CAMBODIA-THAILAND: Migrant Villagers Bring Back Worries on AIDS

Neth Srey, 35, dreams of one day joining the ranks of the wealthy with the savings that her husband makes from working on a fishing boat in neighbouring Thailand.

JAPAN: Dwindling Workforce Forces a Rethink on Role of Women Workers

Faced with a rapidly ageing population and a dwindling workforce, Japanese companies seem to be pushing for reforms to woo more women workers. But activists contend this has not really ended their long battle to change the country's male-dominated corporate culture, where there is still resistance to expanding women's professional roles.

IMMIGRATION: New U.S. Bill Would Let the Undocumented Work and Stay

Seven influential U.S. lawmakers have introduced bipartisan comprehensive immigration legislation designed to strengthen border security and enforcement of immigration laws and reduce the flow of illegal immigrants by offering them visas to work in the United States.

BRAZIL: No Rest During Struggle for Promised Land

The thousands of pieces of clothing hung up to dry on ropes strung between tents reflect the hard work still being done on this "day of rest" during the National March for Agrarian Reform in Brazil.

ARGENTINA: Gambling Away the Money of the Mentally Ill

The case of an Argentine court-appointed guardian who stole and squandered the money of mental patients under his care could be just one example of a much broader racket.

PORTUGAL: Last Surviving ‘Secret’ Jewish Community Still Wary of Outsiders

The residents of Europe's last surviving crypto-Jewish community, who live in this village in Portugal's central mountains, are still averse to talking to outsiders.

DEVELOPMENT: Iraq Living Conditions Tragic – Report

Iraqis' living conditions have deteriorated and pose challenges for development efforts two years after the U.S.-led invasion, says a groundbreaking new joint Iraqi-U.N. report.

IMMIGRATION-US: New Restrictions Draw Angry Response from Mexico

The Mexican government will send a "formal and firm" protest over Washington's latest anti-immigrant initiative, President Vicente Fox announced Thursday, despite the fact that similar complaints in the past have largely fallen on deaf ears.

UAE: Anti-Drugs Campaign Gets International Backing

The United Arab Emirates' accessibility by sea, air and land is fortuitous for the country's economy. But the downside of this otherwise fortunate geography is the ease with which drug barons can shift their illegal wares through the Middle East from sources in South-east Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan on their way to meeting the high demand of users in Europe and North America.

RIGHTS-U.S.: New Driver’s License Rules Assailed as Unsafe, Anti-Migrant

New U.S. driver's license rules attached to a ''must-pass'' military spending bill will undermine individual privacy and public safety and lead to increased discrimination against immigrants and asylum-seekers, according to the new measure's critics.

RIGHTS: Threat of Deportation Looms Over Filipino-Japanese Children

Seven-year-old Masami has a weird predicament. While she is considered Filipino, her younger sister, born to the same father, is considered Japanese. And it seems their father, who only recognised Masami as his after she was born while her younger sister was acknowledged before birth, has caused all this mess.

POLITICS-TOGO: A Homecoming Marked by Political Uncertainty

A number of refugees who fled Togo because of violence sparked by the country's Apr. 24 presidential election have reportedly started going home.

SPAIN: At Least 100,000 Immigrants Left Out of Amnesty

Around 100,000 undocumented immigrants did not apply for the amnesty in Spain, according to the government, while the opposition puts the number at one million.

POPULATION: ‘Soft Power’ On the Rise in Japan

The collapse of Japan's 'bubble economy' in the 1990s and Japan's subsequent decline as a global manufacturing power have created new openings for women in what used to be a society heavily dominated by men.

RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Pushing the Limits of Human Suffering – and Surviving

One of the women survived two shots to her head, another finally fled her husband after friends told her his death threats were for real, while the third was hospitalised for the injuries inflicted not only by her husband, but by her brother-in-law and mother-in-law as well.

POPULATION-GUINEA: Aid for War-Ravaged Areas Elusive

Madeleine Gomou, a nurse in the village of Konia-Aviation, finds it all but impossible to do her job.

RELIGION-LATIN AMERICA: Indigenous Peoples Divided by Faith

Indigenous communities throughout Latin America are facing the loss of their cultural traditions, divisive conflicts, and in some cases even bloodshed, all in the name of God.

RIGHTS-INDIA: The Final Curtain for Mumbai’s Dancing Girls

A ban on girls dancing in western Mumbai's 'dance bars' to entice male patrons to freely part with their money, threatens to destroy about a million livelihoods and along with it a defining feature of the bustling port metropolis - which many say is a reminder of the seedy side of China's Shanghai city in the 1930s.

RIGHTS-INDIA: Sex Abuse Claims Threaten Air Force Leadership

Court-martials do not normally make news in India, but the case of Flight Officer Anjali Gupta seems to be an exception. This is the first time a female armed forces officer is in the dock and her defence could severely dent the image of the Indian Air Force in what has been dubbed as the country's own 'Tailhook' scandal.

AMERICAS: Fighting to Get Gender on the Agenda

Women from throughout the hemisphere are mobilising to make sure their voices are heard at this year's 4th Summit of the Americas in Argentina, but while some place emphasis on the negative impact of trade liberalisation, others are striving for the inclusion of a much broader range of issues on the agenda.

COLOMBIA: Neutrality Not an Option for Indigenous Community

"I have cried these last few days more than I had cried in my entire life," Braulio Mendoza told IPS, sitting amidst the rubble of what was once his home.