by Cassie White, ABC News, Australia - Australian families have made serious allegations of corruption within Australia's inter-country adoption program with Ethiopia.

by Sarah Wambui, Capital News, Kenya - A report released by the World Bank indicates that if Kenya and other African countries focused on ‘quiet’ corruption with as much vigor as they did to grand corruption shams, they would achieve their Millennium Development Goals on time.

by Susan Stamberg, NPR, USA - In 1942, the United States was faced with a severe shortage of pilots, and leaders gambled on an experimental program to help fill the void: Train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Like many other farmers in the remote village of Barchid, lying in the shadow of Tajikistan's Pamir Mountains, Makbulsho Yakinshoev knows little about issues like greenhouse-gas emissions or global warming.

by Hélène Michaud, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - “As a non-violent activist, I believe violence is not the solution to the crisis,” says Sunny Ofehe. A Nigerian refugee in the Netherlands, Ofehe has managed to organise - almost single-handed it seems - peace talks for his troubled native Niger Delta.

by Beatriz Díez Hernando, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Why should a shrimp be tastier than a beetle? Why are worms only considered to be edible in extreme situations? Experts say it is simply a matter of culture and psychology.

by Daisy Sindelar, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - In the 20 years since the fall of Mongolia's Moscow-controlled communist regime, the country has seen a rich resurrection of its native traditions and heroes.

by Carrie Khan, NPR, USA - Confidential informants — people who pose as criminals so they can provide information to the police or some government agency — have helped crack some major U.S. cases.

by Katie Hamann, Radio Australia, Australia - In September, Aceh's outgoing lawmakers used their final days in office to force through a bill allowing the stoning to death of Muslim adulterers.

by Kristina Gorelik, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - "Zakazukha," the practice of accepting payment to publish articles, is common practice among Russian journalists, and a routine way for local image-makers to slip slavish praise or damning claims about a person or product into the press.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - An increasing number of parents in Central Asia, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are opting to send their children to madrasahs to ensure they receive a sound Islamic education.

by Nikola Krastev, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - The U.S.-based human rights watchdog Freedom House says 2009 saw more setbacks than improvements, with 40 countries and territories covered in its latest survey experiencing declines in democratic freedoms, including most of the post-Soviet area.

by Jane Lindholm, Vermont Public Radio, USA - A new scientific paper says that the emergence of certain infectious diseases seems to be driven by globalization and ecological disruption-that habitat destruction and biodiversity loss increase infectious disease rates in humans.

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR, USA - The feminist theologian Mary Daly, one of the most influential feminist thinkers of the 20th century, died Monday in Massachusetts.

by Fediya Andina, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Why is wearing jeans and riding a moped without a headscarf now a problem for a woman in Banda Aceh, the Indonesiad city devastated by the tsunami of December 2004? RNW reporter Fediya Andina found out on a recent trip to her native country.

by Louise Dunne, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Christmas may be a Christian holiday, but not all of those who celebrate it are church going believers. For many it’s as much about family get-togethers, presents and blowout dinners as the birth of Jesus Christ. And often Muslims living in Christian countries will also take part in the festivities.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Tajik migrant laborers looking for a convenient way to cut their family ties to home are employing a method that bridges technology with Muslim tradition. One word, "talaq," sent by telephone text message, is effectively enough for a man to divorce his wife from afar.

by Marijke Peters, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Amsterdam and prostitution have been bedfellows for a long time and the city’s red light district attracts thousands of tourists, who come to take advantages of the liberal laws.

by Heather Maher, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad left no doubt about Iran's ambitions. "We need to spread out to numerous sites to produce nuclear fuel for us. We shall build 10 new uranium enrichment plants," he said on state television on November 29.

by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, USA - The death toll from the Philippines’ worst politically-linked massacre has risen to 57, including 18 Filipino jounralists from regional newspapers. The victims were abducted as they were travelling to nominate an opposition candidate for governor in upcoming elections. It’s believed to be the highest number of reporters killed in a single attack anywhere in the world.

by Kristin Deasy, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - This year, groundbreaking research on bras, beer bottles, and panda poo is getting the attention it deserves.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - October marks the beginning of military call-up season in much of Central Asia. But Talant, a 24-year-old Kyrgyz man, says he intends to avoid the draft at any cost.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - In its recent report, "Women and Radicalization in Kyrgyzstan," the ICG states that Hizb ut-Tahrir "may have up to 8,000 members" in the country, "perhaps 800 to 2,000 of them women."

by Laura Sullivan, NPR, USA - California's prison system costs $10 billion a year. Its crumbling, overcrowded facilities are home to the highest recidivism rate in the country. And the state that was once was the national model in corrections has become the model every state is now trying to avoid.

