by Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz, Israel - A $4.2 billion lawsuit based on a testimony of a disgruntled employee reveals a scheme to obtain GSM license in exchange for for UN votes.

by Jagienka Wilczak, Polityka, Poland - With less than a month left to go before the kick-off of the Euro 2012, the fate of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has poisoned relations between the EU and Ukraine — the co-organiser of the championship along with Poland. However, the issue of human rights is only one aspect of a story in which business interests have also played an important role.

by Katrine Kielos, Aftonbladet, Sweden - Triumphant a decade ago, today social democrats have been voted out office in most European countries — a change that is due to a lack of new proposals, but also and more importantly to the right’s appropriation of the language and ideas of social democracy.

by Ariana Ferentinou, Hurriyet, Turkey - What we are witnessing unraveling before our eyes is not just a “Greek tragedy;” it is a systemic eurozone problem where the dramatic heroes are all the Europeans who have already started to share the fate of Greeks.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Susan Montoya Bryan, Native American Times, USA - With tens of millions of acres held in trust for tribes, experts say Indian Country has the potential to supply more than four times the nation’s electricity needs with solar. Wind resources blowing across tribal lands could meet another 14 percent of the need.

by Reem M. Asaad, Arab News, Saudi Arabia - In Saudi, the most important aspect of woman participation in public life and economic sphere remains to be … modesty. Her modesty determines whether she is a “fit” Saudi woman or a “model Saudi woman” (i.e. representative of her fellow Saudi women).

by Katharina Iskandar, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany - With the promise of jobs and income, more and more Bulgarians are being lured to Germany. There, however, they run into race-to-the-bottom wages and illegal accommodation. Frankfurt has become the centre of the so-called “Bulgarian industry”.

by Hannah McNeish, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - "You see -- if there is oil here, Bashir comes, if there is oil there, he goes that way. You see? This will go on and on," until Khartoum sees the South as a real country with sovereign resources, he says.

by Jessica Mann, The Guardian, UK - Like most of her 60s peers, Jessica Mann was a full-time mother and housewife – and resented it. So why do younger women yearn to turn back the clock?

by Vercihan Ziflioğlu, Hurriyet, Turkey - An Armenian community that was forced to vacate their villages in the southeastern province of Batman 25 years ago due to politically motivated violence in the region has mounted a legal battle to retrieve disputed land.

by Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail, Canada - The contentious issue of legalized abortion returns to the floor of the House of Commons on Thursday evening as MPs weigh in on the motion by Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth to establish a committee to determine when life, as defined by the Criminal Code, begins.

by Anna Powles, Asia Times, Hong Kong - In a vote influenced by nationalism and nostalgia, Timor Leste's voters overwhelmingly chose former defense force chief Jose Maria Vasconcelos, more commonly known by his nom de guerre Taur Matan Ruak, as the young country's next president.

by Mandy De Waal, Daily Maverick, South Africa - Émilie du Châtelet could possibly be one of the greatest female intellectuals, mathematicians and thinkers in history, but the love of Voltaire’s life who contributed significantly to the Enlightenment all but vanished from the history books. That is until science author David Bodanis stumbled across her and decided to ensure she wouldn’t be forgotten.

by Lale Kemal, Today's Zaman, Turkey - Smart Defense is a new culture of cooperation which also stipulates alignment of NATO and national priorities as well as specialization where needed and multinational cooperation as the preferred option, said a senior NATO official during a briefing of journalists I attended earlier this week in Brussels.

by Tanya Gold, The Guardian, UK - It seems the data on prostitution changes depending on who, how and where you ask, which again leaves second- and third-wave feminists beating each other with sticks. Who is the real abuser of prostitutes – the rescuer, who would have them disappear, or the enabler, who would have them multiply?

by Julie Masis, Asia Times, Hong Kong - The United States Embassy in Cambodia is financing the publication of new textbooks for minority Cham Muslims, a public diplomacy initiative that will revive a forgotten traditional writing system and attempt to discourage the use of Arabic as a language of instruction in this predominantly Buddhist Southeast Asian nation.

by Nadisha Hunter, Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - As more and more basic schools continue to struggle to keep their doors open, at least one stakeholder is making a desperate plea to Government for such institutions to be merged with underpopulated primary schools.

