poverty war Thursday took a fateful pivot when armed military rolled from Kamuzu Barracks into Lilongwe city’s central business centre to unleash their persuasive power against street traders.

INDIA. “No Fresh Hawkers, Vows CM.” Times of India (4 January 2012) . Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday promised not to follow any fresh encroachments of the city’s pavements after she personally intervened to stop fresh takeover of a sidewalk near SSKM Hospital.

THE GAMBIA. “KMC Embarks on Canteen Demolition on the Highways.” Foroyaa Online (4 January 2012) by Fabakary B. Ceesay. Officers of the Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and few members of The Gambia Police Force dressed in black Police traffic jackets were seen on Tuesday 3 January dismantling canteens, tables used by street vendors and shop verandas from the junction of former Cooperative Union and West Field Clinic junction.

MALAYSIA. “Petaling Street Traders Protest Against New Stall Applications.” Malay Mail Online (4 January 2012) by Meena Lakshana. About 100 Petaling Street traders staged a protest yesterday over the issuance of new trading licenses.

INDIA. “Panel to Scrutinize Draft Law on Street Vendors.” Deccan Herald (3 January 2012). The State Cabinet on Tuesday decided to refer to a sub-committee a draft law to protect legitimate street vendors from harassment by police and civil authorities.

NIGERIA. “KAI Operatives Clear Hawkers Off Ipodo Road.” Nigerian Tribune (2 January 2012) by Saka Gbeminiyi. It was commendation galore for men and officers of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline on Tuesday when they stormed Ipodo area to clear the traders hawking on the road.

INDIA. “’Street Smart’ Bhubaneswar Catches Andhra Govt’s Fancy.” Times of India (29 December 2011). The street vending system in Bhubaneswar has turned out to be a role model for other states.

NEPAL. “Vendors Picket KMC for Alternative Site.” Himayalan Times (29 December 2011). Street vendors picketed Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office, demanding that they be provided alternative places for selling goods if they are to be driven off the streets. Vendors have been agitating for the last four days. A week ago, KMC decided to remove footpath shops from the city streets.

CANADA. “Calendar Program Puts Money in Pockets of Street Vendors.” Vancouver Sun (28 December 2011) by Evan Duggan. The ninth annual Hope in Shadows calendar program involved about 150 homeless or low-income vendors who sold the calendar, featuring photographs taken during an annual June photo contest.

INDIA. “Centre Asks State to Rehabilitate Vendors.” Times of India (27 December 2011). The Centre has asked the state government to rehabilitate the street vendors at the earliest and provide them a congenial and harassment-free platform to do business.

ZAMBIA. ”Getting Rid of Traders from the Streets at the Moment would Do More Harm than Good – Lusaka Province Minister.” Lusaka Times (26 December 2011). Lusaka Province Minister Gerry Chanda says Government acknowledges the problem of hawking as a national issue but getting rid of traders from the streets would do more harm than good as it is their only source of income.

INDIA. “NDMC’s Victory over Vending Committee.” Hindustan Times (25 December 2011) by Harish V. Nair. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) won a major legal battle with the Delhi high court ruling that the vending committee has no power to stay its order evicting hawkers, vendors or squatters. The court stated that the committee’s only job was to identify vending sites and determine eligibility/priority of hawkers.

ZAMBIA. “Sata Hailed for Allowing Vendors Back on Streets.” Times of Zambia (19 December 2011) by Davies M.M. Chanda. The Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) has hailed President Michael Sata’s decision not to flush out street vendors from the streets.

ZAMBIA. “Sata Defends Street Vendors.” The Post Online (16 December 2011). President Michael Sata has ordered councils countrywide to let street vendors and those operating car wash points to run their businesses without being chased.

LIBERIA. “Street Sellers to Leave Central Monrovia Streets By Dec. 15…Appeal to Police for Extension.” Inquirer (14 December 2011) by Charles B. Yates. The newly appointed police boss has disclosed that street sellers have agreed to leave central Monrovia streets by December 15, 2011.

HAITI. “Haitian Street Traders Mad at New Central Bank Measures.” Defend (13 December 2011). The street traders are furious about a possible measure of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti to not allow remittances in dollars but to be received in gourdes and efforts to make electronic payments the norm.

ITALY. “Florence Mourns Italy Killing of Two Senegalese Traders.” BBC News (14 December 2011). The Italian city of Florence is in mourning, a day after a gunman killed two Senegalese street vendors and injured another three.

INDIA. “Street Vendors Protest Eviction Drive.” Times of India (13 December 2011). Hundreds of street vendors participated in a protest rally here on Tuesday against forceful eviction from their slums by the district administration and depriving them of their livelihood.

NAMIBIA. “Street Vendors Swarm Rundu.” AllAfrica.com (13 December 2011) by Mutonga Matali. Street vendors occupying the central business district claim that they cannot utilize demarcated open markets to sell their products because the ‘monthly levy paid by traders is high and that customers hardly visit the open markets.’

MOROCCO. “Women Farashat Street Vendors in Morocco: A Lesson of Courage and Dignity.” Morocco World News (12 December 2011) by Mohammed Qasseras . At the Moroccan market, it is not uncommon to find women selling secondhand clothes and household items. Moroccan women of all ages and backgrounds engage in this business to support themselves and their families.

INDIA. “Urban Street Vendor Policy in Two Weeks.” Times of India (3 December 2011). The much-awaited Odisha State Urban Street Vendors’ Policy to rehabilitate street vendors is likely to be ready within two weeks, following a meeting with stakeholders in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

SINGAPORE. “Improvements for the Future of Hawker Centres Here.” Today Online (3 December 2011) by Sumita Sreedharan. Different management models and stall allocation modes were among the topics discussed by a 19-member panel looking into the future of hawker centres, amid public debate about rising food costs and rents.

USA. “Illegal Street Vendors in Westlake Urged to Join Licensed City Market.” Los Angeles Times (3 December 2011) by Esmeralda Bermudez. The city plans to replace the Westlake district’s makeshift sidewalk swap meet with its own licensed marketplace. But in an area where life seems to revolve around illegal street vending, change may not come easily.

LIBERIA. “Police Give Ultimatum to Hawkers.” Liberian Times (2 December 2011) by Winston W. Parley. The Government of Liberia through the Liberian National Police (LNP) is contemplating removing street sellers from sidewalks by December 15, 2011, following several failed attempts to relocate the street hawkers.

CANADA. “Food Truck Fever: Barrhaven Teenagers Cook Up Dishes – and Reasons – For Updated Street Eats.” Ottawa Citizen (1 December 2011) by Ron Eade . Culinary arts students crafted their own concepts to sell interesting and healthy food on the streets, and explored compelling reasons why the city should let more vendors in on the action.

INDIA. “Corridors to Have Multi-Utility Zones for Hawkers, Parking.” Indian Express (29 November 2011) by Ruhi Bhasin. The new BRT corridors would provide for at-grade crossing for pedestrians and have multi-utility zones with space for hawkers and on-street parking.

NIGERIA. “Lagos Declares Total Ban on Street Trading.” Vanguard (29 November 2011) by Kingsley Adegboye . It will no longer be business as usual for street traders in Lagos state as the government has declared a total ban on street trading.

INDIA. “Ktk Keen to Integrate Hawkers in City Infrastructure Guideline.” IBN Live News (29 November 2011). Karnataka Government is keen to integrate street vendors and hawkers in formal infrastructure policies like stall allocation and market or pedestrian and road facility design guidelines.

