A bill under discussion in the Nicaraguan parliament has unleashed a nationwide debate on the concept of family.

A sell-out concert by controversial U.S. pop star Lady Gaga scheduled for June 3in the Indonesian capital was called off by the concert promoters on theweekend citing security concerns. This has reignited debate in the local mediaabout the clout of"extremist"Islamic groups in the country and police inactionto limit what many in the media call their"thuggery".

A financial crisis, clashes between coaches, a case of shoplifting–forget all theproblems. Last month, Israel's judokas won four medals at the EuropeanChampionship. They now have their eyes set on London 2012.

One of every two Peruvians knows what"biodiversity"means, and most would stop buying products that are not socially or environmentally responsible, according to an international survey that for the first time included this megadiverse South American country.

Taliban members have resorted to invoking fictitious links of academics withwriter Salman Rushdie in a bid to boost their popularity.

Gloria Rolando has been revealing hidden chapters of Cuban history since the 2010 premiere of the first part of her documentary series"1912: Breaking the Silence,"about the virtually unknown story about the only legal political party to promote racial equality in this country.

After decades of struggle, indigenous people in El Salvador will finally be recognised in the constitution–a first step towards recovering their community identity, which they have been denied by the state and by society at large.

For centuries, indigenous peoples and their rights, resources and lands havebeen exploited. Yet long overdue acknowledgment of past exploitation anddedicated efforts by indigenous peoples have done little to end or preventviolations of the present, stated indigenous leaders in the Manaus Declaration of2011.

Lingering violence, intolerance and oppression in Tunisia, following the oustingof former dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, tells therevolutionaries who sparked the Arab Spring that their work is just beginning.

The fate of a gender equality bill pending in Indonesia's parliament and aligned with the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms discrimination against women (CEDAW) has become uncertain after falling afoul of powerful Islamist groups.

"Out of love for the river, we reforest, recycle, and make this place beautiful,"says a sign welcoming visitors to the Floragaita school, where a balsa (Ochroma pyramidale) tree with enormous white flowers guards the entrance to the lush green grounds on a hill in the heart of Colombia's Andes mountains.

Social activists say that attempts to rehabilitate sex workers in this former monarchy call for special efforts to uplift the Badi, a Hindu caste that has for centuries been associated with entertainment and prostitution.

While Aung San Suu Kyi enjoys iconic status in Myanmar (also known as Burma), women remain invisible in this country steeped in Buddhist tradition and emerging from decades of military rule.

María dos Prazeres de Souza has lost count of the number of births"without a single death"she has attended as a midwife, an occupation that there is renewed interest in strengthening in traditional communities in Brazil where state services are not available or are not entirely acceptable for cultural reasons.

Even though she was kidnapped, pressured into marrying a manfrom a nearby village, and then abandoned without means tosustain herself and the couple's two young children, Totugulcan't rely on Kyrgyzstan's courts for help.