Supply & Demand, by Mehboob Jeelan. The Caravan.
Inside India's prostitution business:
Like many other purveyors of luxury goods and services to the capital's wealthiest residents and visitors, Khan's outlook is bullish. The only real obstacle to growth is the sporadic attention of the city's police, whose crackdowns on upscale prostitution tend to alternate with long periods of apparent indifference. In April 2011, police busted Sonu Punjaban, a famously aggressive female pimp whose operation catered mostly to middle-class Indian clients, and whom police described as the reigning kingpin of Delhi prostitution. In the wake of the raid on Punjaban, Khan said, he became "more cautious" -- turning down clients who hadn't been referred by regular patrons, or sending one of his employees to check that prospective customers were genuine. But these were minor worries: "Lack of clients will never be a problem here," he said. "The clients always come."
Yemeni Idol, by Gaar Adams. Foreign Policy.
It's not easy being the second-biggest rock band in Sanaa:
The fact that 3 Meters Away is at the center of this pivotal moment in Yemeni history does not mean that any of this -- the protests, the electricity cuts, the price gauging, the violence -- is easy. Ahmed grabs a bullet from a candle-wax covered table in the corner of the room and places it in my hand. He explains to me that Hassan picked it up off the street one day after taking cover when the sounds of gunfire erupted during his normal walk to band practice. It wasn't until next morning that anyone even found out what happened -- pro-Saleh forces had let off a torrent of celebratory gunfire in support of their embattled president. The ensuing rainfall of bullets killed several people in the streets of Sanaa who were just going about their business like Hassan.
"You become so numb that you don't even realize there are explosions all around you," Omr chimes in. Playing in Change Square, the danger and death surrounding the band has forced them to grapple with these same issues of responsibility and mortality. The band's name reckons with these hazards in several ways: It was inspired by their own rule of staying 3 meters away from riot police and not engaging in physically dangerous situations; it also acts as their own twist on the phrase "6 feet under," serving as a reminder and tribute of respect to the martyrs who died in Change Square.
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