by Anne Seith, Spiegel, Germany - Greece's financial difficulties have exposed numerous weaknesses which threaten Europe's common currency. Now, policy makers and economic experts are trying to find ways to stabilize the euro.

by Vandana Shiva, Resurgence, UK - Since 1966 – and as a consequence of the introduction of the Green Revolution model of water-intensive, chemical farming – India has over-exploited her groundwater, creating a water famine.

by Jennifer Block, Time, USA - In a new report on pregnancy and childbirth care in the U.S., Amnesty details the maternal-health care crisis in this country as part of a systemic violation of women's rights.

by Neha Dixit, Tehelka, India - Human trafficking is the third largest illicit industry after arms and drugs. Neha Dixit went undercover to meet the traffickers and the young victims sold by their own families to pimps and placement agents.

by Katha Pollitt, The Nation, USA - It's not automatic that as a country becomes richer and more developed men and women become more equal--especially when conservative religion has power, as in the United States and many nations.

by Fran Korten, Yes!, USA - Elinor Ostrom was an unusual choice for the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

by Kari Lydersen, OnEarth, USA - “Why aren’t the multinational companies that are making billions from cheap labor paying for infrastructure and the problems they’re creating?”

By Carolyn Drake, Orion Magazine, USA - Early Islamic Writings call the Amu Darya and Syr Darya two of the four rivers of Paradise.

by Amanda Ruggeri, Mother Jones, USA - "Because of the unanswered medical question as to whether ski jumping agrees with the female organism, this would be a very daring experiment and should be strongly advised against."

by Susanne Amann, Spiegel, Germany - Neither Germany nor France can afford to see Athens go bankrupt -- that would end up costing them billions.

by Riane Eisler, Yes!, USA - If we are to build cultures of peace we have to start talking about something that still makes many people uncomfortable: gender.

by Seema Mustafa, Tehelka, India - All voices from Pakistan indicate that the mujahideen are bent on reigniting the separatist fire in the Kashmir Valley.

by Rebecca Solnit, The Nation, USA - Our supposedly capitalist society is seething with anticapitalist energy, affection and joy, which is why most of us have survived the official bleakness.

by Caddie Nath, JO, Jordan - Is Jordan bucking the brain-drain trend that's debilitating the Middle East? Discussions with outgoing students suggest it may well be so.

by Helena Frith Powell, The National, United Arab Emirates - In a few isolated towns in Abu Dhabi’s remote western region, women weavers are reviving a craft that was once central to Bedouin culture. With the help of the Khalifa Fund, they are honing traditional skills while building pride and independence.

by Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones, USA - Buried in the budget is a plan to underwrite the nuclear industry’s revival.

by Shannon Hayes, Yes!, USA - How families are achieving ecological, social, and economic transformation... starting under their own roofs.

by Britta Sandberg, Spiegel, Germany - Less than a decade ago, tourists shunned Morocco because of its poor infrastructure and supposedly unsafe conditions. Now, though, a major initiative started by the country's king has turned Marrakesh into a playground for the world's rich and famous. But not all of the effects have been positive.

by Sarah Posner, American Prospect, USA - At yesterday's National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama revealed that he still falls prey to the idea that religious beliefs are unimpeachable -- even when those beliefs affect the liberty of others.

by Anne Seith, Spiegel, Germany - We all gravitate towards people who are like ourselves. It would help a lot if we could make more men become aware of these dynamics. It would also be helpful if women would be aware of it.

by Melissa Harris-Lacewell, The Nation, USA - When gay men and lesbians can openly and proudly point to their sacrifices for our country then they can call upon our country for full first-class citizenship.

by Anne Seith, Spiegel, Germany - Many countries have started to see a rebound from last year's economic recession. But will it last? Economists at the World Economic Forum in Davos warn that paying down massive public debt will be "very, very painful."

by Kajalie Shehreen Islam, The Star, Bangladesh - Simi, Trisha, Rumi. The stories of girls and women who have been provoked to commit suicide by 'eve-teasers' are common -- even the few which make it to the public eye via the media.

by Sheila Lalwani, Spiegel, Germany - It's no secret that many immigrants have a hard time in Germany. A new study has found that women wearing headscarves have a particularly hard time on the job market and a quarter of those with Turkish backgrounds face discrimination when looking for work.

by Sarah van Gelder, Yes!, USA - There's a growing movement to cancel Haiti's foreign debt as a way to return to the Haitian people the authority to rebuild their lives and their country.