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - The founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, designated the last Friday of Ramadan as a day for Iranians and Muslims to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people and their cause.

by Vanessa Mock, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Women all over Italy are sick and tired of the constant stream of nearly-naked women on television and on advertising billboards. It is fuelling Berlusconi-style "machismo" and dragging their country backwards, they say.

by Esther Han, ABC News, Australia - For a long time, it was thought a war zone was no place for a woman. But now, female reporters are just as likely as their male counterparts to be sent to cover wars.

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Allegations of prison authorities' use of rape as a means of punishment or intimidation in the Islamic republic are nothing new.

by Rosslyn Hyams, Radio France Internationale, France - France has had colonies across the world, from North Africa, to the Americas and Indo-China. The negative side of occupation has left scars, and attempts are being made to broaden understanding - starting in the classroom.

by Mahnaz Murad, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - The new magazine ‘Israel-Kurd’ has caused a stir in northern Iraq. To the surprise of many in the Arab world, the second edition also recently made it into the kiosks.

by Farangis Najibullah, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - The problem of bribery in the education system has been a topic of political debate in Central Asia in recent years, with officials warning that corrupt practices and widespread bribery have severely damaged the quality of education.

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR, USA - Women in record numbers are seeking office in Afghanistan's presidential and provincial elections later this month. The participation is a major change in a country where women weren't even allowed to attend school eight years ago.

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR, USA - Women in record numbers are seeking office in Afghanistan's presidential and provincial elections later this month. The participation is a major change in a country where women weren't even allowed to attend school eight years ago.

by Marijke Peters, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Although the military coup has been criticised by the world’s superpowers, a group of Dutch nationals living in Honduras have raised eyebrows by claiming it was perfectly legal.

by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, USA - Anti-corporate pranksters and gonzo political activists the Yes Men are back with a new film, The Yes Men Fix the World. The movie follows Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno as they infiltrate and expose the world of big

by Jennifer L. Pozner, NPR, USA - Think carefully: can you remember any passionate TV news debates about whether journalists or voters might want to get naked with Dick Cheney?

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - A woman named Neda has become an icon of the ongoing antigovernment protests in Iran.

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - Reformists in Iran are hoping that a high turnout in the June 12 presidential election would help prevent a second term for the hard-line incumbent, Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, USA - The actions of the Israeli army during its twenty-two-day assault on the Gaza Strip earlier this year are back in the spotlight with the arrival of a United Nations delegation in Gaza this Monday.

by Yulia Latynina, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - A new form of fascism has appeared in the world..., and it has been adopted by dictatorial regimes whose leaders do not want their countries to open up to the world or who are afraid their countries might develop independent businesses and a middle class and escape from their control.

by Solenn Honorine, Asia Calling, Indonesia - This week, around 70 countries gathered in the Indonesian city of Manado in order to emphasize the importance of the world’s oceans in combating climate change.

by Amanda van Mulligen, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - Infant mortality rate in the Netherlands remains one of the highest in the European Union, but is this anything to do with home births?

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Liberty, Czech Republic - Former lawmaker and journalist Azam Taleghani is one of two women to have announced plans to run in Iran's presidential election in June.

by Helen Benedict, NPR, USA - The double traumas of combat and sexual persecution may be why a 2008 RAND study found that female veterans are suffering double the rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder for their male counterparts.

by Vanessa Mock, Radio Netherlands, Netherlands - The European Parliament has claimed a victory for seals with a landmark ban on all seal products in the EU. But indigenous Inuit people have called the move a "catastrophe" that threatens their livelihood, while Canada and Norway have threatened to challenge the EU in court.

by Katie Hamann, Asia Calling, Indonesia - Smoking rates in Indonesia have increased significantly in recent years, placing the nation on a par with India and China as the nations with the highest smoking rates.

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Liberty, Czech Republic - For many observers, Roxana Saberi has become a victim of the contentious relations between Tehran and Washington. Some have described her as a political pawn used by the Iranian hard-liners to sabotage U.S. President Barack Obama's efforts toward engagement with Iran.

by Lily Yan, Asia Calling, Indonesia - The first force to fight corruption with is to have an opposition party. On top of that, a free media, an independent judicial system and well educated mass; all these will contribute to a fair society. But China is lacking in all of them, that’s why China has so many severe human rights violation issues.”

by Golnaz Esfandiari, Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic - More than 200 women, mostly students, held a protest on April 15 in Kabul against a controversial Afghan law that imposes restrictions on Shi'ite women.