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Never will women’s rights be sacrificed in talks with the Taliban and never will the Afghan government close women shelters. These are the promises President Karzai made to his people in the middle of a heated debate on women’s rights in Afghanistan. These are two major commitments. Judging by the overall political trends in the country, it might not be easy to stick to them.

The fifth largest earthquake recorded in history that hit northeast Japan led to the greatest nuclear accident that went down in the country’s 60-year past. The turkish reaction was mixed.

It is young people at the heart of the Arab revolt who are rebelling not for jihad but for freedom and democracy. Nevertheless, bin Laden's death opens up huge opportunities worldwide. President Barack Obama needs to follow up on the promise he made in Cairo, two years ago, when he pledged to build bridges to the Muslim world. 

Wedding ceremonies have become ruinous for many Afghans. A new law now aims at limiting the expenses. The good intention of the initiative is tarnished, however, because the draft at the same time sanctions heavy governmental interference into personal affairs.

Unexpected for all of us Roshan Dhunjibhoy passed away on April 24th 2011 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We grieve for an outstanding personality, journalist and former colleague. An interview on the occasion of her 80th Birthday on 30 March this year.

For the Canadian women the opening match of the World Cup against Germany is – for the time being – the highlight of an unprecedented boom in women’s soccer. 

The World Cup victory of the US women’s team in 1999 triggered a virtual soccer boom among children. Today girls play soccer in the US - in the media, however, the sport has made a disappearance act.

Very recently, an Indian peace delegation visited Pakistan from 17-26th March 2011, primarily to see the dialogue between the two countries become a reality. The delegation included activists, intellectuals, writers, artists, educationists, politicians and parliamentarians.

“Gender policy, feminist analyses, and feminist discourses have held a firm place in the Heinrich Böll Foundation since its very beginning. Along with ecology and democracy, they are a key focus of our work in Germany and abroad […].”, as Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation says.

Major nuclear events and policy announcements have never led to mass protests in the UK. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Fukushima disaster is likely to have a profound effect on the scale and timing of the new British nuclear programme.