ZAMBIA. “Vendors Fume Over Order to Vacate Streets.” Times of Zambia (28 November 2011) by Davies M.M. Chanda. Irate marketeers last weekend stormed Kabwe Municipal Council offices and demanded that Kabwe mayor Moses Mwansa tell them the area where they will be taken after being removed from the streets.

USA. “State Senator Jose Peralta to Introduce Legislation to Require Letter-Grading System for Street Vendors.” CBS New York (27 November 2011 . A Queens lawmaker will introduce legislation this week that would require local health departments to implement a letter-grading system for street vendors. The Street Vendor Project released a statement in support of the measure.

NIGERIA. “Abuja Street Hawkers Protest Against Use of Force.” Sahara Reporters (26 November 2011) . Over 250 street hawkers walked more than one hour over a distance of 15 kilometres to the National Human Rights Commission headquarters to protest the incessant harassment of Nigerian government officials.

INDIA. “WB Government to Bring in a Legislation for Hawkers’ Settlement.” IBN Live (24 November 2011). West Bengal Government will enact a law for permanent settlement of hawkers and there will not be any eviction without rehabilitation.

ARGENTINA. “Clashes Persist over Illegal Street Selling in Buenos Aires City.” Buenos Aires Herald (24 November 2011). Clashes between protesters, street vendors and police were wreaking havoc today as shop owners from different neighbourhoods demanded illegal street vending be abolished.

INDIA. “’Stop the Excuses: Enforce SC Order.” Times of India (23 November 2011) by Linah Baliga. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims it cannot start implementing its policy on street vendors until the president green-signals a required amendment in the Bombay Police Act. But for activists, this argument is an excuse to put off creating hawking and non-hawking zones.

SINGAPORE. “Market Peg Remains for Hawker Stall Rents.” Straits Times (23 November 2011) by Kor Kian Beng. The rents of non-subsidised hawker stalls will continue to be pegged to market rates, but the Government is taking steps to keep these rents affordable, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday.

INDIA. “NMC Incurs Loss as Hawker Registration Fails.” Times of India (21 November 2011) . The NMC’s failure to provide authorized zones to hawkers has not only added to traffic chaos, it has also resulted in a huge loss of revenue for the civic body: Rs 4.99 crore to be exact.

SWAZILAND. “E200,000 for Street Vendors’ Shelters.” Swazi Observer (21 November 2011) by Winile Masinga. The municipal council of Mbabane has set aside a budget of E200,000 for the construction of shelters for street vendors at the bus rank.

RWANDA. “For Vendors Wanting to Get Off the Street, Alternatives Exist.” AllAfrica.com (21 November 2011) by Marie-Brigitte Kabalira. The government is currently putting in place a program of creating mini-markets for street vendors, the majority of which happen to be women selling fruits and vegetables.

INDIA. “Hawkers: Kolhapur to Follow Ahmedabad Model.” The Hindu (21 November 2011). The Kolhapur Municipal Corporation has decided to follow the Ahmedabad pattern for relocating the evicted hawkers in and around Kolhapur in a bid to avoid any confrontation between the local body and hawkers’ union.

INDIA. “Kumari Selja Unveils Draft Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill, 2011, Draft Model Property Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2011 and Central Legislation for Street Vendors.” Government of India Press Information Bureau (11 November 2011). Kumari Selja, Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Culture today unveiled central legislation for street vendors.

ZAMBIA. “LCC Warns Street Vendors of Council Action.” Lusaka Times (10 November 2011). The Lusaka City Council has warned street vendors to, with immediate effect, stop trading from the streets.

FRANCE. “Thousands of Mini Eiffel Towers Seized as Police Target Illegal Street Vendors.” RFI (10 November 2011). A police operation in the French capital against illicit street vendors has netted 270 tonnes of miniature Eiffel towers. Four people were arrested as part of a campaign to rid the streets of Paris of thousands of illegal vendors selling tourist souvenirs.

ZIMBABWE. “As Economy Recovers, Sculpture Returns to Streets of Zimbabwe.” Global Press Institute (9 November 2011) by Geri-Leigh Diana. After the economic crisis and government shutdown of local markets during the past decade, the stone sculpture industry has begun to recover in Zimbabwe. Its recovery has also resurrected the decades-old debate about true art versus cheap imitations and street markets versus galleries.

USA. “Braves Souvenir Street Vendors Ask for Court Help.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution (9 November 2011) by Steve Visser. Two street peddlers who sell Braves souvenirs on Wednesday asked a judge to prevent a corporation from evicting them from their vending sites around Turner Field.

INDONESIA. “5,432 Satpol PP Personnel Deployed to Control Street Vendors during SEA Games.” BeritaJakarta.com (9 November 2011). Jakarta Satpol PP deploys 5,432 personnel to maintain the city’s security and public order during the SEA Games XXVI on November 11-22. In its effort to do so, since last month until now Satpol PP keeps intensifying raids toward street vendors (PKLs) in five cities for the comfort of SEA Games’ contingents from 11 countries.

KENYA. “Small-Scale Traders Benefit From New Mobile Accounting Software.” AllAfrica.com (9 November 2011). Second-hand clothes dealers and vegetable vendors are set to benefit from a mobile accounting software that will enable them to keep records thereby raising their profiles for accessing credit.

RWANDA. “Huye Town to Evict Hawkers.” AllAfrica.com (7 November 2011). Local authorities in Huye town have ordered all hawkers operating within the town centre off the streets or face penalties. Many of the hawkers are women and youth who sell various merchandise including clothes, shoes and fruits.

NIGERIA. “Oshiomhole, Traders Meet over Arbitrary Environmental Levy.” Nigerian Tribune (7 November 2011). Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has promised to resolve the environmental levy controversy which led to protests by hundreds of traders at the Government House recently.

NIGERIA. “AEPB Extends Deadline for Hawkers to Relocate from Abuja.” AllAfrica.com (7 November 2011). The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has extended the November 5 deadline given to hawkers to stop their operations in Abuja to November 11. The Director of the Board said there is no dignity in hawking; rather, the lives of those who hawk are in danger while making the environment dirty and unhealthy.

NIGERIA. “AEPB Extends Deadline for No Hawking Policy.” Daily Times (6 November 2011). The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has extended the November 5 deadline it earlier stipulated for hawkers to cease operation in Abuja, to November 11.

EGYPT. “With Informal Economy on the Rise, Experts Push for Reform.” Daily News Egypt (1 November 2011) by Maurice Chammah. There is a reason more street vendors are seen throughout Egypt these days. Since January, Egypt’s economy has seen a rise in its informal sector, and many members of the informal economy are street vendors – 6 per cent of whom have a higher education certificate.

MALAYSIA. “Popular Hawkers Make Upmarket Move in Malaysia.” Jakarta Globe (31 October 2011) by Carolyn Hong. Eleven well-known hawkers from Kuala Lumpur and Penang are setting up shop in an arts theme mall in the upmarket neighbourhood of Mont Kiara.

UGANDA. “Shop Owners Welcome City Vendor Evictions.” East African Business Week (30 October 2011) by Eriosi Nantaba. The business community and traders in Kampala have expressed mixed reactions a month after the eviction of street vendors. The reaction follows the forceful eviction of more than 7,000 vendors in a move to clean up and organize the capital city.

