BRAZIL: Abortion, a Bargaining Chip in Campaign for Runoff

The issue of abortion has turned into a weapon that threatens to take away votes from the candidates in the campaign for the second round of presidential elections in Brazil, with conservative religious groups using it as a bargaining chip in exchange for their support.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Activists Wary of Plan to ‘Export’ Asylum Centres

As the Australian government steps up its efforts to establish a regional processing centre for asylum seekers in East Timor, refugee advocates remain watchful for signs that any deal could result in the involuntary removal from Australia of people seeking protection here.

HEALTH-HONDURAS: Solidarity in Breast Cancer Survival

All too aware of the Honduran public health system's shortcomings and the great vulnerability of the country's poorest people, women who have beaten breast cancer are stepping up to share their experiences and knowledge in an effort to save more lives.

PAKISTAN: Truck Art Makes For Moving Canvasses on Highways

For Karachi-based event manager Shabnam Abdullah, it is a "primary representation of Pakistan". Quite enamoured with the unique art form, Abdullah has even used it for a few workshops she arranged for her corporate clients.

Gypsies, or How to Be Invisible in Mexico

In the story "Gente bella" (Beautiful People), the Mexican dictator of the day sends a mission to Europe to import 300 families and thus "whiten the race, to put an end to laziness." Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria cheats him and sends, for the price of gold, gypsies.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Identity of Black People Recognised, But Needs Neglected

Although their human rights are increasingly recognised, blacks in Mexico and Central America are the poorest and most marginalised people in Latin America, according to experts.

CHINA: Resentment Rises With Widening Wealth Gaps

In the rich depository of Chinese expressions dealing with the issue of unrest, none is more sensitive than the word ‘qiyi’ or rebellion. After all, Chinese imperial dynasties have lost mandates because of peasant rebellions and the mere mention of the word in China brings associations with calamitous change.

DEVELOPMENT-PAKISTAN: Torrents of Criticism Greet Flood Tax Proposal

It was meant as an appeal to generous souls, but a suggestion for a one-time tax to help raise funds for Pakistan’s millions of flood victims has instead reminded many Pakistanis of their country’s faulty tax system.

Water, Sanitation Gain Traction as Basic Human Rights

When the 47-member Human Rights Council (HRC) affirmed last week that the right to water and sanitation was a basic human right, the consensus resolution was described as a "historic first" for the U.N.’s premier human rights body based in Geneva.

CENTRAL ASIA: Remittances on the Rise

Financial remittances to the Central Asian Republics by millions of both undocumented and legal migrants working in Russia have increased substantially, labour experts say.

RIGHTS-CHINA: For Too Many, Domestic Violence Part of Family Life

Despite successful campaigns to promote gender equality, China continues to struggle with high rates of domestic violence, which experts say impacts not only families but society as a whole.

PHILIPPINES: Over Decades, Child Poverty Hasn’t Changed Much

His bones pushing against his skin, Lean Ray Francisco has been feeding on rice coffee, or coffee made from roasted rice, and rice water - left over from boiling rice - for most of his three years.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Malaria Control Drive Reaches Out to Migrant Workers

As efforts to control malaria intensify in the region, the significance of a busy health clinic in Mae Sot, a Thai town close to the Burmese border, stands out even more.

PHILIPPINES: Call Centre Boom Breeds New Culture – and Risky Behaviour

Anthony, a 22-year-old call centre agent, goes to work at 6 p.m. and finishes at around 2 a.m. But instead of going home, he heads to a bar to meet another male agent over beer, and if the late night looks promising, they spend more time together until daytime.

SRI LANKA: ‘Tigers’ Become Tourists

The younger ones in the group tried to imitate the older boys, in their teens and early 20s, who wear the latest fashion promoted by Hindi and South Indian movie stars – faded denim jeans, tight T-shirts, and oversized belts hanging nonchalantly around their slim waists. Alongside them, the handful of women wore brightly coloured ‘shalwar kamiz’ (traditional South Asian dress) that fluttered in the wind.

CHINA: Massive Rail Network to Cross Continents

As recently as the mid-1980s, China relied on steam-powered relics to transport citizens and goods around its vast territory. Today, the country is home to 6,900 kilometres of high-speed passenger train routes in what is the largest rail network in the world – and growing.

PAKISTAN: Education Falling Out of Afghan Refugees’ Reach

He is only 13 and a refugee in a not-too-hospitable country, but Ahmed Jamal already knows what he wants to do for the next decade or so: follow in the footsteps of his older brother.

INDIA: Poor Women Stitch Together New Futures

She is now part of a group of artisan entrepreneurs, deals with people confidently, and earns enough for herself and her three children. But 20 years ago, Amir Unisha Begum was an unschooled, shy homemaker who rarely ventured out of her Indian slum neighbourhood.

EUROPE: Where the Roma Begin to Prosper

The "gypsy market" in Brasov is bustling with activity on a Saturday morning. It's one of the few places left where pensioners and other low-income Romanians can buy decent clothes cheaply. And also here, the power dynamics between Roma and non-Roma is silently shifting.

MEXICO: Bicentennial Nothing to Celebrate, Say Indigenous Peoples

"I don't understand why we should celebrate [Independence]. There will be no freedom in Mexico until repression against indigenous peoples is eliminated," says Sadhana, whose name means "moon" in the indigenous Mazahua language.

Greek Society Falling, Falling…

People walking casually past a sleeping or unconscious person has become a recurrent scene in downtown Athens these days. At Omonia square in the heart of the Greek capital one sees signs of social degeneration and segregation that were unknown only a decade ago.