by Nicole Pope, Today's Zaman, Turkey - When traditionalists talk of family values, they often refer to a time when the man was the head of the family, his wife would obey him unconditionally and sacrifice her own interests for those of her children. But nostalgia for this past, based on wide inequality between genders, is not going to bring it back.

by Chrystia Freeland, Moscow Times, Russia - A recent Public Opinion Foundation poll revealed that 49 percent of respondents were ready to take part in mass protests. That is the kind of thinking that can tip a latent potential for rebellion into a revolution.

by Ghania Mouffok, Eurozine, Austria - In Algeria, the uprising is being kept down by political propaganda and police brutality. Ghania Mouffok describes the deep anger of a population that has been living under a state of emergency since 1992, asking whether the street can join with the liberal elite to depose the corrupt and complacent government.

by Zubeida Mustafa, Dawn, Pakistan - So the cat is out of the bag. Raymond Davis, or whatever his real name is, was a CIA agent. But should that shock us as is being made out by media analysts and the parties demonstrating on the streets? Don’t we all know that governments spy on one another? And with each other’s knowledge?

by Caroline Wells, Open Democracy, UK - The human security outlook deteriorates in Côte d'Ivoire, and "free and fair" elections are shown again to be far from a sufficient condition for democratic transition.

by Irina Bokova, NEXT, Nigeria - Contrary to popular belief, classrooms, kids and education systems are not merely “collateral damage” in the case of conflicts. They are more and more deliberately considered as legitimate targets.

by Kathrin Erdmann, Deutsche Welle, Germany - Refugees arriving in Germany face an uncomfortable time. Housing policy often concentrates them in isolated neighborhoods like Billstieg in Hamburg, which are plagued by high crime, unemployment and despair.

by Mallary Jean Tenore, Poynter, USA - It’s only been about the past quarter of a second, historically speaking, that women have been encouraged to take part in the public debate. Now they’re completely engaged, and I know that’s going to be reflected in opinion pages and opinion sites.

by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, EurasiaNet.org, USA - There's a growing sense, however, that Berdymukhamedov is not going further, not making good on some pledges, and even backsliding. In each of the areas of marginal improvement there is some caveat – health care remains absymal, Internet sites are blocked. While there's no shortage of speculation about what the Turkmen leader might do, as he seems affably inclined to make frequent promises, the reality is, after four years, we can now look at the pretty stark record of what has not been done (and more could be added to the list).

by Tracy McVeigh, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - "We are realising that you need to sustain what you are doing, open a dialogue, non-judgmentally, put things in local context and bring them to a voluntary abandonment of FGM. When this type of intervention is driven by and within a community, it is not seen as being a 'foreign influence'."

by Katherine Monk, Canada.com, Canada - ``Being in the military is challenging enough, but women remain such a minority in combat roles that they don't really have a support group of their own. They can be quite isolated, and yet, it's what they choose.''

by Gloria Jane Baylon, Manila Bulletin, Philippines - Citing the quality of the first budget of the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, the Government of Australia is among the first of Manila’s development partners to commit early to his anti-poverty and reforms program as unveiled last week at the Philippine Development Forum.

With the Department of Finance, the PDF was co-chaired by World Bank Philippine country director Bert Hoffman, who said it sent signals to the global community that the Aquino administration is ready to work with both local and international partners in pursuing poverty alleviation programs.

by Annie Kelly, Poverty Matters, UK - Amnesty International's new general secretary Salil Shetty says poverty and exclusion will continue unchallenged unless human rights take centre stage in development policy. Is he right?

by Dr. Vandana Shiva, Climate Story Tellers, USA - Biodiverse ecological farming is the answer, not genetic engineering.

by Daud Kayisi, Pambazuka, Kenya - The future of many girls in Malawi is in jeopardy. Poverty-stricken parents are marrying their daughters off at a tender age, robbing young girls of their right to education and exposing them to gender-based violence and HIV and AIDS in a country with one of the world’s highest prevalence rates.

by Claire Bigg, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Many Russians see the new police law and the interactive website as steps in the right direction. But like Petrov and Murashev, most doubt the reform will put an end to the police's near-total impunity and make its officers more accountable.

by Akiba Solomon, Color Lines, USA - "I just want to tell you what it’s like not to have planned parenthood. … You have to give your kids ramen noodles at the end of the month to fill up their little bellies so they won’t cry. You have to give them mayonnaise sandwiches. They get very few fruits and vegetables because they’re expensive. It subjects children to low educational attainment because of the ravages of poverty."

by Kanya D'Almeida, IPS, Italy - Nearly three-quarters of activists and grassroots organisers working globally to safeguard women's rights are convinced that ending violence against women must be the top priority of the newly formed U.N. Women, according to a report launched Wednesday by Oxfam and VSO UK at the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City.

by Zubeida Mustafa, Dawn, Pakistan - The question above is agitating many minds today. If we believe in the domino effect, other states should follow suit. Egypt came after Tunisia and now there are rumblings in other parts of the Arab world.

by Emily Miller, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - Fatime and 4,3-million other children who are suffering from chronic malnutrition are victims of a more permanent crisis -- the disappearance of Lake Chad.

by Felice Friedson, Jerusalem Post, Israel - The Egypt Daily News editor on Egyptian role in peace process, controlling Gaza border, future of Israel-Egypt relations.

by Sandra Steingraber, Orion, USA - How toxic chemicals are impairing children’s ability to learn.

by Sarah Dingle, ABC Radio, Australia - The request claims that during the last days of Sri Lanka's civil war, dual Sri Lankan-Australian citizen Dr Palitha Kohona was involved in the murder of three Tamil Tiger leaders who had already surrendered.

by Annie Kelly, The Guardian, UK - According to Unicef, adolescence is the most dangerous period of many children's lives. This is the time when young people, especially girls, are at the highest risk of dangers such as child marriage, forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation. But these dangers are yet to be reflected in child protection resources and assistance.

The report says that greater investment in adolescence is also crucial for further progress towards the MDGs. Adolescence is the pivotal decade where poverty and inequality pass on to the next generation, and is most apparent among poor adolescent girls who become mothers.