BRAZIL. “Street Vendors Block Streets of São Paulo.” Demotix (29 October 2011). Street vendors continued to promote protest marches and blocked streets in Bras, on the fifth day of demonstrations against the prohibition of street stalls.

MALAYSIA. “Members of Hawkers Working Committee Sworn In.” Borneo Post Online (28 October 2011). Over 80 hawkers trading in Kuching South City Council areas were sworn in at MBKS office here yesterday as members of a working committee which was recently set up. The committee is the first of its kind in Sarawak.

NIGERIA. “Abia Government Pulls Down Over 200 Shops, Insists on Sanitising City.” Sun News On-line (20 October 2011) by Okey Sampson. The Abia State government has clamped down on street vendors in an attempt to enforce a relocation order.

INDIA. “’Hawker Policy Must Be Rational.’” Times of India (18 October 2011) by Rosy Sequeira. In a hearing of a petition filed by a hawker, the Bombay high court on Monday said that it knows what goes on unofficially in Mumbai but cannot take judicial notice of it.

USA. “For L.A.’s Illegal Street Vendors, Selling Food and Avoiding Police is a Full-Time Job.” Neon Tommy / USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism by Esther Kang. Street vending is illegal in the City of Los Angeles, yet major streets and cross sections are daily clotted with non-English speaking entrepreneurs who sell anything from churros, fruits and empanadas to hot dogs, ice cream and sodas.

NIGERIA. “Osun to Punish Street Traders.” AllAfrica.com (17 October 2011) by Yetunde Oladejo. Osun State government has declared that trading, exhibition and marketing activities by Local, State and Federal roadsides are serious offences which the state government will treat with strict penalites for all offenders.

COSTA RICA. “San José Takes Tough Action Against Street Vendors.” Inside Costa Rica (16 October 2011). The Municipal Police and National Police have joined forces, working together to stop street vending, seizing cell phone cases, remote controls and perishables, some of the items offered by street vendors. The joint operation began on Saturday and will continue for the coming weeks.

INDIA. “Mumbai Musclemen Hired to Evict Hawkers.” Times of India (14 October 2011) by Melvyn Thomas. The Surat Municipal Corporation, whose employees are unwilling to take on hostile hawkers, has outsourced roadside encroachment and littering to a Mumbai-based agency.

USA. “Naperville Looking to Expand Street Vendor Food Offerings.” Naperville Sun / Chicago Sun Times (13 October 2011). Naperville is looking to have more street food for sale next year. The city’s process to consider vendors for its 2012 Downtown Mobile Vending Cart Program is now underway.

ZAMBIA. “Ndola to Rid City of Vendors.” Zambia Daily Mail (n.d.) by Nkweto Mfula. The newly elected mayor has appealed to street vendors in the central business district to relocate to designated trading places or risk losing their stands in markets.

NIGERIA. “AEPB Clears Nyanya-Abuja Hawkers’ Sheds.” Nigerian Pilot (12 October 2011) by Wilfred Sawa. The Abuja Environmental Protection Board has embarked on the clearing and burning of all hawkers’ stalls and street shop extensions, in a drive to ensure a crime-free and clean environment.

UGANDA. “Gulu Municipality in Fix as Street Vendors Stay Put.” AllAfrica.com (10 October 2011) by Cissy Makumbi. Gulu Municipal Council has been caught up in a battle with street vendors, whom they want to vacate the road reserves.

EGYPT. “Egyptian Government Cracks Down on Street Vendors.” Al Shorfa (7 October 2011) by Waleed Abu al-Khair. Egyptian officials launched a security plan in mid-September to curb the proliferation of street vendors and coordinate with the Ministry of Commerce to provide new spaces for markets to be reserved for street and cart vendors.

PAKISTAN. Average Household in Rawalpindi Prefers Street Seller. The News (9 October 2011) by Ibne Ahmad. Limited opportunities for formal employment have made hawking an attractive option for many youths in Rawalpindi who support their education and family from the business.

MOROCCO. Moroccan Youth Turn Junk into Income. Magharebia.com (7 October 2011) by Maria Tahri. At Morocco’s urban street markets, scrap vendors find a way out of unemployment and shoppers find solutions.

INDIA. Street Vendors to Get Identity Cards. The Hindu (7 October 2011) by V. Geetanath. Annual fee, registration and issuance of identity cards for street vendors by the urban local body concerned are on the cards, according to the draft A.P. Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill.

TANZANIA. Poor Planning Blamed on Influx of Street Vendors. AllAfrica.com (6 October 2011) by Sebastian Mrindoko. Ilala City Director Gabriel Fuime remarked that poor planning and lack of proper address for shopping centres are among the factors fuelling uncontrolled influx of street vendors into different parts of the city.

SINGAPORE. More Hawker Centres to be Built. Channel News Asia (5 October 2011). The government has announced plans to build more hawker centres after a 26-year hiatus. With more people eating out these days, residents have been complaining of a shortage of hawker centres and expressing concerns over rising food prices.

INDIA. Institutional Credit Linkage for Street Vendors. Express News Service (4 October 2011). If the Orissa government has its way, street vendors will soon get institutional credit support. The draft Orissa State Urban Street Vendors’ Policy pitches for extending financial linkage to the vendors who are always a target of the enforcement authorities – both police and civic.

NIGERIA. AEPB Officials Chase Food Vendors at Wuse. AllAfrica.com (3 October 2011) by Chukwunyere Michael. Officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and Society against Prostitution and Child Labour last Monday chased after food vendors as well as street hawkers in front of BMG Plaza at Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

USA. “Adams Morgan Latino Food Market Closes.” Washington Post (30 September 2011) by David Montgomery. Friday was the last day of what supporters say is Washington’s only open-air Latino market, which began as an effort to give formerly unlicensed food-cart vendors in the neighbourhood a sanctioned outlet for their entrepreneurship.

INDIA. “India in Transition: The Rights of Street Vendors.” The Hindu (28 September 2011) by Ritajyoti Bandyopadhyay. The National Policy on Urban Street Vendors envisages zoning laws, issue of licenses and social security for vendors, but works on a principle of exclusion.

SINGAPORE. “More Hawker Centres in the Works?” Today Online (26 September 2011) by Esther Ng. Hawker centres were built between 1971 and 1985 to resettle street hawkers into purpose-built buildings with proper sanitation and amenities. The hawker centres have become a landscape icon as well as a social institution where Singaporeans, regardless of socio-economic status, can mingle.

KENYA. “Mombasa Roads May Be Closed for Hawkers.” AllAfrica.com (26 September 2011) by Brian Otieno. Hawkers in the Mombasa CBD have two weeks to seek alternative areas to sell their goods or suffer unspecified consequences.

USA. “Solber Pupusas Wins Top Vendy Award.” New York Times (26 September 2011). Solber Pupusas, which started serving Salvadoran street food in Brooklyn a decade ago, won the Vendy Cup, the top honor at the Vendy Awards on Saturday. The awards were started in 2005 by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, and also include People’s Taste, Rookie of the Year, Best Dessert, and Best of NJ awards.

INDIA. “Terror Alert Hits Bhadra Hawkers the Hardest.” Indian Express (24 September 2011). Street hawkers in and around Bhadra Fort area are seen more on the run with their goods than running their tiny businesses for the past three weeks, thanks to the local police, which are hounding them out in the wake of terror alert sounded recently.

INDIA. “Brakes on LMC Vending Plans.” Times of India (23 September 2011). In what may come as a major setback to the LMC’s attempt to set up vending zones across the city, the traffic department has declared 11 corridors as ‘No Vending Zones.’

