ZIMBABWE: 'Money Comes First, Health Second'

With half her body immersed in a muddy red pond, Esther Nyarambi closely inspects the contents of her wooden panning dish, locally known as zamba. Having spent the entire day pounding gold-bearing rock, she hopes her efforts will be rewarded with even the smallest nugget of gold.

MIDEAST: Not Correct Soccer, But Better

In this Arab town in northern Israel, Michael Zantovsky, the Czech Republic ambassador, is throwing an end-of-term party, an event markedly different from customary diplomatic bashes.

INDONESIA: Presidential Poll Race Disappoints Women’s Activists

As the country prepares to elect its new president next week, Indonesian activists are trying to push gender issues onto the political agenda.

KENYA: Report Charges Killing, Torture and Rape by Security Forces

Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling for an immediate investigation of Kenyan security officials it says were sent to protect civilians in the country’s northeastern Mandera district during the move to disarm the heavily militarised region in October 2008, but who beat and tortured those civilians instead, according to the report released Monday.

POLITICS: Obama Still Buoyed by Extraordinary Global Popularity

Six months into his new job as president of the United States, Barack Obama inspires more public confidence than any other political leader, said a new WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO) poll released here Monday.

PAKISTAN: An Unexpected Tribute to MJ

In this South Asian nation, people fondly remember a pop-singer who stole many hearts.

PAKISTAN: U.S. Urged to Boost Emergency Aid to Displaced

Newly released research from experts and refugee advocates paints a clearer and perhaps surprising picture of the plight of Pakistan’s rapidly growing population of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

NEPAL: Third Gender Assert Rights

Two years ago, 23-year-old Bhakti Shah, a cadet in the Nepal Army, was dismissed because she was seen to spend most of her free time with a fellow female cadet.

MIDEAST: Elderly Receiving Better Care

In a region where indigenous human resources are scarce, the oil-rich Gulf countries are not only mindful of population growth, but are quickly learning to address the concerns of the elderly.

RIGHTS-US: Obama to Approve Indefinite Detentions

As President Barack Obama struggles with the political backlash from a Congress determined to keep Guantanamo terrorism suspects out of the U.S., his administration is reportedly preparing an executive order that would give him authority to hold prisoners indefinitely without trial, according to weekend media reports.

MIDEAST: Lest We Don’t Forget

They are little white, yellow or green pills and are available almost anywhere. At the pharmacies or in the market, they are accessible, addictive and cheap.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Crop Varieties to Confront Hurricane Threat

Agricultural scientists are working in Cuba to develop crop varieties that can withstand hurricanes and are resistant to other climate adversities as part of a food security strategy.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Baby Terecay Turtles Head to Orinoco River

Venezuelan school children released 1,000 young terecay turtles (Podocnemis unifilis) on the banks of the Caura River, a major tributary of the Orinoco.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Better Labor Practices in Sugarcane Fields

Brazil seeks to eliminate trade barriers for its ethanol, especially in the European market, with its National Commitment to Improve Labor Conditions in sugarcane production.

CULTURE-MEXICO: “New Seven Wonders” Win Falls Flat

The Mexican government spent time and money in 2007 to get the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza declared one of the "new seven wonders of the world" in a contest organised by a Swiss-Canadian businessman. But winning has failed to deliver the desired results.

MIDEAST: Deal on Gaza Makes Headway

Under a complex twin-pronged initiative from the U.S. and Egypt, Israel's hard- line government is moving towards backtracking on two major planks of its policy in the occupied territories - resisting demands for a blanket freeze on all settlement building in the West Bank, and acquiescing in the end of its tight siege of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

GERMANY: Have no Nuclear Weapons, Just Share Them

Most Germans support nuclear abolition, but the country may still not give up its policy of nuclear sharing.

Slide Show: G192 The South Speaks Out

The world is suffering a severe downturn. A lot is at stake for the so-called South - especially for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

US-AFGHANISTAN: Bagram Detainees Treated “Worse Than Animals”

An investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that former detainees at the U.S. Bagram airbase in Afghanistan were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with dogs.

IRAQ: Lame-Duck Lawmakers Push Through Kurdistan’s New Charter

A draft constitution passed by the parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan has drawn divided reactions, with some questioning the very legitimacy of a lame-duck parliament to pass the single most important legal document of the Kurdish region and others touting it as a positive step forward.

RIGHTS: U.N. Asked to Probe CIA Rendition

Human rights groups are asking United Nations officials to investigate the case of an Italian citizen and victim of the "extraordinary rendition" programme of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who is currently being held in a Moroccan prison based on a confession coerced from him through torture.