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.
by Barbara Hans and Julia Jüttner, Der Spiegel, Germany - Last weekend, Salafist Muslims and anti-Islam right-wingers faced off in Bonn, and 29 police officers were injured as a result. The two groups appear to be diametrically opposed, but a deeper look reveals they have a great deal in common. The totalitarian worldview has many manifestations.
by Samantha Oltman, Mother Jones, USA - Where in the United States do gay people have the right to get hitched?
by Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz, Israel - Events like the last-minute Kadima-Likud deal are a slap in the face, reminding Israeli citizens that they aren’t watching 'American Idol' – they're watching 'Survivor.'
by Mónica Novoa, Colorlines, USA - In the past few weeks there has been rich analysis and storytelling around the 20th anniversary of LA’s civil unrest. I talked to leaders at three organizations that have been central to important gains of the past 20 years and to the transformation and fights currently underway.
by Vanya Walker-Leigh, Asia Times, Hong Kong - Vietnam, hailed as a development success story for lifting millions out of poverty and staying on track to meet all its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, is seeing its future progress severely threatened by the impact of global climate change.
by Emma Gatten, The Daily Star, Lebanon - All major NGOs caring for disabled people in Lebanon will be forced to suspend operations in the coming days because of an ongoing funding crisis, the president of the Permanent Coordination Office of the NGOs said Wednesday.
by Beril Dedeoglu, Today's Zaman, Turkey - It is hard to observe any kind of enthusiasm for the EU as people all over Europe are quite angry at the union, which is perceived as bearing the main responsibility for the ongoing economic difficulties.
by Fawzia Sheikh, IPS, Italy - An indigenous group in the Amazon rain forest took its anti-oil message to Canada in a case rife with accusations of social and environmental damage that highlights the issue of securing consent prior to commencing exploration operations.
by Claire Bigg, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Proponents of economic austerity policies to contain Europe's debt crisis suffered a major setback on May 6 when French and Greek voters cast their ballots for staunch antiausterity advocates.
by Hudda Ibrahim, World Pulse, USA - As a young child who lost her mother and as a young woman who sees the systems and circumstances that endanger women’s lives, I believe improving women’s social condition is a high priority. The Ethiopian government needs to establish clinics, train medical professionals, and provide access to education, clean water, and sanitary living conditions.
by Lisa Curtis, Grist, USA - Over the past decade, the number of Americans who support the environmental movement has declined, with supporters increasingly split along partisan lines. On the other hand, most Americans strongly support developing clean energy, believe that global warming is an important issue, and regularly engage in behaviors that are good for the environment.
by Amalia Rosenblum, Haaretz, Israel - In an ‘instant’ world, where every minute we have to get used to a new boss, new war or new enemy, it’s not surprising we want to see the same TV or literary heroes again and again before we go to sleep.
by Leela Jacinto, France 24, France - If Nicolas Sarkozy is the hyperactive hare in the Aesop legend, France’s incoming president, François Hollande, is the proverbial tortoise. History has shown that slow and steady wins the race.
by Mette Lampcov, HuffingtonPost, USA - I approached the town having just climbed the high mountain ridge. Upon coming down into the valley, I was struck by the tranquility and the mist clinging to the surrounding mountains. But despite the initial beauty of the area, there was a dark and disturbing history that was hidden under the mist.
by Julia Amalia Heyer, Der Spiegel, Germany - Frustrated Greek voters on Sunday punished the country's two biggest parties. The vote represents a protest against draconian austerity and the massive influence the EU and IMF are having on the country. Even if fringe parties profited from this anger, though, no one in Greece really wants to abandon the euro.
by Laura Barnett, The Guardian, UK - Why do women face such misogyny in the media, particularly online? TV presenter Miriam O'Reilly and feminist writer Nina Power share their thoughts and experiences.
by Yordanka Caridad, Havana Times, Cuba - Venezuelan women have no rights when it comes to decisions about their bodies. One woman dies every week there due to clandestine abortions and their consequences.
by Krystalline Kraus, rabble.ca, Canada - There is a certain North American arrogance that our 'first world' privilege will buffer us from the effects of climate change, that ‘other' countries such as Bangladesh or small island nations such as the Marshall Islands will take the brunt of such climate change consequences such as a warming planet or rising sea levels.
by Deika Morrison, Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - It is now May, Child Month, and the National Child Month Committee has told us that we should celebrate children under the theme 'Jamaica 50: Celebrate Our Children'.
by Xenia Kounalaki, Der Spiegel, Germany - Greek far-right parties could end up with as much as 20 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections. The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party has intensified the xenophobic atmosphere in the country. Those who confront them are threatened with violence.
by Marina Sitrin, Yes!, USA - We are now again a part of the rest of the globe, where May Day is a day to celebrate our power—people's power, that of workers, precarious and unionized, immigrants and migrants, radicals of all sorts, from the anarchist to the democratic socialist.
by Cassady Walters, JO, Jordan - The Sharhabil Bin Hassneh eco-park was an ecological mess when Friends of the Earth Middle East began work on it in 2004. Now it’s a template for proper restoration of the Kingdom’s misused land.
by Ayesha Shahid, Dawn, Pakistan - Torture remains at the centre of the criminal justice system. Today, ‘investigation’, ‘remand’ and ‘evidence’ are all terms that have become synonymous with torture. And as long as this practice remains at the centre, the system will remain ineffective.
by Andie Fox, Daily Life, Australia - It is possible for a mother to disguise her family priorities sufficiently to climb the ladder to that height? And importantly, it is possible to run a company worth $100 billion while still leaving in time for dinner?
by Daisy Sindelar, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Quick! Is the measure of a woman down to how she looks, or what she knows?