UGANDA. “Former Street Vendors Issue Fresh Threats to Demonstrate over Eviction.” UG Pulse (22 September 2011). The former Kampala street vendors whom the KCCA and the police evicted have threatened to demonstrate if they are not given an alternative area to work in.

INDIA. “Your Street Food Just Got Healthier.” NDTV (21 September 2011 . In a move that will bring the food vendor at the corner of your street at par with five star hotels, and all categories of diners in between, the Centre has decided to issue licenses, provided they meet its yardstick of hygiene.

MALAWI. “Fire Believed Started by Street Children Trying to Keep Warm Razes Malawi Flea Market.” Washington Post (19 September 2011 . A market built to get hawkers off the streets of Malawi’s commercial capital has been razed by a fire believed to have been started by street children trying to keep warm.

UAE. “Street Vendors, Beggars Face Deportation.” Gulf News (19 September 2011). The Dubai Municipality, in cooperation with the police, arrested 205 street vendors, beggars and illegal car washers.

JORDAN. “Jabal Hussein Merchants Threaten to Strike if Street Vendors Do Not Relocate.” Jordan Times (12 September 2011) by Omar Obeidat. Merchants in the capital’s Jabal Hussein neighbourhood on Tuesday said they will close their shops and go on strike if authorities fail to remove street vendors’ stalls by the end of this month.

INDIA. “Some Succumb to Injuries, Others Thank Their Stars.” The Hindu (9 September 2011) by Neha Alawadhi. Street vendors were among those who survived the bomb blast at the Delhi High Court on Wednesday. With the support of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), they had gone to attend a hearing of their case to contest their right to earn a living on the streets.

SOUTH AFRICA. “Painful to See Hawkers Robbed by ANC Youth.” Business Day (7 September 2011) by Thami Mazwai. In 2008, the Small Business Project released research showing that low-level retailers such as street vendors have above-average rates of robbery victimization. This was evident six weeks ago when young people vandalised informal trading stands in Johannesburg.

TUNISIA. “Tunisia Bans ‘Street Vendors.’” World Bulletin (7 September 2011). Seeking to restore order and security and draw back the tourists it lost since the violent January uprising that deposited its president, Tunisia has banned what it called “anarchic” street stalls in the capital after complaints from residents. It was an act of self-immolation by one such street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, that sparked the unrest that set the Arab Spring alight.

INDIA. “Street Vendors Among Those Injured in Delhi Blast.” The Hindu (7 September 2011). They came here to eke out a living by selling products on the street, but got something they had hardly imagined when they were injured in the blast outside the Delhi High Court where they had gone to seek a stay on police action against street vendors.

USA. “In Food Truck Fights, Libertarian Law Firm Takes a Stand.” Washington Post (6 September 2011) by Tim Carman. The Institute for Justice, a self-described “libertarian public interest law firm,” launched its new National Street Vending Initiative earlier this year in Texas, and has since expanded it to Atlanta and Chicago.

MALTA. “The Growing Success of the Farmer’s Market.” Independent Online (5 September 2011) by Scott Grech. Since its opening last October, the farmers’ market in Ta’ Qali has gone from strength to strength, to the extent that a similar market will open soon in Victoria.

SINGAPORE. “Singapore Food Hawkers May Up Prices As Costs Rise.” Bernama (5 September 2011). Sellers of hawker food in Singapore are feeling the pinch of rising costs as inflation pressure remains. A check by the newspaper with 34 hawkers showed that 20 would not pledge to hold prices constant over the coming six months, as a pledge to keep prices fixed for the last six months approaches its expiration.

UGANDA. “Kampala Traders Call Off Protest.” New Vision (5 September 2011) by Brian Mayanja and Miriam Ochakolong. City traders called off their planned protest activities after the Kampala City Council Authority promised to restore trade order to the central business district. KCCA issued a new directive to street vendors and hawkers to leave the streets or face forceful evictions.

UGANDA. “MPs Oppose ‘Rush’ Eviction of Vendors.” Daily Monitor (5 September 2011) by Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa and Robert Mwanje. MPs from different constituencies in Kampala have thrown their weight behind defiant street vendors, saying that government must find a clear place before evicting them from the streets.

INDIA. “Hawkers Back on Anna Salai.” The Hindu (4 September 2011) by Sowmiya Ashok. A little over a month after they were relocated to Link Road, around 160 hawkers are back to their old spots on Anna Salai.

UGANDA. “KCCA to Start Evicting Vendors.” New Vision (1 September 2011) by Taddeo Bwambale and Juliet Waiswa. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has issued a new directive to street vendors and hawkers to leave the streets by Sunday or face forceful eviction.

INDIA. “Right to Service Bill Passed.” Times of India (31 August 2011). The assembly in Ranchi passed an Urban Hawkers Bill on Tuesday.

MALTA. “General Workers Union Takes Stand for Zurrieq Hawkers.” Times of Malta (30 August 2011). The General Workers Union is considering taking legal action against the Zurrieq mayor who is not allowing some hawkers to set up their stalls on Thursday because of the village feast.

USA. “Chicago Law Students to Defend Street Vendors.” EFE News Service (29 August 2011). Chicago’s roughly 1,500 street vendors have won the University of Chicago as an ally in their struggle with the municipal government to sell their products without being persecuted by police.

INDIA. “Bombay High Court Gives ‘Biased’ BMC a Rap on the Knuckle.” Daily News & Analysis (29 August 2011) by Urvi Mahajani. The Bombay High Court rapped the BMC for having ‘double standards’ over the issue of permitting authorized hawkers to sell food. “Transparency in the matter of public action is the need of the hour,” said the court.

UGANDA. “Where Will the Vendors Go?” AllAfrica.com (25 August 2011) by Samuel Sanya. The fate of Kampala’s street vendors and hawkers hangs in the balance following a directive from President Museveni to have them relocate to markets around the city.

VIETNAM. “Street Food Vendors May Be Limited to Fixed Areas.” VietNews (23 August 2011). Ha Noi’s Food Safety and Hygiene Department will provide safe water and standard food processing areas in an effort to organize food vendors. Some residents object to the removal of vendors from natural markets because “it is more convenient to buy food from street vendors than taking the time to travel to designated locations to find food.”

INDIA. “HC Asks BMC to Submit Hawkers Scheme in Bandra Fair on Aug. 29.” IBN Live (23 August 2011). The Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to show some preference toward the poor during fairs and festivals, and submit a scheme to manage hawkers during the upcoming Mount Mary Fair in suburban Bandra.

SINGAPORE. “NEA Studying Petition By Holland Village Hawkers.” Channel News Asia (21 August 2011) by Ng Lian Cheon . In a first-of-its-kind petition, more than 20 hawkers at the Holland Village Market and Food Centre are asking the National Environment Agency to convert the centre’s wet market section into an extended area for cooked food stalls. And NEA said it is studying the feasibility of the idea.

ARMENIA. “Anger as Traders Cleared from Yerevan Streets.” Institute for War and Peace Reporting (19 August 2011). The authorities in the Armenian capital Yerevan have begun demolishing street stalls and kiosks, in what opposition politicians allege is a step designed to protect large supermarkets from competition.

