HEALTH: Haj Pilgrims Get Polio Drops in Int'l Eradication Plan

As the first batches of Haj pilgrims from Pakistan arrived at Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah airport for the current pilgrimage season they were, regardless of age, administered oral polio vaccine (OPV).

DEVELOPMENT: UNFPA Battles “Norm” of Gender Inequality

Despite a slew of U.N. conventions and international agreements against discrimination of women, gender inequality is widespread and remains deeply rooted in many cultures, according to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA).

URUGUAY: Congress Votes to Legalise Abortion, But Veto Likely

Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez and his cabinet have 10 days to promulgate or veto a bill that would decriminalise abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, which was passed Tuesday by the Senate.

ECONOMY-SRI LANKA: ‘War Budget’ Ignores Int’l Criticism

President Mahinda Rajapakse’s annual budget, that increases spending on the armed forces, has drawn mixed reactions. While supporters have welcomed it as a budget that breaks away from dependency on foreign loans and grants, opponents say it will exacerbate economic woes.

RIGHTS-BURMA: Military Accused of Crimes Against Humanity

An onslaught by Burmese troops in the eastern part of the military-ruled country, running for three years now, is laying the junta open to charge of ‘crimes against humanity’.

SOUTH PACIFIC: Obama Win Inspirational

Washington’s policy in the South Pacific is unlikely to change much with Barack Obama’s win in the U.S. presidential elections, but the historic victory should serve as an inspiration for the region, say commentators.

POLITICS-US: Obama Rode the Crest of a New Coalition

Ahead of Tuesday's presidential election in the U.S., many critics were questioning the Democratic strategy. Spending money outside of the usual battleground states and relying heavily on new voters whose appearance at polling places is usually unreliable were bold ideas with unproven results, much like the Democratic candidate himself.

DRC: Insecurity Prevails Despite Ceasefire

The dirt road leading to Kibumba refugee camp is thronged with people trying to return to their homes as diplomatic efforts continue to strengthen a tenuous ceasefire.

DR CONGO: Aid Agencies Fear Humanitarian Disaster in North Kivu

The situation in the strategic city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was relatively calm Thursday after a night of fierce shooting and widespread looting, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported.

PHILIPPINES: ‘Migrants Deserve Better From Host, Home Countries’

Government officials and civil society members from 163 countries, gathered here for a meeting on migration, agreed Thursday that it was time to look beyond economic benefits and give the phenomenon ‘human face’.

PAKISTAN: Quake Survivors Await Relief

Poor infrastructure and communications are making it difficult for rescue and relief teams to reach scattered hamlets in the mountainous plateau area affected by the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province at dawn on Wednesday.

SRI LANKA: Tamil Rebels Defy Siege With Aerial Bombings

Aerial bombings carried out on the capital and a northern military base, late Tuesday night, have signalled that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) remains a fighting force - despite being besieged in its headquarters of Kilinochchi by the Sri Lankan army.

AUSTRALIA: Indigenous People – Approach Still Paternalistic

The paternalistic, top-down implementation of the Australian government’s intervention in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory is undermining its chance of success.

LABOUR: Women Migrants Need Protection, Empowerment

Filipino domestic worker Joy Romualdo treasures her Sundays not only because it offers her a respite from a week of hard work, but because she can still remember the time when having a day off was a luxury.

LABOUR-MALAYSIA: Recession to Hit Migrant Workers Hard

As recession looms large on the horizon, migrant workers like 27-year-old Kumar Palanisamy from Chennai in India are the first on the chopping block.

RIGHTS-EUROPE: Turned Away at Gunpoint

Weapons were pointed directly at migrants trying to enter Italy during a recent operation coordinated by the European Union's border control agency, it has been alleged.

SRI LANKA: War May Cost Trade Benefits From EU

By refusing to allow the European Union to probe implementation of international labour and human rights covenants, on the grounds of sovereignty infringement, the Sri Lankan government may be jeopardising trade concessions and risking jobs in this country.

SRI LANKA: Protect Tamil Civilians – India

As the Sri Lankan army stands poised to overrun the last Tamil rebel strongholds, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for steps to protect an estimated 220,000 civilians trapped by the fighting in the northern part of the island.

MALAYSIA: Moving Away From Race-Based Politics

Ever since voters rose to give the ruling, race-based Barisan Nasional (National Alliance) coalition government its biggest ever drubbing in March the search has been on for a new political formula for a country deeply divided over race and religion.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Challenging Indigenous Alcohol Myths

While it may be a relic from the past, a common assumption in Australia is that indigenous people are particularly susceptible to alcohol and its effects. But a Canberra-based anthropologist is aiming to dispel such myths.

ENVIRONMENT: Crises Likely to Spur Mass Migrations

As climate change, sea-level rise, earthquakes and floods threaten countries such as Bangladesh, Tuvalu, Vietnam and Tajikistan, the Tokyo-based U.N. University (UNU) warns that by 2050, some 200 million people will be displaced by environmental problems.