1325. It's a combination of digits that might not mean much tothe majority of the world's population, but these four numbersare a crucial tool in the global struggle for gender equality.

At this year's 61st edition of the Berlin International Film Festival Iranianfilmmaker Asghar Farhadi took the highest prize.

Although more girls are enrolling in school - notably incountries with the greatest gender gaps like Chad, SaudiArabia, Pakistan and Yemen - two-thirds of the world'silliterate adults are still women.

Suggestions are pouring in from all corners of the world on how the world's richcould reduce climate-damaging consumption habits, called MillenniumConsumption Goals (MCGs), envisioned to be the flipside of the eight-pointMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) set for the poor.

After years of planning, fundraising and consultations, U.N.Women was officially launched Thursday evening to muchcelebration.

In terms of economics, the European Union (EU) includes one country - Germany- that is both friend and foe to the 27-member community, and theirrelationship has turned markedly bittersweet on the road to recovery after theglobal economic crisis.

Beer manufacturers sell nearly 548 million litres of brew each day, but with everybottle, they are using many times that amount of water on a planet facingmounting resource challenges.

While"fundamentalism"has become something of a buzzword inthe past few years, particularly in the West in connectionwith Islam, it in fact exists in every region and religion,and has a set of common characteristics, say activists whohave studied the question for years.

As the world's nuclear powers continue to drag theircollective feet, stalling all attempts at nuclear disarmament,a group of peace activists and civil society organisations isvigourously challenging the long-held myth of"nucleardeterrence".

Contact: Don Otis, Veritas Communications, 719-275-7775, interviews@veritasincorporated.com DELTONA, Fla., Feb. 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Black comedian Chris Rock interviewed for the March issue of Esquire by writer Scott Raab."Like many nice Caucasians, I cried the night Barack Obama was elected,"said Raab."It was one of the high points in American history. And all that's happened since the election is just a sh--storm of hatred. You want to weigh in on that? Source: Veritas Communications

Maximising time, energy and resources toward improving livingconditions for millions of people in the poorest countries ofthe world - the so-called Least Developed Countries (LDCs) -means that the"business-as-usual"approach must yield to aholistic strategy, says Arjun Karki, a longtime expert ongrassroots, democratic peace-building and development.

The world is in financial crisis thanks to the reckless behaviour of bankers, say campaigners, yet ordinary people are picking up the tab. Debt activists fear the recession will provide cover for a fresh round of toxic debt to countries in the South.

As food prices rose for the seventh month in a row in January,contributing to recent popular unrest in the Middle East and aspike in commodities purchases by developing countries lastweek, some analysts are quick to make comparisons to the dryyears of 2007-2008.

Neoliberalism and the attendant financial globalisation were a common enemy that unified and mobilised activists of the most diverse tendencies who founded, ten years ago in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, the World Social Forum (WSF) as a space to meet, reflect and debate, under the slogan"Another World Is Possible".