IRELAND. “Cork Revives ‘Irish Market’: Trade Returns to Coal Quay.” Irish Times (12 August 2011) by Louise Roseingrave. The completion of a 4 million euro redevelopment of Cornmarket Street will mean street traders return to the new pedestrian-friendly streetscape in a series of revamped stalls. The design has a focus on trading space in keeping with the area’s historic trading links.

ARMENIA. “Yerevan Municipality Will Not Provide Land Plots for New Trade Booths.” Arka News Agency (10 August 2011). Yerevan Municipality will not provide land plots for new booths and pavilions of retail trade, except newspaper booths.

INDIA. “No Progress on Hawkers Policy, Admits State Government.” Hindustan Times (8 August 2011) by Sayli Udas Mankikar. The July 13 blast at Zaveri Bazaar’s overcrowded khau gully has once again brought the issue of hawkers and the delay in clearing the hawkers policy to the fore.

INDIA. “Pimpri Chinchwad Mayor Asks for Fresh Survey of Hawkers.” Times of India (8 August 2011). Pimpri Chinchwad mayor Yogesh Behl has asked zonal officers to conduct a fresh survey to find out hawkers who are eligible to get licenses. The civic body had last conducted such a survey in 2008.

INDIA. “Host of Problems for Relocated Hawkers on Link Road.” The Hindu (6 August 2011) by Sowmiya Ashok . A fortnight after hawkers in Tamil Nadu were moved to a new location, several concerns plague them – foremost, the lack of public frequenting the new location.

NIGERIA. “AEPB Proposes Open Markets for Hawkers.” AllAfrica.com (5 August 2011) by Perpetual Umeaku. As part of the effort to rehabilitate and cater to the interest of street hawkers in the territory, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has proposed market areas where road side hawkers can freely sell their goods.

GHANA. “Hawkers Need More Market Space.” Ghana MMA (29 July 2011). Amnesty International (AI) has appealed to the government to create more market space for hawkers.

INDIA. “GHMC to Regulate Vendors.” Deccan Chronicle (29 July 2011). Following directions from the AP High Court, Lok Ayukta and the SHRC, the GHMC revived the hawkers policy to protect the livelihood of roadside vendors in less than three days after removing over 3,000 encroachments from footpaths.

INDIA. “BMC to Show Zero Tolerance to Hawkers.” Times of India (27 July 2011) by Linah Baliga. The state government claims to have found a way to reduce the impact of terror: decongest crowded locations, such as areas with hawkers.

USA. “Street Vendors Urge Local Pols to Reduce Fines for Sidewalk Carts.” New York Daily News (26 July 2011) by Clare Trapasso. A street vendor advocacy group, the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, is urging local lawmakers to give struggling sidewalk peddlers a break.

THAILAND. “Phuket Vendors Protest Police Corruption.” Phuket News (21 July 2011). About 200 street vendors gathered yesterday at the provincial police station to protest a recent crackdown on sales of pirated goods.

USA. “Seattle Takes Risk-Based Approach to Food Trucks.” Food Safety News (20 July 2011) . The Seattle City Council passed new regulations that grant more freedom to mobile food vendors, using a risk-based approach in approving food permits.

INDIA. Street Vendors Move HC against NDMC Draw of Lots for Sites. Express India (14 July 2011) by Utkarsh Anand. A group of street vendors moved the Delhi High Court on Wednesday against the policy of the draw of lots to be conducted by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) for allotting 386 vending sites in its jurisdiction.

INDIA. Vendor Eviction: Guwahati HC Notices to Manipur Government. Times of India (13 July 2011). Acting on a petition filed by 44 women street vendors who have been evicted from Khwairamband Bazar in the heart of Imphal, the Guwahati high court on Tuesday issued notices to the Manipur government.

BOTSWANA. Vendors Line Up at Sebele Centre. The Monitor (11 July 2011) by Tebogo Mmolawa. The newly opened Sebele Mall has created business opportunities for small entrepreneurs. According to one street vendor, business would be better if vendors were allowed to move inside the mall.

CUBA. Women Face Challenges in Growing Self-Employment Sector. Inter Press Service (11 July 2011) by Patricia Grogg . In the first quarter of this year, about 300,000 people in this country of 11.2 million moved from the state sector to the private sector, in light of the expansion of self-employment from 157 to 178 trades and activities and the drastic reduction of the state payroll. The authorities hope to encourage more people to apply for permits for self-employment, with rules aimed at easing the tax burden.

INDIA. Street Vendors’ Forum to Form Asia-Level Alliance. The Hindu (11 July 2011) by Smita Gupta. Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), which plans to form an Asia-level alliance to give momentum to the street vendor movement in different parts of the continent, is planning to hold an Asia-level conference in Delhi in November later this year.

ARMENIA. Yerevan Street Traders Say No Mini-Market Yet Built for Them. Armenian News(28 June 2011). Another altercation took place between street traders on Tigran Mets Ave. and Yerevan City Hall staff on Sunday. For the past 6 months, street traders who normally work in the area below Ayrarat cinema have been actively protesting the ban on street trade that came into effect at the start of this year.

INDIA. Street Vendors Move HC Against ‘Illegal’ Eviction by NDMC. Hindustan Times (26 June 2011). Street vendors in NDMC-manned areas of the Capital have approached the Delhi high court against the civic authority's action of evicting them allegedly without providing an alternative site "in violation" of the court's earlier order. Justice Manmohan Singh presiding over the vacation bench of the court has sought the response of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on a contempt petition moved by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI).

SWAZILAND. Insurance for Poor Population to be Introduced Soon. The Swazi Observer (24 June 2011). The Registrar of the Insurance and Retirement Fund said that a micro insurance scheme to be introduced will target hawkers, farmers, and other low income earners.

INDIA. Vendors Claim Goods Seized Despite Orders. Hindustan Times (22 June 2011). More than 50 street vendors from Sarojini Nagar market have claimed that New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) officials have impounded their goods despite a Delhi High Court stay order against such removal. The vendors first organised an impromptu protest. After discussion with the station house officer, the vendors, along with activists of the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), lodged complaints with the police.

USA. In City Parks, Fancier Noshing. The New York Times (21 June 2011). The deployment of street food in parks has been slowed by a cumbersome contract approval process, according to Sean Basinski, Director of the Street Vendor Project. “The process should be democratized,” he said.

INDIA. HC Stops NDMC From Removing Street Vendors. Hindustan Times (19 June 2011). The Delhi high court has restrained the NDMC from removing street vendors from where they have been running their shops till its further order. The court now fixed August 29 for further hearing of the plea.

INDIA. Mangalore: Street Vendors May Approach High Court. Mangalorean (19 June 2011). The fight of the street vendors for a proper place to carry out their business in Mangalore will be taken to the High Court. State general secretary M.G. Hegde said that the Mangalore City Corporation had violated the orders of the Supreme Court in evicting the street vendors from the Central Market and the surrounding areas without providing them with an alternative arrangement.

BOTSWANA. Botswana Railways Mall to Open October. Mmegi Online (17 June 2011). Botswana Railways has indicated that completion of their shopping mall is projected for September. The managing director said that unlike other super malls, small traders will be catered for, and spoke of plans to provide cubicles for people with hawkers’ licenses.

INDIA. Bihar Eyes BMC-Style Vending Zone System. Times of India (17 June 2011). The vending zone system in Bhubaneswar, it seems, has caught the fancy of the Bihar government. A Bihar official visited the city on Thursday to learn about the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s vending zone policy. The Patna High Court asked the Bihar government to set up vending zones in Patna.

