CUBA: Raul Castro’s Challenges

Lacking the charisma of his brother but possessing a personality that is perhaps easier for the average Cuban to identify with, Raúl Castro, slated to replace Fidel as Cuba’s new president, will have to push through major economic and political transformations if he hopes to guarantee the survival of the country’s socialist system.

DISARMAMENT-NICARAGUA: Landmine-Free by 2009?

Military sources in Nicaragua and Organisation of American States (OAS) officials warned that dozens of minefields remain live and dangerous in this country - a legacy of the 1981-1990 civil war.

GUATEMALA: Indigenous Women Weave Incomes, Self-Confidence

"Before forming part of the association, we were shut up in our houses. Now we have overcome our fear and shame of going out and seeing new places, and we are bringing money in for our families," says Nicolasa Raxtun, a 30-year-old Maya Cakchiquel Indian woman.

CUBA: State-of-the-Art Centre Minimises Trauma of Sexual Abuse

The young boy speaks in barely audible tones and hardly looks up from the stuffed animal that he turns over and over in his hands. The counsellor helps him, repeating his words, prompting him to continue, but without ever asking "what happened?" or "how did you feel?" Despite the boy’s visible anxiety, the story slowly emerges.

RIGHTS: Norway Finds Greece Cannot Be Trusted With Migrants

Norway has suspended a system of referring migrants in the country back to Greece for determination of their status.

MEXICO: Invisible Indigenous Communities in the Heart of the Capital

Chapultepec Avenue 380: the address leads to a downtown section of the Mexican capital full of the usual office buildings, restaurants and heavy traffic. Few people know that it is actually home to an indigenous community, made up of kids who clean windshields or panhandle for a few coins, construction workers and street vendors.

RIGHTS: Activists Demand that Spain Sign Convention Against Human Trafficking

Spain is among the countries most heavily affected by human trafficking, yet it has still not signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, although the socialist government has promised to do so.

MEXICO-US: Calderon Seeks Better Lot for Migrants

Mexican President Felipe Calderón is visiting the United States this week to plead the cause of Mexican immigrants, who are increasingly harassed and mistreated by the U.S. authorities.

EAST TIMOR: Violence Targets Highest Levels of Gov&#39t

It was a time of hope and rejoicing when East Timor finally achieved independence in May 2002, after 450 years of Portuguese rule and a quarter-century occupation by Indonesia that killed one-third of the population. But the violence has not let up, and it was President José Ramos-Horta who was in the cross-hairs this Monday.

RIGHTS-EUROPE: To Live Legally, Or Die

In a dark corridor, an emaciated man named Toufiq sits against the wall, his face contorted with pain. Medical workers angrily insist that a photographer put his camera away as they lift Toufiq - originally from Morocco - into a wheelchair. Well-wishers gather around; one woman urges Toufiq to keep his spirits up. He is carried away to an ambulance outside.

POLITICS-KENYA: Hopes of a Breakthrough in the Post-Election Crisis

Negotiations to bring an end to the political chaos in Kenya that was sparked by disputed presidential elections entered their third week, Monday, in the capital of Nairobi, amidst reports that an agreement may finally be in sight.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: “We Are Just Helping Desperate People Here”

A police raid on a Methodist church which provides shelter to hundreds of refugees in the South African financial centre of Johannesburg is continuing to draw angry responses.

POLITICS-SPAIN: Immigration, a Polarising Electoral Issue

In the campaign for Spain’s Mar. 9 elections, there are two opposing positions on the question of immigration. On the left, the predominant viewpoint is that immigrants must be accepted, and that comprehensive global solutions are needed, while on the right the attitude is at best to cold-shoulder, and at worst to harass them.

RIGHTS-CHILE: In the Mapuche People’s Heartland

Before the latest outbreak of protests and unrest among Mapuche Indians in the southern Chilean region of Araucanía, IPS visited the village of Temucuicui, whose residents have complained for years about judicial persecution and police brutality in response to their claims to their ancestral land.

DEVELOPMENT-NICARAGUA: Despite Efforts, MDGs Still Distant Goals

Despite the social plans implemented by the government of Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua has made little progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), say independent analysts.

ECONOMY: Poll Finds Wide Perception of Unfairness

An average of nearly two out of three people in 34 countries around the world believe that the benefits and burdens resulting from changes in their nation's economy over the last few years are not being distributed fairly, according to a new multinational survey released Thursday by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

DRUGS-MEXICO: Army to Continue Policing Until 2012

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, has joined those calling for the Mexican army to be withdrawn from the fight against drug traffickers. But her request will not be acted on until at least 2012, when President Felipe Calderón’s term of office is up.

GERMANY: Dating Agency for Disabled Shows Love Has No Barriers

"Living as a couple is the best dream come true," Volker Lauer told IPS, referring to his five-year relationship with Monika, who he met through a unique German dating agency for the disabled.

HEALTH-PARAGUAY: Dengue Alert

As health authorities in Paraguay brace themselves to face another possible outbreak of dengue fever, critics are becoming more outspoken about the limited effectiveness of campaigns to prevent the disease, which affected over 28,000 people and caused 17 deaths in 2007.

THEATRE-BRAZIL: Bringing Dreams to Life in the Favela

In La Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio de Janeiro, Romeo and Juliet’s love story is impossible because they live on hills controlled by rival gangs of drug traffickers.

Q&A: ‘It Would Take Several Lifetimes to Save Havana’

Eusebio Leal has been involved in the restoration of the historic centre of the Cuban capital since 1967, when he began renovating the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, now the City Museum. And while Old Havana is still his priority, he is concerned about the rest of the city, too.