RIGHTS-INDIA: India's Historic Gay Ruling

A day after the Delhi High Court's landmark judgment to overturn a colonial law that criminalised homosexuality, Indians expressed mixed reactions to the verdict.

KENYA: A Role For Men in Gender Equality

The recent Gender Festival in Kenya has underlined the important role that male activism can play in achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

IRAN: Picnicking Outside Evin Prison

Outside the gates of Tehran's notorious Evin prison, hundreds wait impatiently – some with blankets spread out in the parking lot on the street below, making time for dinner.

US-AFGHANISTAN: Four Thousand Marines to “Drink Lots of Tea”

After months of planning and putting pieces in order, aspects of the new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan are beginning to be concretely implemented – including a surge of troops and attempts to curtail the poppy trade that allegedly funds insurgents.

DR-CONGO: U.N.-Backed Troops Abusing Civilians, HRW Says

United Nations-backed Congolese armed forces conducting intensified military operations in eastern and northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have failed to protect civilians from brutal rebel retaliatory attacks and instead are themselves attacking and raping Congolese civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.

RUSSIA: Chechen Civilians Face Collective Punishment

Russian federal and Chechen authorities should immediately put a stop to home burnings and other collective punishment practices against families of alleged insurgents in Chechnya, said a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released Thursday.

MEDIA-CHINA: Government Attempts to Block “Harmful Content” Thwarted

Beijing’s last minute climb-down on its latest Internet-censorship effort this week highlights the possibility that Chinese communist mandarins’ main challenge in the future lies not in quelling political dissent, but reigning in its tech-savvy educated elite.

EAST TIMOR: Prime Minister Embroiled in Contract Scandal

Pressure to resign is mounting on East Timor’s Prime Minster, Xanana Gusamo, amid claims that he misused authority when he signed-off on a multi-million dollar government contract last year to a company his daughter has ties with.

IRAN: Rights Group Seeks Release of Mistreated and Ill Detainee

Iranian authorities should release a prominent reformist detained during recent post-election unrest to a medical facility because he has suffered harsh interrogations and inadequate medical care that could have life-threatening consequences, said a prominent human rights group Wednesday.

LIBERIA: Controversial Mayor is Talk of the Town

Myaha Johnson sits with her family beneath a flimsy shelter of black plastic, looking with despair at the charred remains of what used to be their home. Mary Broh, Monrovia’s controversial mayor-designate, had just swept through the neighbourhood with her task force, vigorously tearing down residential structures along the back road, including their own.

PAKISTAN: Public Backs Army’s Push Against Taliban, Poll Finds

Pakistani public opinion remains supportive of the military’s fight against the Pakistani Taliban, said a new poll released Wednesday. However, Pakistanis roundly reject the U.S. military campaign in the region.

ECONOMY: Migrant Miseries Will Trickle Down Worldwide, U.N. Warns

At least 150 million migrant workers - out of an estimated total of 200 million in the world today - fit the "demographic characteristics of workers who are the most vulnerable" during the current global financial crisis, the U.N. says.

ENVIRONMENT-URUGUAY: Invasion of the Sand Dunes

"A road used to run through here, the sidewalk was over there, and this was the neighbour’s yard. That was an esplanade where people parked their cars, and that area over there was a plaza," says Jackeline, pointing to enormous sand dunes that have swallowed up everything, even entire trees.

IRAN: Anger and Despair Linger After Govt Confirms Poll

On Monday, after a televised counting of the 10 percent of the ballot boxes, the body that oversees Iranian elections upheld the results of the disputed presidential elections.

POLITICS: Deposed Honduran President Speaks at U.N.

Just a few days after being expelled from Honduras, the country that he was democratically elected to lead, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales addressed the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, witnessing the unanimous passage of resolution that demands his reinstatement.

LABOUR-US: Senate Divided Over Bill to Boost Unions

Since its initial proposal in 2007, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) has been a divisive bill, passing in the House but not in the Senate. Now, the bill's original author, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, is working on a compromise that he hopes will pass.

MIDEAST: When Drones Become Indiscriminate

The concerted effort of international human rights activists to rein in violations of laws of war was given a major impetus when Human Rights Watch researchers presented a report Tuesday on the unbridled use by the Israeli military of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCLAV), commonly known as drones, during Israel's 22-day assault on Hamas in Gaza at the beginning of the year.

CARIBBEAN: Deportation Row Takes Centre-Stage at Caricom

Caribbean leaders are due to meet for a full working week starting Thursday to discuss issues ranging from climate change to the global economic crisis.

US-IRAQ: Troops Leave Cities, as Questions Remain

U.S. combat troops pulled out of most Iraqi cities Monday, a day before the Jun. 30 deadline for their withdrawal in accordance with the Status of Force Agreement (SOFA) ratified by the Iraqi parliament in November 2008.

RIGHTS: Queer Parade Defies Anachronistic Indian Law

"Not all females are women," reads a poster emblazoned in red. "I am the pink sheep of my family!" is the message on another, while a third, very cheekily proclaims, "I don’t give a f***, I am a greedy bisexual"!

ENVIRONMENT: ‘Slow Down Living’

A group of Christian environmentalists met in Pistoia in central Italy over the weekend to call for an end to mass consumption and a return to family values.