THAILAND. Chart Thai Pattana Unveils New Loan Scheme. The Nation (15 June 2011). Under the program, self-employed and low-income earners like street vendors and market stall holders who cannot present salary slips to a bank for a traditional loan could qualify for up to Bt 100,000 personal loans.

INDIA. Karnataka State to Expand Micro-Credit Scheme. Business Standard (15 June 2011). The Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC) will introduce a micro-credit scheme for women street vendors shortly. The corporation has earmarked Rs2 crore for the pilot project and a survey to identify beneficiaries is underway. The credit facility would be made available only to women street vendors holding a license from the local authority.

CHINA. China’s Billionaires: Liu Yiqian, China’s Biggest Art Collector. BBC News (14 June 2011). China’s biggest art collector began as a 14-year-old maker of handbags, which his mother sold on the street. By finding a way to make the bags cheaper than other street vendors, he outsold them. At the time the average wage was 300 yuan per year, and the people earning 10,000 yuan in Shanghai were all street traders like Liu.

USA. City Looks to Streamline Vendor Licensing Process. WFMZ (14 June 2011). Getting a street vendor license in Bethlehem is difficult. So difficult, in fact, that with only one vendor current on the books, city council is looking at streamlining the process. Currently, once the vendor has approval from the property owner controlling the sidewalk, they then must get a right of way permit, a health code permit, pay a business privilege tax, obtain a business license, undergo a criminal background check, and get historic preservation approval.

CHINA. China Riots Smell of Tunisian Jasmine. International Business Times (13 June 2011). Migrant workers broke out into riot after a pregnant migrant worker was manhandled in China’s southern province of Guangzhou last week. Although analysts are fairly certain that police will take all necessary measures to quell unrest, many are noting the similarities of this instance and the recent uprising in Tunisia.

INDIA. Delhi Vendors Get Protection from Eviction Till December. Indlawnews.com (13 June 2011). The High Court appointed Appellate Authority has directed the DCP (central) and DCP (crime) to take action against New Delhi Municipal Corporation officers who despite court orders have evicted the vendors from their work place.

CHINA. Chinese Street Vendor Dispute Expands into Violent Melee. New York Times (12 June 2011). A protest in Xintang, in south coastal China, apparently sprang from a dispute between security officers and two migrant street vendors in an industrial area filled with garment factories, the Associated Press reported.

SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa – 2010 FIFA World Cup Failed to Deliver. The Budapest Report (9 June 2011). The rich have grown richer and the poorer are even more poor, according to an independent survey carried out by South African street vendors to review one year after the 2010 South African Football World Cup, to which FIFA had all rights of sales and merchandise.

SWAZILAND. Hawkers’ Tax Free Benefits. Swazi Observer (8 June 2011). Legally registered hawkers have a tax free entitlement of E1,000 per hawker for imported goods, the Swaziland Revenue Authority has advised.

INDIA. NDMC To Give 1,900 Street Vendors Licenses. Hindustan Times (7 June 2011). About 1,900 street vendors will very soon be able to sell their goods legally in the NDMC area. This comes in the backdrop of the NDMC drawing up a tentative list of vendors who it will allow to ply their trade in its area. However, some areas will remain off limits.

PHILIPPINNES. Marikina Starts Microlending Program for Street Vendors. Philippinne Daily Inquirer (6 June 2011). The local government of Marikina City has launched a microlending program for the city’s registered ambulant vendors to provide them with working capital. “We recognize the existence and needs of this particular sector of our community whose primary source of income emanates from peddling commodities,” said Mayor Del de Guzman.

HONG KONG. Overhaul Urged to Ease Hardships of Hawkers. South China Morning Post (3 June 2011). Supporters of Tai Hang’s egg-waffle man, Ng Yuk-fai, have called for an overhaul of the welfare and hawker-control systems. They said neither the dole nor earnings from hawking were enough for a family to survive on alone.

INDIA. Demand for Central Law to Protect Street Vendors. The Hindu (3 June 2011). More than 540 street vendor organizations, trade unions and community-based associations across 22 States of the country have started the process to send a memorandum to the Prime Minister to take cognizance of the necessity of a central law to protect the livelihood and social security rights of more than 12 million urban street vendors of India.

USA. City of Seattle Considers New Street Food Rules. My Northwest.com (3 June 2011). The Seattle City Council is working on legislation that would loosen the rules on mobile food vendors, aiming to expand the availability of street food.

RWANDA. Female Hawkers to Access Loans Through Cooperatives. AllAfrica.com (1 June 2011). Female hawkers will soon become creditworthy after authorities advised them to join cooperatives in order to access financial services. The president of the national women’s council views the effort to organize women street vendors into cooperatives as a way to enhance the business sector.

USA. The Case For More Food Trucks in Pittsburgh. Pop City (1 June 2011). Entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh hope to tap into the food truck craze which has taken several other cities by storm. One explanation for the popularity of food trucks is that they cost less to operate than traditional restaurants, so vendors are able to keep their prices relatively low.

INDIA. Street Vendors’ Body Slams Government. Times of India (27 May 2011). The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) on Friday came out heavily on the state government and said that lakhs of street vendors in the state would remember the NDA government for empty promises of integrated urban development and bringing about a law for vendors.

UNITED KINGDOM. Street Markets Could Flourish in Haringey in Council Trial. Hornsey, Crouch End & Muswell Hill Journal (26 May 2011). Haringey’s streets will be literally open for business for the first time in at least 20 years, as councilors agreed to relax a ban on granting street traders a license. “Ideally, we will be looking to see how temporary street trading might encourage greater footfall to an area, thereby enhancing trading for everybody,” said Cllr. Nilgun Canver, cabinet member for environment.

VIETNAM. Markets Dying as Customers Move to Streets. VietNamNet (25 May 2011). Markets throughout Ho Chi Minh City have been seeing an increased number of customers choose street vendors and supermarkets over traditional markets, causing many market vendors to move to the streets to sell. Vendors and customers say it is more convenient to buy from street vendors than to pay for motorbike parking to go into the markets.

BOTSWANA. Government of Botswana Facilitates Women’s Cross-Border Informal Trade. Botswana Gazette (25 May 2011). The Government of Botswana, with the support of the United Nations, has launched a 3-year project on informal cross-border trade to improve networking among women traders, increase their visibility and highlight their contribution to employment and the economy.

INDONESIA. In ‘Food Deserts,’ Oases of Nutrition. New York Times Opinionator (23 May 2011). In April 2009, Mercy Corps started a healthy street food business called Kedai Balitaku, or My Child’s Café, to bring healthy and affordable food to poor neighborhoods in Jakarta. The social business spun off into a for-profit company that sells kid-friendly meals and snacks using healthy, fresh ingredients.

LIBERIA. Street Vendors’ Plight Raises Concern. The New Republic (22 May 2011). In an effort to promote and protect the rights of street vendors and also develop their capacity for the improvement of their livelihood, three non-governmental organizations – StreetNet International, the Ghana Trades Union Congress, and the Global Labour Institute – held a 3-day leadership training workshop for the National Petty Traders Union of Liberia (NAPETUL), an umbrella organization for street vendors in the country.

INDIA. NAC for Central Law to Protect Livelihoods of Street Vendors. The Hindu (22 May 2011). The National Advisory Council is expected to make suggestions on the issue of having a central legislation to protect the livelihood of over one crore street vendors across the country.

