On July 12, Yousafzai turns 18. For her birthday, she’s asking not for presents but for people around the world to share pictures of themselves with their favorite books. The goal: Pressure world leaders to cut military spending and fully fund K–12 education.

And Obama didn't just lecture on the need for tolerance of religious minorities. He spoke of the importance of women's rights in a country where shocking abuses still endure. (...) These are unobjectionable remarks, and a point of view shared by likely everyone who crowded in to hear the American president speak. But don't expect Obama to share the same message with the United States' Saudi partners, whose cooperation on matters of counterterrorism in the Middle East and energy policy are vital for Washington's interests.

Sudan is facing growing condemnation for sentencing a pregnant woman to be whipped and then hanged for adultery. Governments, the UN and human rights groups are also concerned that she is being kept shackled in prison with her toddler son a month before she is due to give birth.They have called on the Sudanese government to immediately release Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, 27, and overturn both her death sentence and sentence of 100 lashes.

This Mother's Day, we are reminded once again that mothers are the cornerstone of our communities.  This is an important time to celebrate the exceptional women around the world who strive to keep families and communities together, and sacrifice to ensure the next generation has every opportunity to pursue its dreams. 

Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and others are backing boycotts of the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air because of new laws targeting gays and women in the Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed that Washington will do "everything possible" to help Nigeria deal with the armed group Boko Haram, following the kidnapping of scores of schoolgirls.  "Let me be clear. The kidnapping of hundreds of children by Boko Haram is an unconscionable crime," Kerry said in a policy speech in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday.

Great Britain's most recent Olympic gold medallist has vowed to use her sudden fame to inspire more girls to play sport and challenge "the media image of the perfect woman". Lizzy Yarnold, who became just the fifth British athlete to win individual gold at a Winter Olympics when she defeated her skeleton rivals by almost a second on Friday, said she was determined to convince more girls to stay involved with sport.