JAPAN: Free Trade Deal With Manila Stumbles Over Labour

While Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of bilateral friendship between Japan and the Philippines, Tokyo has decided not to use the occasion to conclude a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) with a fellow Asian country.

CAMBODIA: Death Saves Khmer Rouge ‘Butcher’ From Justice

The death of Ta Mok, ‘The Butcher', from natural causes, was a disappointment to many Cambodians who survived the unspeakable atrocities that he and other leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge perpetrated on a hapless population, but never paid for.

THAILAND: Losing Hearts and Minds

If the Thai government feels that it is winning the hearts of Malay-Muslims in the country's troubled south, it should look no further than a protest that unfolded Thursday outside a police station in the district of Rusoh to realise how far it is from achieving that dream.

REFUGEES: Tiny Malta Is Finally Heard

The tiny island of Malta has won support from EU partners for greater support in coping with boat people arriving on its shores through organising maritime patrols on its sea borders.

INDONESIA: DeathToll Crosses 500 Despite Tsunami Precautions

As the death toll in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Java island's southern coast on Monday crossed the 500 mark, officials admitted to having been caught by surprise, despite the elaborate precautions taken after earthquake-triggered monster waves smashed into Aceh province in northern Sumatra in December 2004.

BOOKS-US: A Call for Open Arms, Not Sealed Borders

"Before you build a wall, fix the problem," says Michelle Wucker, author of the new book "Lockout", which ties immigration to the United States' - and the world's - long-term economic viability.

MIDEAST: Fleeing Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing

People fleeing the bombing of Lebanon say the Israelis are targeting civilian neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure, and not just Hezbollah centres.

MIDEAST: Refugees Speak of Catastrophic Bombing

Refugees fleeing Beirut in the face of Israeli air attacks are speaking of "haphazard bombings" and a crisis situation developing in the city.

ARGENTINA: Plenty of Construction, Too Few Houses

The construction industry is the star performer in Argentina's economic recovery after the deep financial crisis of 2001. But the building boom has not been able to correct the housing deficit that affects 25 percent of Argentine families.

ECUADOR: Hidden Indigenous Communities Fight Extinction with Spears

Under persistent harassment by oil, logging and tourist operations, Ecuador's indigenous Tagaeri and Taromenani peoples, who shun all outside contact, have been launched into the public eye following several deaths in their territory deep in Yasuní National Park.

WORLD POPULATION DAY: US to Hit Demographic Milestone at 300 Million

With a significant increase in the flow of migrants - both legal and illegal - over the last few years, the United States is heading towards a demographic milestone: a 300 million population before the end of this year, rising from its current 298 million.

WORLD POPULATION DAY: Crowded Planet Feels the Heat

Consider the following statistics: at the beginning of the 20th century, the world population was less than two billion, but at the dawn of the 21st century, there were more than six billion people on earth.

JAPAN: ‘Shrinking Population Increases Happiness Quotient’

When Hideya Tanaka, 66, retired from his job as a manager at a trading firm in Kobe five years ago, he finally found time to fulfill an old dream - to launch a non-profit organisation to help disaster survivors.

RIGHTS-PERU: Forcibly Sterilised Women Gain Voice in Congress

Congressman-elect Alejandro Aguinaga, a former health minister during the Alberto Fujimori administration (1990-2000), as of Jul. 28 will have to share the legislative chamber with rural activist Hilaria Supa Huamán, who has denounced him for promoting the forced sterilisation of hundreds of thousands of Peruvian women.

POLITICS: China, India Reopen Himalayan Trade Route

In a sign that they were putting more than four decades of bitter relations behind them, Asian giants India and China, this week, reopened an ancient cross-border trade route over this misty, wind-swept pass across the high Himalayas.

VENEZUELA-COLOMBIA: Refugees and Marginalised Share Help and Hardship

Despite occasional rivalries between Colombians and Venezuelans, the armed conflict in Colombia has renewed the links of brotherhood and solidarity between these two "Bolivarian" nations, known as such because both claim Simón Bolívar as hero of independence from Spain.

RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Khmer Rouge Victims Demand Day in Court

As Cambodia crossed another milestone in the long and troublesome journey to create a war crimes tribunal to try the leaders of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, the survivors of that brutal period are raising a cry for complete transparency during the trial.

LABOUR-UAE: Harsh Realities Greet Migrants to Canada

More than 5,000 Asian and other expatriates, working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), apply for immigration to Canada every year in the hope of a better life - and many return with Canadian passports, empty pockets and soured dreams.

LABOUR-JAPAN: Immigrants Needed but Face Insularity

Because the cramped Mundo de Alegria school in Hamamatsu city offers Spanish and Portuguese curricula, Latin American immigrants in the area regard it as a godsend for their 120 children.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Indonesian Kids Put Tragedy Behind Them

''Acehnese children have come alive. They are like horses galloping, full of enthusiasm and conviction,'' wrote ten-year-old Titan Putra Arian, a grade four student at an elementary school here.

NEPAL: Displaced Face Uncertain Return

At least tens of thousands of Nepalis have fled their homes during a Maoist uprising and now that peace has come, many are pondering a return. But it is not easy: no government programmes pave their way, many of their homes need repairs while long-neglected fields require work before planting, and locals must first assuage Maoist gatekeepers.