INDIA. Delhi High Court Allows Vendors to Resume Business. The Hindu (21 May 2011). The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed tehbazari licensed vendors at Sewa Nagar’s Prabhu Market in South Delhi to resume their business. The matter will come up for hearing on August 18.

UK. Just Another ‘Stealth Tax.’ The Berwick Advertiser (20 May 2011). Plans by Northumberland County Council to introduce street trade licenses of up to 600 for businesses operating in the county but without permanent premises there have been described as “protectionist” by MSP John Lamont.

INDIA. Street Vendors Refuse to Give In, Storm Fruit Sellers’ Stalls. The Sangai Express (19 May 2011). Refusing to give up without a fight, street vendors during a meeting held today have decided to pressurize the Government to allot seats to them at the top floors of the three newly constructed buildings of Khwairamband Bazar which are still lying vacant.

USA. Brookings Ordinance Allows Street Vendors Downtown. Brookings Radio (16 May 2011). The City Council of Brookings, South Dakota passed a new ordinance to bring street vendors to the city’s central business district. City Council Member Jael Thorpe says she was approached by several people asking for vendors downtown during festivals.

INDIA. National Forum of Lawyers Set Up for Street Vendors. The Hindu (16 May 2011). The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) organised a national roundtable of advocates and lawyers here on Sunday to focus on issues related to legal struggles of street vendors of the country. At the end of the roundtable, the formation of a “National Forum of Lawyers” was announced. “The forum would support street vendors in their legal battles, facilitate their litigation and regular sharing of relevant information pertaining to law, policies and court orders for their effective use in the courts,” said a NASVI spokesperson.

INDIA. Street Vendors Protest. E-Pao (14 May 2011). A team of the Centre for Human Rights Duties and Education, MU today assessed whether the state government is violating any rights of street vendors. The team will be submitting a report to the NHRC if the decision of the government violates the rights of the vendors.

ARMENIA. Armenian Government Turns Down Legislative Initiative to Grant Temporary Permission to Street Traders. ARKA News Agency (12 May 2011). The Armenian government turned down a legislative initiative motioned by a number of Armenian MPs asking the government to amend the Law on Trade and Services and grant temporary permission to street traders who had been banned to trade on streets earlier this year, economy minister Tigran Davtian said today.

AUSTRALIA. Docklands to Get New Kiosks. Docklands News (6 May 2011). Docklands can expect to see flower and fruit kiosks, food vans, and newspaper kiosks following a new council street activity policy. The council says it wants new forms of street activity to create connections between Docklands and the CBD. “Great streets make a great city…when people walk through our city, we want them to have a pleasant experience and building on Melbourne’s existing street trading culture will add to our reputation as a world class city,” the mayor said.

USA. Street Food Vending: The New Frontier for Entrepreneurs to Revitalize Downtowns. The San Francisco Chronicle (6 May 2011). The growth of street vendors has created a cult following that benefits the public spaces that feature them. “Vendors drive foot traffic, revitalize downtowns and have even stopped acts of terrorism in Times Square. The positive impact that vendors have in the community is undeniable,” comments Sean Basinski, Director, Street Vendor Project – Urban Justice Center.

INDIA. HC Breather for Hawkers at Gurjari Market. Indian Express (5 May 2011). The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday stayed till June 23 eviction of hawkers and vendors and any fresh construction at the Gurjari Market by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) without the court’s permission. The court was acting on a Public Interest Litigation filed by a professor of the Indian Institute of Management.

MALAYSIA. City Hall Admits It Was a Mistake Not to Get Views of Hawkers. The Star (5 May 2011). Kuala Lumpur City Hall admitted it was their mistake in not getting the feedback from the necessary stakeholders such as hawker associations and petty traders when building food courts in the past.

INDIA. Why Can’t Hawker Sell Cooked Food, Asks HC. Hindustan Times (5 May 2011). The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was rapped by the Bombay high court on Wednesday for its “double standards” on the issue of permitting hawkers to sell cooked food. The court was hearing a petition filed by a vendor with a licensed stall who applied to the BMC seeking a change in commodity after being relocated.

INDIA. 25 Women Street Vendors Sent to Judicial Custody. E-Pao (5 May 2011). In the continuing impasse between government and street vendors, Imphal West Chief Judicial Magistrate today remanded arrest of 25 women street vendors into judicial custody for 15 days as they refused to sign PR bonds saying they will continue their agitation against the government’s stand to evict them.

ZAMBIA. Lusaka City Council Thinking of Allocating 3 Streets in the City to Vendors. Lusaka Times (1 May 2011). The Lusaka City Council Public Relations Manager said the local authority was working on measures to organize street vendors instead of chasing them without giving them alternative places to sell their merchandise from.

INDONESIA. Food Hawkers Push the DPR for Legal Protections. Jakarta Globe (1 May 2011). An association of street vendors called on the House of Representatives on Friday to draft legislation to protect the right of the millions of hawkers across the country to work. The Indonesian Association of Street Vendors (Apkli) said it was important for the group to have a legal umbrella to protect 90 million vendors’ rights as well as outline their responsibilities.

INDIA. Eviction Plans Make Street Vendors Seethe in Anger. E-Pao (29 April 2011). Street vendors are seething over the government’s decision to evict them from the streets in Imphal city. For the third day since the eruption of the protest against government move to evict street vendors by providing them space at the Lamphel shopping complex, hundreds of street vendors gathered at a place near Khwairamband Keithel for a protest march.

MALAYSIA. Pudu Market Hawkers Get Licenses. Malay Mail (28 April 2011). A total of 217 traders and hawkers at the Pudu Market here received their licence today to enable them to carry out their business at the market legally. Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said the handing-over of the licences was proof of the Barisan Nasional government showing concern for small traders irrespective of race and religion.

USA. More Downtown Street Vendors Discussed. Reading Eagle (26 April 2011). More street vendors and vending carts may be coming to the downtown soon. Richard J. McDougall, Downtown Improvement District treasurer, said a consultant working with city officials to put together the economic piece of Reading’s Act 47 recovery plan is interested in expanded street vendor activity to help regenerate retailing on Penn Street and increase Reading’s economic development.

GHANA. TUC Weeps for Hawkers. Peace FM Online (27 April 2011). The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has joined numerous civil society groups and human rights organizations in condemning brutalities meted out to street hawkers in the recent exercise conducted by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to decongest the streets of Accra. A news release issued in Accra and signed by Kofi Asamoah, TUC General Secretary, said even though the attempts by the assembly to decongest the central business district of Accra of hawkers are laudable, the haphazard manner in which the exercise is being carried out would never solve the issue of hawking.

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Home-based Workers

PAKISTAN “Registration of home-based workers remains elusive” Pakistan Today 21 September 2011 The speakers at a seminar organised by Home Net Pakistan in collaboration with Labour Education Foundation at a local hotel on Monday said the government should honour its international commitments to recognise labour rights and implement the decisions of ILO conventions C 177 for home workers and ILO convention C189 for domestic workers in letter and spirit to improve the informal working sector in Pakistan, particularly home based workers (HBWs). The seminar was organised on “Recognition of labour rights in the informal sector: ratification of ILO C 177 and C 189”. Women rights activist and former MNA Mehnaz Rafi, economist Dr Qais Aslam, Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) Regional Head Salman Abid, Home Net Pakistan Executive Director Ume Laila Azhar, labourers’ leader Farooq Tariq and Senior Programme Officer Javed Pasha and District Labour Officer Sheikh Sabir among others participated in the seminar.

