A mysterious group of "bearded women" hijacked a cultural event organised by left-wing French newspaper Libération last weekend. Their message: contrary to popular opinion, the cultural workplace is just as sexist as that of politics or finance. Read more...

On 16 June California became the second American state to give the green light to gay marriage. We asked our Observers, from China to Ghana, if there's a chance of seeing the same thing happen in their own countries. Read more...

A 78-year-old man, struck down by a hit-and-run driver, was left lying in the middle of the road for over a minute as pedestrians walked by and cars veered round him. Here's the video.

Japan saw the ghastly murder of seven people yesterday when a man drove his two-tonne-lorry into crossing pedestrians and then went on a stabbing spree in Akihabara, Tokyo. Our Observer in the country questions whether the Japanese are prone to such gruesome massacres, and why. Read more...