SOUTH PACIFIC: Climate Change Refugees Look to Australia, N.Z.

With the apparent effects of global warming already being felt among Pacific island nations, Australia and New Zealand are being urged to do more to prepare for ‘climate change refugees’.

POLITICS: Kenya Falters in Healing Deep Ethnic Tensions

A power-sharing agreement between the opposition Orange Democratic Movement and the Party of National Unity in Kenya has failed at healing ethnic divisions in the one-time politically-troubled East African nation, according to a new report by Minority Rights Group International (MRG).

ISRAEL: Where the Slave Trade Heads

Israel continues to be a favourite destination for the trafficking of women for the sex industry, also known as the white slave trade, and for a form of modern day slavery where migrant labourers from developing countries are exploited.

POLITICS-US: Election Stirs Hopes and Fears Among Iraqis in U.S.

As the November election nears, Iraqis in the United States appear divided over their preferences for the next U.S. president, according to a series of interviews carried out by IPS.

Q&A: "They Mobilised Violence For Their Own Reasons"

The text of the Kenyan National Dialogue and Reconciliation Accord, brokered by former UN chief Kofi Annan in March this year and released to the press in full last Sunday, identifies land as one of the central issues creating "economic, social, political and environmental problems" in the country.

SINGAPORE: Population Decline – Enter the Matchmaker

After failing to induce young people to marry early and raise families with tax breaks and ‘baby bonus’ schemes, the government appears ready to fall back on the matchmaker to give the stork a chance.

AUSTRALIA: Combined Effort to Tackle Human Trafficking

A new collaborative approach among Australian government, police and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is being developed to tackle the scourge of human trafficking.

PHILIPPINES: Hopes Narrow for Peace With Muslim Rebels

Hopes for peace in southern Philippines have grown slim as fighting escalates between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels. When August began, a different mood prevailed as negotiators on both sides reported progress on reconciliation talks on the sensitive issue of land.

POLITICS-COTE D'IVOIRE: Anti-Xenophobia Law Gets Lukewarm Reception

Human rights organisations are wary of a new law against xenophobia, racism and tribalism adopted by the Ivorian parliament. Certain organisations fear it will lead to infringements on freedom of speech.

ASIA: Rock Star's Expulsion Says No to Child Sex Tourists

When a British rock star, convicted on paedophilia charges, was turned away at two Asian airports, this week, it was seen by child rights activists as a sign that this region will no longer tolerate sex tourism that exploits minors.

REFUGEES-ZAMBIA: Making a Home For Themselves

Zambia is home to over 90,000 refugees, many of whom have been in the country for up to 15 years. A voluntary repatriation programme is now drawing to a close, but many of the refugees will likely remain in a country where they have established themselves.

US-GEORGIA: Expats Unite Against Russia

When the Russian military launched a military invasion of its small neighbour Georgia - operating at will in Georgia’s secessionist provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Georgia proper - New York’s Georgian-American community responded almost immediately by gathering outside United Nations Headquarters here to protest the invasion of their homeland.

POLITICS: U.S. Debates Putin’s Ambitions

Just days after the outbreak of war between Russia and Georgia, the debate in Washington over how to view the crisis historically has become nearly as contentious as the debate over how to respond politically.

POLITICS: ‘UNAMID In Boxing Ring With Hands Bound’

Calls for an increased U.N. peacekeeping presence are growing as warring parties in Sudan’s troubled region of Darfur remain mired in a vicious cycle of violence that has taken about half a million lives in the past four years.

GEORGIA: Saakashvili Asked To Step Down

A few hours after the 15 member U.N. Security Council discussed a draft resolution aimed to ask Russia to stop using massive force in Georgia Monday evening behind closed doors, Russia said it would stop military action. This came Tuesday, after five days of bombing and destruction of cities and military bases in Georgia and the deaths of more than 2,000 people.

AUSTRALIA: ‘Refugee Detention Reforms Fine – More Needed’

While refugee advocates have welcomed recent changes to the government’s policy of mandatory detention of unauthorised arrivals to Australia, they argue that reforms should go further.

DEVELOPMENT-TOGO: High Cost of Living Exacerbated By Floods

Recent flooding in Togo caused the collapse of over 10 bridges connecting the capital of Lomé to the north of the country. The consequences have been increased transportation costs and a steady climb in the price of consumer products.

MALAYSIA: Immigration Racket Turns Workers Into Commodities

Like thousands of migrant workers Mir Hussein Wahab, 29, from Lahore, Pakistan, is a victim of a new phenomenon called ‘jual-beli’, a local Malay term that describes a human trafficking racket that rakes in millions for international syndicates.

KENYA: Supporting Single Mothers

There are increasing numbers of single mothers in Kenya. Is it a sign of growing independence of women, or a consequence of poverty and lack of sexual education?

PHILIPPINES: ‘Church Ban on Contraceptives Adding to Poverty’

A growing and heated debate in this predominantly Catholic country revolves around the church’s uncompromising stance against the use of contraceptive devices that is said to be contributing to poverty and affecting the quality of life for many Filipinos.

POPULATION-KENYA: Women's Choices Change Cities

This year the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone: for the first time in history, more than half its population will be living in urban areas. In Kenya, rapid urbanisation is creating deepening poverty among urban residents.