PAKISTAN “Vulnerable female HBWs finding it hard to make both ends meet” Pakistan Today 21 September 2011 Xari Jalil HBWs occupy a defenseless position in the economy, not just in Pakistan but also in Thailand, Nepal and India. Poonsap Tulaphan from Thailand, manager of the Foundation of Labor and Employment Promotion, Bangkok, said that around 50 percent of Thailand’s population consists of women. They consist of an equally large percentage of workers in the country’s informal sector and are almost equal to men in number. Sapna Joshi, regional coordinator for Home Net India highlighted some issues in India during her meeting with the media. India comprises a very large market share of products by home based women workers.

PAKISTAN “HomeNet works for women HBW rights” Pakistan Today 17 September 2011 Xari Jalil In a South Asian consultation, members from India, Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand came to Lahore to begin their session on how to improve their network and how to bring about betterment for the women workers.

NEPAL “Ananta expo in the offing” Republica 5 September, 2011 Kriti Bhuju Business Association of Home Based Workers (SABAH), HomeNet South Asia and SEWA Ahmedabad are jointly organizing two-day exhibition named ´Ananta: the enchanting weave´ at Hotel de l´Annapurna on October 21 and 22. The exhibition will showcase products made of rural raw materials blended with modern designs made by SABAH members in all eight SARRC member countries.

THAILAND “Informal workers feel left out” Bangkok Post 11 September 2011 by Penchan Charoensuthipan and Sunthorn Pongpao. Informal workers are calling for equal attention from the government as it implements its 300 baht daily minimum wage policy for workers in the formal sector. The country's 24 million informal workers, including contract farmers, housemaids, and home workers, contribute about 45% of gross domestic product, said the Foundation for Labour and Employement Promotion, a network of informal workers. The minimum wage policy was driving up the price of consumer goods, leaving informal workers struggling, said Phunsap Tulaphan, the foundation's manager.

INDIA “India's Home-based Workers Fall through Safety Net” WeNews 31 August, 2011 by Pamela Philipose. Work-from-home women in India are often trapped in physically draining, sometimes hazardous, tasks that pay far less than the minimum daily wage. Labor activists are lobbying the government for change.

BANGLADESH Garment Women Still Struggle with Payscale and life in Bangladesh Women News Network. (8 Aug 2011) By Bijoyeta Das After violent protests last year the Bangladeshi government nearly doubled the standard minimum wage for garment workers. The minimum wage is now $43 a month but even with this increase Bangladesh still has the lowest garment wages in the world. Today the garment industry produces 10 % of the country’s GDP. And it has the lowest garment wages in the world. Most companies don’t comply by the minimum wage rule and about 80% of the 3 million garment workers are women and children as young as 12.

PAKISTAN. The Government Should Implement the Decisions of ILO Convention for Home-based Workers. Asia Human Rights Comission (3 Aug 2011). The government should recognise informal sector as a major contributor to the national economy and acknowledge home-based and domestic workers, especially women, as collective workforce. This was consensus among participants of a seminar on `Recognition of labour rights in informal sector: Ratification of ILO C 177 and C 189,` arranged by the HomeNet Pakistan in collaboration with Labour Education Foundation at a local hotel on Monday.

PAKISTAN. Policy for Home-based Workers Sought DAWN (11 Apr 11). Organizations of Home-based workers, including HomeNet South Asia and HomeNet Pakistan, joined for a convention on Monday and demanded that the government formulate a national policy for home-based workers (HBWs) and legislation to recognise them as workers so that they can also benefit from government social welfare schemes.

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Mega Events

UKRAINE. Preparing for yet another white elephant mega-event. When Saturday Comes. (12 Oct 2011) "The whole country is celebrating a gift to all our people," Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych brazenly announced at last weekend's official opening of Kiev's Olympic Stadium, the 70,000-seat venue that will stage the Euro 2012 final. What a wonderful present indeed for the people of the economically crippled Ukraine! And a gift being something that you receive for free, one must assume that the estimated costs for the stadium of over £500 million did not come from the people's pocket. Just as Shakira, who sang at the opening ceremony, no doubt waived her fee and showed up for the mere prestige of being there.

BRAZIL. Brazil is set to repeat mistakes from previous mega-events in 2012 and 2014. Play the Game website. By Steve Menary (5 Oct 2011) The next football World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games threaten to produce a catalogue of white elephants for Brazil, while restricting benefits to the business community, a panel of academics warned at today’s Play the Game.

DENMARK. New international study evaluates mega-event stadiums. Play the Game website. By Søren Bang (4 Oct 2011) Mega-events may trigger the building of iconic stadiums and plenty of promises about a sparkling future. But in reality the result is often oversized, expensive structures that turn into financial burdens. A new, on-going study evaluates prestigious stadiums from all over the world.

SOUTH KOREA. Mega sports events take big toll: S. Korea. AsiaOne News. (29 Sep 2011) In 2006 when South Jeolla Province assembly member Jang Il first received a proposal from the provincial government to host the Formula One Grand Prix, he did not know much about the event. But he believed that drawing one of the world's biggest sporting occasions would boost the regional economy and help bring in tourists.Five years later, Jang faces mounting bills and growing criticism rather than tangible economic benefits.

INDIA.  Games Over, Street Vendors Re-appearing in Delhi.  Economic Times (18 Oct 2010) While the chunk of them are expected to return only after the festival of Diwali and Chhath, street vendors are nevertheless making their way back to the capital after being banished during the Commonwealth Games.

SOUTH AFRICA FIFA 2010 World Cup: Fair Play on the Pitch but Foul Play for Workers (18 Oct 2010) Crispen Chinguno The 2010 FIFA World Cup deceived and shattered the dreams of many workers and poor people. Initially, it obscured class differences and its underlying ideological agenda as it was associated with a rhetorical sense of national identity, self-esteem and pride. However, this was deceptive as it did not represent or advance such values. The super exploitation of workers and the economic exclusion of street traders to protect and advance the interests of global capital (McDonald’s, Coca Cola, etc) epitomise the meaning of the FIFA World Cup.

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Global Economic Crisis

The Challenges of Growth, Employment and Social Cohesion (9 Oct 2010) ILO website In a statement presented at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia underlines the need for "an employment-oriented framework for future economic growth which accelerates a job rich recovery and a major shift towards a job rich pattern of development and growth."

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Informal Economy

GHANA. Government to pursue vigorous technical and vocational education -Veep. Ghana News Agency (3 Aug 2011) Vice President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday gave the assurance that Government would vigorously pursue Technical and Vocational training for the teeming youth for the informal sector. “We need to provide certificates for all the relevant courses so that all those who will be trained under the informal sector could easily be incorporated for employment.” Vice President Mahama announced this when he presented sewing and hair-dressing equipment to 200 porters and truck pushers to undertake various skills training programmes throughout the country.

INDIA. India’s employment challenge. Livemint (2 Aug 2011). By Himanshu Bhagat The recent estimates of employment and unemployment from the 66th round (2009-10) of the National Sample Survey (NSS) belie any hopes that the growth of the Indian economy between 2004-05 and 2009-10 has been inclusive. Employment has expanded by only a million jobs during this period. It showed that employment increased by merely one million with male employment expanding by 22 million, but female employment declining by a drastic 21 million jobs. It also reconfirmed what was already known: that a large part of the employment created was in the informal sector with casual workers accounting for more than 80% of all the new jobs generated.

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