by Barbara Plett, BBC, UK - Pakistan's battles against the Taleban have displaced more than 500,000 people, leaving a humanitarian crisis. It is feared that US plans to intensify the war in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan could deepen it.
by Tara Lohan, The Nation, USA - It has often been said that water is "blue gold" and the next resource wars will be fought, not over oil, but over water.
by Marina Litvinsky, IPS, Italy - The world’s mass consumption of cell phones, laptops and other electronics fuels widespread sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a new study released Wednesday by the non-profit Enough Project that echoes what many human rights activists and humanitarian workers have been saying for years.
by Siobhán Silke, France 24, France - French police say 300 people have been arrested in clashes with police during anti-NATO protests held in the French city of Strasbourg, which hosts a NATO summit on Friday. Last month Paris announced its return to NATO's military command.
by Liza Schwartz, Haaretz, Israel - On a recent morning at the market in Lod an Ethiopian woman sat on the curb surrounded by her shopping bags while Muslim women in hijab, black-hatted Jews, and casually dressed seculars perused the stalls behind her. The local church, synagogue, and mosque rose in front.
by Ann Jones, TomDispatch, USA - Even in the best of times, the incidence of violence against women is much higher in the military than among civilians. After war, it's naturally worse.
by Rukmanee Maharjan, Telegraph Nepal, Nepal - Violence prevents women from accessing or experiencing the benefits of development by restricting their ability to move or act freely. In Nepal, there is a culture of silence as far as violence against women is concerned.
by Eka Kevanishvili, RFE, Czech Republic - Teachers in Gali, the one district in breakaway Abkhazia where at least 40,000 ethnic Georgians are believed to be living, say they are coming under pressure from local officials to drop all Georgian-language instruction and give up their standard textbooks.
by Arundhati Roy, Boston Globe, USA - The horror that is unfolding in Sri Lanka becomes possible because of the silence that surrounds it.
by Noreena Hertz, The Times, UK - The G20 leaders must be flexible - a little protectionism could give nations vital breathing space.
by Karah Byrns, Daily Star, Lebanon - Overlooking the vastness of the sparkling Mediterranean from Le Royal hotel in Dbayyeh on a sunny Tuesday morning, it would be difficult to ignore the importance of preserving and protecting natural resources in the region.
by Natasha Elkington, Reuters AlertNet, UK - As U.S. President Barack Obama promises to send more troops to Afghanistan, a new report says there must be a clearer separation between military operations and humanitarian work, if the aid world is to succeed in helping and protecting those at risk in the war-torn country.
by Sally McGrane, Der Spiegel, Germany - Recession? What recession? From Berlin, it's been hard to tell that there is a global economic downturn. A lack of industry and years of high unemployment mean that Germany's capital can't sink much further.
by Zeenia Satti, The News, Pakistan - The AF-Pak strategy unveiled by Barack Obama on March 27 is good news for the Afghan people and bad news for the Afghan leadership.
by Frances Kissling, Salon, USA - My search to find an organ donor taught me just how generous my friends are -- and how flawed the current transplant system is.
by Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera, Qatar - Given the changing global political and economic map, South America and the Arab region are attempting to join forces, so their voices carry more weight, especially in multi-lateral forums such as the G20 group of leading industrialised nations.
by Maya Spitzer, Jerusalem Post, Israel - Unbeknownst to most Israelis, 15,000 refugees fleeing from war-torn countries in Africa - including Sudan, Congo, Chad, Eritrea and several others - are currently living in Israel, according to statistics of the Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel (ASSAF).
by Mitmita, Pambazuka News, Kenya - The world, outside of those who concern themselves daily with the goings-on of Africa, has turned a deaf ear to her and to Ethiopia’s suffering. The leadership’s consistent flirting with disaster – whether it is famine, the ill-fated foray into supposed electoral politics in 2005, or the misadventures in Somalia – provides a clear image of a ruling party holding a nation in an extricable iron grip.
by Sue Branford, openDemocracy, UK - A perilous fusion of land and climate crises is at the heart of the problems consuming the planet. But the G20 summit in London won't help.
by Dr Masooda Bano, The News, Pakistan - US policies towards Pakistan since the Sept 11 attacks have been the cause of this rising militancy, not the solution to it. If the Obama administration ends up pursuing similar policies as those of the Bush administration, there will only be more militancy in the coming years.
by Esther Tola, IPS, Italy - Judges and gynaecologists in Benin have undergone training on the interpretation of forensic evidence in cases of violence against women, as well as in investigative procedures when dealing with rape cases.
by Nita Bhalla, Reuters AlertNet, UK - Hundreds of children left vulnerable after devastating floods in eastern India are being trafficked to work as bricklayers, domestic servants and even sold as brides, aid agencies say.
