WATER DAY: Thirstier World Likely to See More Violence

A strong link between droughts and violent civil conflicts in the developing world bodes ill for an increasingly thirsty world, say scientists, who warn that drought-related conflicts are expected to multiply with advancing climate change.

AFRICA-EUROPE: Goodbye Rhetoric, Hello Political Dialogue

In recent years the ties between the European Union and Africa have produced good results in terms of aid, but there has been a serious lack of political dialogue. Now Portugal, with its extensive experience in Africa and the support of the 27 EU leaders, is planning to change this.

SPAIN: No Turning Back from Path to Gender Equality

The approval of a gender equality law by the Spanish parliament Thursday and the signing of a United Nations convention to fight gender violence has set Spain firmly on the path to gender equality, despite the opposition of conservatives.

BOLIVIA: Living Outside of the Dike

"If you haven't seen what has happened to our houses, get in the canoe; it's safe, you won't fall in. Go and visit the barrio," says a woman in this north-central Bolivian city, and four teenagers invite this IPS reporter to climb on board for a tour.

ENVIRONMENT: Across the Globe, Warming Viewed as “Critical”

Climate change is of real concern in all parts of the world, but there is disagreement over whether the problem is urgent enough to require immediate, costly measures or whether more modest efforts will be satisfactory, according to an international poll released Wednesday.

JAPAN: ‘Baby Hatch’ Plan Still on Hold

Three months after a private Japanese hospital proposed the setting up of a ‘baby hatch' to save unwanted infants, conservative officials continue to resist its launch in what critics say illustrates indifference to female reproductive rights in this tradition-bound country.

AUSTRALIA: Sudan Survivors Lost in Their New Home

While Australia magnanimously accepted large numbers of young Sudanese, who survived one of the most vicious wars of the last century, many have serious adjustment problems in their new home.

MIGRATION-GUATEMALA: One-Way Ticket Home

"They catch you and treat you like trash," said 38-year-old Julio Medrano, shortly after being sent back to his home country along with 116 other Guatemalans deported on a charter flight from the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona.

MEXICO-US: Not Even Host Enthusiastic About ‘Lame Duck’ Bush

Mexican President Felipe Calderón met President George W. Bush Tuesday with complaints about U.S. migration and drug trafficking policies, after noting, through his press office, that the U.S. leader is in a period of declining popularity.

POPULATION: Aging Nations Need Shift in Resources

The world's population continues to age and is on track to surpass nine billion people by 2050, according to the United Nations' latest statistical projections released Tuesday.

LABOUR-SRI LANKA: &#39Ban on Young Mothers Working Abroad Hasty&#39

A ban by the Sri Lankan government on young mothers taking up jobs as housemaids in foreign countries, to minimise social disruption at home, has whipped up a storm of protests with rights groups slamming the move as hasty and poorly planned.

RIGHTS-MESOAMERICA: Child Sex Abuse – Everybody Knows, Nobody Says

"There's no child sex tourism here," technical secretary of the Central American Tourism Council Mercedes de Mena stated firmly, saying that no tourism operator offers such a thing - officially at least. However, the problem exists, and is serious in this region and in Mexico.

RIGHTS-IRAN: Int&#39l Women&#39s Day Rally Forcibly Dispersed

A valiant attempt by several hundred women to commemorate International Women's Day by demonstrating in front of the Iranian parliament ended in violence when police and plainclothesmen used force to disperse them.

PAKISTAN: Deserted Women’s Help Centres Speak of Apathy

Climbing up the flight of rickety wooden stairs leading to the two-room government women's centre in this southern port city can be frustrating. The deserted look reveals a lack of interest in women's issues, even among the people's representatives.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY-EU: Some More Unequal Than Others

In spite of their conquests in the 20th century, and so far in the 21st, women in the European Union (EU) are still a long way from achieving equality with men - a goal unequivocally laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY-SOUTH PACIFIC: Progress Palpable, Not Quantifiable

While there is greater awareness about women's issues in most South Pacific Island states, the serious lack of reliable data hamper the assessment of actual progress and the designing of effective policies. But the positive contribution of women in preventing conflict is widely acknowledged.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY-INDIA: Two Steps Forward, One Backward

A government report released as part of an extensive national family health survey has come as a rude shock for a state long regarded as progressive. It placed Tamil Nadu high on a list of states where wife-beating is common.

LABOUR-THAILAND/BURMA: Education May Limit Abuse of Migrant Children

Troubled by the exploitation of migrant child on the Thai-Burma border, a labour rights group is seeking an unusual pact with the Thai government. The Migrant Action Programme (MAP) wants support to help educate the victims.

RIGHTS: Sold Into Slavery Every Day

Somaly Mau of Cambodia was sold into sexual slavery at such a young age that she does not remember her parents and does not know how old she is.

RIGHTS-MEXICO: Jailed for Extending a Helping Hand

Like many of her neighbours, Concepción Moreno was in the habit of giving food, and sometimes shelter, to Central American immigrants. Two years ago she was sent to jail for this, but along with hundreds of thousands of others in Mexico, her case smacks of injustice.

FOOD-CUBA: Anxious About What to Eat

One of the main worries of the average Cuban family is food, which costs about two-thirds of their income, according to several studies.