by Razeshta Sethna, Dawn, Pakistan - In 2014, the US will have fought a 13-year-war in Afghanistan. Though there is fear that once the foreign forces exit, the country will fall into civil war with Al Qaeda elements in Pakistan unleashing extremists to destabilise the region, the latter’s role in achieving regional stability cannot be understated.

by Fitri Bintang Timur, Jakarta Post, Indonesia - The lack of women in Myanmarese politics thus creates a chilling effect in its security sector. Women from minority groups in conflict areas find it difficult to take part in ceasefire negotiations as has been experienced by Karen Women’s Organization, while the women refugees of Shan, Karenni, Karen and Mon live in relocation centers set up by the military with minimum protection from sexual and gender based violence.

by Paulina Neuding, Daily Star, Lebanon - We may not know much about Merah, but we are, unfortunately, increasingly well acquainted with this imported form of anti-Semitism, which is proving to be extremely difficult for European societies to confront. No one wants to blame or stigmatize another minority for anti-Semitic hate crimes, however Europe’s Jews are finding themselves in an increasingly difficult situation.

by Laura Collins, The National, UAE - Few people open a bill without feeling something. Whether it's a flutter of surprise or the cold thud of shock, it is hardly unusual for the bottom line to elicit a response. What is unusual is for any shock to stem from how little one is actually paying in relation to how much one is consuming.

by Mary Fitzgerald, Irish Times, Ireland - Unemployment in Kosovo is at 45 per cent overall, and its population is the youngest in Europe. With no chances to travel and few opportunities at home, what hope is there for the booming youth generation?

by Jane Urquhart, Globe and Mail, Canada - Vimy, as far as I could remember, had received short shrift during my history teacher’s brief foray into the role of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War.

by Dina Ezzat, Al-Ahram, Egypt - Only days to the nomination closing date, the odds for the presidential hopefuls favour no one.

by Hem Borker, The Hindu, India - The increasing communalisation of social spaces is limiting the educational choices of Muslim students.

by Ravit Hecht, Haaretz, Israel - Why do female politicians remain mum about Iran?

by Victoria John, Mail & Guardian, South Africa - Corporal punishment is rife in Gauteng schools, even though it is unlawful, according to Childline. The children's rights body said more than 300 cases were reported to its Gauteng crisis line last year.

by Rafia Zakaria, Dawn, Pakistan - The CIA’s recipe behind rendition was simple: torture is illegal in the US and hence prisoners were transported to other countries where similar legal constraints do not exist so that interrogations using tactics such as starvation, sleep deprivation and water boarding could be used against prisoners.

by Sarah Berry, The Age, Australia - Has the sun smart message gone too far? A number of scientists say yes.

by Janet D. Howell, Washington Post, USA - The gun lobby has lost some clout in Richmond because a powerful grass-roots movement, led by survivors of the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, has organized into an effective opposition, helping Virginians keep their families and communities free from gun violence.

by Cécile Allegra, Le Monde, France - In one of Europe’s poorest cities, thousands of children are leaving school to help their families make ends meet. Part of a trend that has been accentuated by the crisis, they find work in the black economy or they are recruited for sinister purposes by the mafia.

by Merve Büşra Öztürk, Today's Zaman, Turkey - As Turkey hosted a gathering of the Friends of Syria coalition on Sunday, a meeting of mostly Western and Arab foreign ministers to try to agree on measures to persuade Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to call off his security forces, let in humanitarian aid and allow a political transition, Turkish columnists wrote about Turkey’s clear opposition to Assad, how it puts Ankara in the same league as the US, Europe and Arab countries and yet how Turkey differs with the other countries on some points.

by Rafia Zakaria, Dawn, Pakistan - This news of possible sanctions arrived in the shadow of renewed efforts to mend the US-Pakistan relationship. The mending and bending of US relations with Pakistan is a worn subject. In this latest case, Pakistan has announced the hiring of legal experts to investigate the legality of the threatened sanctions.

by Vered Lee, Haaretz, Israel - The pedestrian is the human heart of the city, and his movement is the strongest possible expression of the link between the environment and the community.

by Patrícia Carvalho, Público, Portugal - Along with a lost generation of young people in low-paid and insecure jobs, the crisis is now pushing couples with families to seek work elsewhere in Europe. Unfortunately, arriving in foreign countries ill-prepared, not speaking the language and low on funds, they often end up in the streets

by Lale Kemal, Today's Zaman, Turkey - Erdoğan was reflecting his displeasure over Iran's influence in Iraq growing after the US withdrew its troops from the country.