by Koketso Moeti, Safe World, UK - The consequences of poverty affect women and female children differently from their male counterparts. Their needs are often relinquished in the quest for survival, which in turn limits their chances of lifting themselves out of poverty even more.

by Beril Dedeoglu, Today's Zaman, Turkey - It is not always easy to face the facts of this particular period with honesty. Yet the lack of self-criticism about some aspects of this period and events that occurred is the basis of many of the problems we are trying to resolve nowadays, such as transforming our republic into a democratic republic.

by Jessica Mack, RH Reality Check, USA - Here in the US, where Americans spend an average of $110 million on fast food each year, some will spend $10,000 for breast implants, and still others will drop $90 on yoga pants, somehow covering the costs of an abortion is one of the most lavish and morally egregious things you can do.

by Rafia Zakaria, Dawn, Pakistan - It is time that the issue of the Nato supply route began to be evaluated not simply in terms of how crucial the supplies are for US forces battling the Taliban in Afghanistan, but the danger it creates for ordinary Pakistanis forced to facilitate its passage through their war-ridden backyards.

by Fiona Ehlers, Der Spiegel, Germany - All across crisis-hit Europe, voters are disillusioned with mainstream politicians and are turning to populist and radical parties. In Italy, the new rising force is comedian Beppe Grillo's grassroots Five Star Movement. But can the charismatic agitator supply real solutions to the country's problems?

by Shari Nijman, IPS, Italy - In the coming decades, the world's population is expected to grow by at least another two billion people, 80 percent of whom will live in cities by the year 2050.

by Lisa Steyn, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - The controversial e-tolling of Gauteng's major highways could very well tip South Africa's credit rating over the edge, ratings agency Moody's says.

by Marija Arnautovic and Tina Jelin Dizdar, RFE, Czech Republic - Bosnia this month marked the 20th anniversary of one of the milestones of the country's 1992-95 war: the fighting on Sarajevo's Dobrovoljacka Street, in which an unknown number of Serb soldiers died. As officials and civilians commemorated the event, some Bosnians came to protest against honoring the forces that besieged the city.

by Stephanie Nolen, Globe & Mail, Canada - Canada has traditionally competed for India’s skilled migrants with Australia, Britain and the United States. But now there’s a new country in the mix, a destination with increasing appeal for young, educated and ambitious Indians: India.

by Lien Hoang, Asia Times, Hong Kong - China's fast political, economic and military ascent has Southeast Asian countries scrambling for alternative alliances. In the case of Vietnam, that has meant shoring up support from Russia, Japan, India, Australia and notably the US, a former war adversary.

by Angy Rivera, Mónica Novoa, Colorlines, USA - My mother and I landed in New York on August 29, 1993, a week before my third birthday. She didn’t know that starting this day, we would become undocumented. For years I translated the world to my mother, from paperwork to meetings with the landlord.

by Hilal Elver, Al Jazeera, Qatar - The issue focused on women in the Middle East, Russia and China - but completely ignored gender problems in the West.

by Caroline de Gruyter, NRC Handelsblad, The Netherlands - Forget the debate about austerity versus growth, the future of the single currency is being played out in the banking sector. As a result of the crisis, governments and financial institutions have become so interdependent that they have weakened each other.

by Maya Dusenbery, Mother Jones, USA - Between 1929 and 1974, North Carolina sterilized more than 7,500 of its residents. Most were operated on without their consent, having been deemed "feebleminded" and unfit to reproduce by the state Eugenics Board. Eighty-five percent were women; about 40 percent were black or Native American. As many as 2,000 victims are thought to still be alive.

by Sandra Steingraber, Orion, USA - Last January, my hometown newspaper brought word that the LaSalle County board has approved strip mining for frack sand along the boundary of Starved Rock State Park, which is a marvel of sandstone outcroppings and gorges. The county board was swayed by the promise of thirty-nine jobs, which start at eighteen dollars an hour. So, absent further intervention, the beloved landscape of my childhood may be carted off and shoved into the fractured landscape of my children’s childhood.

by Marisela Castillo Apitz, Latin America Press, Peru - Political polarization impedes ruling government and opposition parties to create joint agenda to ensure women’s inclusion.

by Molly Corso, EurasiaNet, USA - As Georgia rushes to embrace the West, American-style fast food franchises are trying to make inroads into a country with a rich culinary tradition.

by Susan Tolmay, AWID, Canada - On 7 April 2012 Joyce Banda made history by becoming the first female President of Malawi and the first in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)[1] following the sudden death of former President, Bingu wa Mutharika.