Maldives Seeks “Smooth Transition” for World’s Poorest Nations

When the environmentally-threatened Indian Ocean island of Maldives "graduated" from the ranks of least developed countries (LDCs) to a middle-income country last January, the graduation was characterised as a milestone in the country's socioeconomic development.

JAPAN: Food and Gasoline Shortages Plague Nuclear Exclusion Zone

For the past three days Hiroko Oogusa, 62 - following orders from the local authorities - has remained in her tightly shuttered home located 40 kilometres from the badly damaged Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

BANGLADESH-LIBYA: Garment Industry Pledges to Employ Evacuated Labourers

Bangladesh's garment factories and overseas recruiting agencies have pledged to employ a substantial number of Bangladeshi expatriates returning from politically volatile Libya, following the violent crackdown on opposition forces by Muammar Gaddafi's regime there.

ITALY: Migrants Settle Into Permanent Struggle

The momentous political events in North Africa have been accompanied by increasingly apocalyptic warnings from the Italian government of a mass influx of unwanted immigration from Tunisia and Libya.

MAGHREB: For Migrants, Crisis Worsens Economic Situation At Home

The mass exodus of immigrant workers from Libya is aggravating the social and economic situation in the migrants' home nations - from Sudan and Chad in sub-Saharan Africa, to Bangladesh in Asia - according to labour and economic experts.

LIBYA: Aid Groups Struggle with Rising Tide of Refugees

The international community is ramping up efforts to alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Libya, which has affected over 200,000 people since the Muammar Gaddafi regime first began a violent crackdown on opposition forces some three weeks ago.

Q&A: “We Denounce the Militarisation of Our Lives”

Paramilitary groups in Colombia continue to threaten, harass and violently attack women's rights activists, says Patricia Guerrero, founder of a leading human rights group.

Kurd Issue to the Fore Ahead of Elections

Sultan Quyun, 58, longs for the day when the decades-long conflict between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces will come to an end. For her, the end of violence does not just hold the promise of a possible resolution of the Kurdish issue in the country, but would bring about, she hopes, a much-awaited reunion with her son.

Arab Uprising Bypasses Domestic Slaves

The uprisings sweeping the Arab world have been provoked by long injustice, low income, police brutality, and lack of social security. While the world looks at this, the suffering of up to three million maids across the Arab world remains wrapped in silence.

Vietnamese Struggle for a Place in Poland

Thuan has had little luck. In his youth he joined the "boat people" fleeing Vietnam to Indonesia. Deported back after six years, carrying the stigma of an anti-communist, he could not find a job.

U.N. Task Force Pushes for Investment in Teen Girls

Risk of sexual violence, limited access to education, and health issues such as HIV/AIDS and forced female genital mutilation/cutting are just a few of the obstacles adolescent girls face in developing countries, yet these girls are the key to the future and the eradication of poverty, stress experts at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Men Slowly Evolving from Breadwinners to Bakers

The domestic role played by half of the world's population has long been overlooked by policy-makers, with research and reports on gender roles focusing almost entirely on women.

Colombia: World Leader in Forced Displacement

"We want to shout out to the world, and no one will be able to keep us silent: forced displacement is still happening in Colombia, which is why we are asking for solidarity. We aren't terrorists, we aren't criminals; we are farmers whose dignity and rights have been stolen from us."

CAMBODIA: Refugees Face New Risks

Cambodia must ensure it offers a safe haven to asylum seekers, rights groups say, following the government’s closure this week of a United Nations-run refugee centre, home to dozens of Montagnards from Vietnam.

US: Prisoners Have No Choice But to Drink Arsenic-Laced Water

When Kern Valley State Prison opened in 2005, the 379 million dollar facility in Central California was hailed as "state of the art". But within weeks of opening, a major problem was discovered: its water was poisoned - containing roughly twice the federally permitted level of arsenic, a known carcinogen.

LATIN AMERICA: Fast Ageing Population Brings New Challenges

Although Latin America still has an image of a young region, the base of the population pyramid is shrinking fast as a result of declining birth rates while the top section is expanding due to the growing numbers of elderly -- a phenomenon that poses enormous demographic challenges.

HAITI: Resettlement Plan Excludes Almost 200,000 Families

One year and one month after Haiti's horrendous earthquake, the world's eyes are focused elsewhere.

Gap Widens Between U.S. and Arab World

Arab public opinion will become increasingly difficult for the United States to favourably influence in light of recent regional unrest, according to experts speaking at a conference organised by the Brookings Institute on Wednesday.

Rohingyas Flee Burma by Boat

On a beach dotted with swanky, star-class hotels, a boatload of bedraggled men appeared out of the dark sea one midnight, exhausted from nearly two weeks at sea fleeing Burma’s repressive military.

Pakistan Sinking Into Water Crisis

Pakistan is still reeling from flooding that caused one of the world's costliest natural disasters in 2010, with millions of people lacking shelter, infrastructure in ruins and donations falling short of appeals. But worse may come.

Environmental and Demographic Forces Threaten State Failure

Uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and across the Middle East at the start of 2011 have reminded the world just how politically fragile some countries are. But the focus of international politics has been shifting for some time now.