by Sarah E. Mendelson, Foreign Policy, USA - A week after the deadline for closing the detention center, the United States is no closer to a satisfactory outcome.

by Helena Frith Powell, The National, UAE - Whether by choice or necessity, more women are reversing roles with their husbands to become the main breadwinner for the household.

by Samiha Shafy, Spiegel, Germany - While nations bicker about who should cut greenhouse gas emissions and by how much, scientists are dreaming up their own solutions to global warming. A German professor has created a filter which extracts more than a thousand times more carbon dioxide from the air than a tree.

by Sujatha Samy, Tehelka, India - France has to come to terms with the changing face of its society and opt for more nuanced laws that would not alienate its minorities.

by Alyssa McDonald, New Statesman, UK - The Icelandic prime minister talks to the NS about scrambling to rescue an economy under pressure from the UK while under fire from fellow Icelanders.

by Susan Feiner, Dollars & Sense, USA - President Roosevelt knew that significant federal spending was the key to economic security.

by Rebecca Solnit, Le Monde Diplomatique, France - The failure of national governments in Copenhagen doesn’t mean there is no future with them. Much was accomplished – even the refusal to be bullied into a false ‘solution’ accord by the global south. Tiny countries stood up to China. A global movement found its ties.

by Andrea Reidl, Spiegel, Germany - Carbon fiber and aluminum are so 2009. This year's best bicycling model is made out of bamboo and hemp. A new generation of manufacturers are coming up with some of the most environmentally friendly transport yet. Lighter, stronger, more comfortable and these bikes have also got a much smaller carbon footprint.

by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Foreign Policy, USA - The United States seeks a safer, more prosperous, more democratic, and more equitable world. We cannot be assured of that progress when one-third of humankind live in conditions that offer them little chance of building better lives for themselves or their children.

by Amy Goodman, Truthdig, USA - Since stimulus funds will now be directed to supply more scanning equipment at airports, what about spending money to ensure mammograms and prostate exams at community health centers?

by Tara Lohan, Yes!, USA - More and more neighborhoods are making the transition to a climate-friendly community. Has yours?

by Deborah Campbell, The Walrus, Canada - Can Al Jazeera English cure what ails North American journalism?

by Annette Langer, Spiegel, Germany - Eight months after a powerful earthquake struck the Abruzzo region of central Italy, many of its cities and villages still lie in ruins.

by Tara McKelvey, Boston Review, USA - The political fallout from the Iraq war and the government’s failure to care for its veterans has been far-reaching.

by Susanne Koelbl, Spiegel, Germany - The German-ordered bombing in Kunduz left behind dozens of widows and orphans. Now, survivors and relatives of the dead are looking for compensation. Some, though, worry that the money will fall into the hands of the Taliban.

by Ellen Goodman, Truthdig, USA - Countries are wrangling over everything about human-induced climate change except the increasing number of humans inducing it.

by Ellen Brown, Yes! Magazine, USA - State and local leaders are considering creating publicly owned banks that can funnel credit to where it is needed most: directly into the local economy.

by Arundhati Roy, Outlook, India - The low, flat-topped hills of south Orissa have been home to the Dongria Kondh long before there was a country called India or a state called Orissa.

by Jess Smee, Spiegel, Germany - With its massive glass dome, the Plantagon Greenhouse wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi movie. And if all goes smoothly, one may soon crop up in a city near you. In these days of global warming, its creators argue, it's not a question of if it will become reality but, rather, when.

by Tamar Sharabi, Upside Down World, Canada - An interview with a women's rights leader before the 'free' election.

by Malayapinas, World Pulse, USA - Under the Arroyo government, violence has worsened as more military forces have become involved in the lawlessness and culture of impunity that reigns all over the island.

by Lindsay Beyerstein, In These Times, Canada - Last week in the Phillipines, dozens of politicians and journalists were dragged from a campaign convoy by about 100 armed men.

by Diana Lungu, European Journalism Centre, EU - Over the past decade, myriad reports about human trafficking from or through Moldova have appeared in European and US media. The articles are often sensationalist; they obscure the issue or tarnish the image of entire countries – as well as the mainstream media’s reputation in general.

by Naomi Klein, The Nation, USA - Ten years after the Seattle protests, climate activists are poised to make the U.N. climate change summit their "growing up party."

by Jen Phillips, Mother Jones, USA - Yes, according to a report released yesterday by the United Nations Population Fund. "Women—particularly those in poor countries—will be affected differently than men," the report states.