by Lisa Steyn, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - Rather than contributing to further waste, freegans aim to curtail garbage and pollution by reclaiming and using discarded goods.

by Rebecca Burns, In These Times, USA - As President Obama hailed the “extraordinary achievement” of U.S. troops withdrawing from Iraq in December, continuing protests against government repression and abysmal basic services undermined the narrative of a successful democratic transition. Yanar Mohammed, president of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), has for months helped many Iraqis express their anger.

by Robin Niblett and Claire Spencer, InDepthNews, Canada - The Mediterranean stands as a dividing line between a prosperous Europe and a poor North Africa at a time when deeper economic ties could provide part of the solution to both crises.

by Kristen Allen, Der Spiegel, Germany - An award-winning new German film takes an unexpected look at the problem of far-right extremism, following the fictional story of a young woman lost in a world of violence and hatred. The film, which has parallels to a recent neo-Nazi case in Germany, also serves as a wake-up call for some -- women are more prevalent in the radical scene than many believe.

by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, Rolling Stone, USA - In Michele Bachmann's home district, evangelicals have created an extreme anti-gay climate. After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back.

by Daisy Sindelar, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - The cold-weather deaths in Ukraine -- higher than in Russia, Poland, or anywhere else in Europe -- have focused attention on the plight of the homeless, who continue to suffer from Soviet-era stigmas that equated them with drug addicts, criminals, and "antisocial elements."

by Melinda Beck, The Wall Street Journal, USA - A group of 15 experts from seven countries is proposing a new classification system for the gluten-related disorders plaguing a growing number of people around the world for unknown reasons.

by Preethi Nallu, IPS, Italy - Moves by the Burmese government to settle ethnic conflicts in the country, notably with the Karen in the mountainous eastern part of the country, have caught most observers by surprise.

by Jodi Jacobson, RH Reality Check, USA - If Komen suddenly decides it is no longer about comprehensive breast cancer prevention services, it will be deciding as well to abandon those low-income and uninsured women whose primary care its grants were helping to support. And it will underscore that the anti-choice community--and now Komen with it--are less concerned about the health and rights of real women in need than they are about ideology and politics.

by Valérie Labonne, France 24, France - With the rise in fixed expenses such as rent, public transport, electricity and healthcare, French people on small salaries are having difficulty making ends meet. Twelve to fifteen million of them, who live just above the poverty line of 954 euros per month, are struggling by the end of the month.

by Vandana Shiva, Al Jazeera, Qatar - The seed is the first link in the food chain - and seed sovereignty is the foundation of food sovereignty. If farmers do not have their own seeds or access to open pollinated varieties that they can save, improve and exchange, they have no seed sovereignty - and consequently no food sovereignty.

by Kerry-anne Mendoza, OpenDemocracy, UK - In response to a growing realisation that neo-liberal capitalism is morally and literally bankrupt, Britain’s political leadership have provided three visions of ethical capitalism for us to aspire to. So, is there such a thing as ethical capitalism? And why is this question being asked now?

by Elahe Amani, Women News Network, USA - In an amazing coordinated campaign, a Lebanese advocacy group dedicated to protecting women from violence shook up the media world by working closely with men as they asked them to act decisively and without hesitation to stop violence against women.

by Irit Rosenblum, Haaretz, Israel - Though in all likelihood, the "fatal wife" will be absolved of suspicions against her and will be allowed to wed again, the fact that the Rabbinate has the sole discretion to arbitrarily deny people such basic human rights is illogical and infuriating.