by Nicole Pope, Today's Zaman, Turkey - Until the court produced its flawed verdict a few days ago, those who care passionately about this country’s fate and want the pace of democratization to speed up, still hoped that the authorities would use the investigation into Dink’s murder to pursue the process of cleansing the state of its rogue elements and its narrow mentality. Instead, the judiciary, always ready to detect links with illegal organizations when students unfurl banners in support of free education or when intellectuals defend Kurdish rights, turned a blind eye to the trail of evidence.

by Catherine Soi, Al Jazeera, Qatar - Six months since famine was declared in Somalia, the Puntland region is struggling to cope with an influx of refugees.

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - The wave of arrests ahead of the March 2 parliamentary elections appears to signal attempts by the Iranian establishment to prevent any form of dissent. The March parliamentary elections -- the first since the disputed 2009 presidential vote that led to mass street protests and threw the Iranian establishment into crisis -- are coming at a sensitive time.

by Meghan Murphy, The F Word, Canada - While the concept of male privilege does not mean that women do not ever hold power, it is an acknowledgement that men's power, as a class is institutionalized in comparison with women, as a class.

Yet, not everyone agrees with this assessment.

by Sarah Boseley, The Guardian, UK - The number of unsafe abortions is rising around the world, while what appeared to be a steady decline in abortion rates in the 1990s has stalled, according to an authoritative new report.

by Marjorie Cohn, Marjorie Cohn, USA - The same voices who brought us the illegal, tragic, and ill-advised war with Iraq will continue to try to dominate the national conversation with battle cries against Iran.

by Svetla Dimitrova, Southeast European Times, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Nearly 22 years after the end of communism in Bulgaria, the country's parliament adopted a declaration last week condemning a campaign in the second half of the 1980s aimed at the forceful assimilation of the country's ethnic Turks.

by Eva Golinger, Postcards from the Revolution, Venezuela - Washington has made no secret of its disdain for Venezuela’s President Chavez and mass media have turned a democratic leader into a dictatorship. Does Venezuela really represent a threat to the United States or is the hype just an excuse for regime change?

by Anke Rasper, Deutsche Welle, Germany - Price hikes for staple foods hit poor people in developing countries the hardest. Speculation is part of the reason why food prices are peaking again and leaving nearly a billion people without adequate access to food.

by Rasha Dewedar, Common Ground, USA - In the wake of the Egyptian revolution, Egyptian women candidly discuss challenges the they face, the need for more political awareness and recommendations for what can be done to encourage change.

by Antoaneta Becker, IPS, Italy - President Hu Jintao of China made headlines in the early days of the new year saying China and the West were engaged in an escalating culture war, and calling on Chinese people to strengthen cultural production to defend themselves against the assault.

by Juliane von Mittelstaedt, Der Spiegel, Germany - Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.

by Jennifer Dube, The Standard, Zimbabwe - As women continue to seek ways of improving their health, some have resorted to using imported pads believed to have protective qualities. The Anion pads, mainly sold by those who trade in imported herbal products, are said to have qualities which enable them to naturally cleanse a woman’s womb while also reducing her menstrual days and easing period pains.

by Jannie Schipper, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Is the United Nations responsible for the mass murders that took place in Srebrenica and Rwanda? Or are the national UN peacekeepers who were deployed there accountable?

by Leela Jacinto, France 24, France - Two years ago, Nigerian security officials thought they had killed Imam Abubakar Shekau. But the leader of the Boko Haram Islamist group is alive and has released a new video threatening the Nigerian state.

by Karen Tse, TED, USA - Political prisoners aren't the only ones being tortured -- the vast majority of judicial torture happens in ordinary cases, even in 'functioning' legal systems. Social activist Karen Tse shows how we can, and should, stand up and end the use of routine torture.