BRAZIL: A Witness to a Century of Incredible Growth and Change

Angelina Dutra de Oliveira, at the age of 80, cannot get over the changes she has seen in her lifetime in Brazil.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: Activists Hail Tougher Action on Trafficking

Community groups are celebrating their success in persuading the Australian government this week to boost efforts to counter the trafficking of women, mostly from South-east Asia, to this country for sexual slavery.

RELIGION-CHILE: Divorce, Catholic-Style

Chile should have a new law making divorce legal before the end of the year, despite the fierce resistance of the Roman Catholic Church, which has made this the only country in the Americas, and one of the only countries in the world, where divorce is still banned.

SOCIETY-JAPAN: ‘Too Many’ Part-time Workers Worry Officials

After years of ignoring the issue, Japan is finally seeking a solution to its growing population of 'freeters', or youth who prefer job-hopping instead of working hard to clinch regular jobs.

RIGHTS-EUROPE: U.N. Group Takes Aim at ‘Mono-coloured’ Press

Among the 13 British newspapers published in London and with national distribution there are only 10 editors, 13 reporters and one columnist who are considered ethnic minorities - "disgraceful" evidence of continued discrimination, says a journalist association leader.

POPULATION-ASIA: Universal Status for Reproductive Rights Pushed

If populations across Asia are to enjoy the full scope of reproductive and sexual health rights, they must be given new life as one of the many human rights recognised universally, rather than be reduced in significance and treated as specific and different principles.

RIGHTS: U.S. Muslims Warn of New Government Crackdown

Muslims in the United States say that the way they are now being treated here qualifies them to be characters in Arthur Miller's famous novel, 'The Crucible', a classic story of innocent villagers accused of crimes and sins they did not commit.

MEXICO-U.S.: Fox to Focus on California’s ‘Terminator’

Mexico's President Vicente Fox is already laying the groundwork for dialogue with Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor-elect of the western U.S. state of California, though among activists there are misgivings about how the actor-turned-politician will treat immigrants, the vast majority of whom are Mexican.

POPULATION: World Neglects 1.2 Billion Youth, Warns UNFPA

The international community is being blamed for neglecting the social and economic needs of the largest generation of adolescents in history - about 1.2 billion out of a world population of 6.0 billion - who will soon enter adulthood.

COLOMBIA: Wayuu ‘Sea Shepherds’ to Cultivate Pearls

From oysters in sacks hung underwater, pearls, mother-of-pearl for adornments and the nutritional oyster flesh are harvested by fisherfolk in La Guajira Peninsula, which was a world pirate emporium in the times when pirates sailed the Caribbean.

RIGHTS-ASIA: HIV-Positive Women Pay High Price to be Mothers

Marisa Netgaiboon is ready for the price she will have to pay when motherhood comes - a life of humiliation and harsh taunts from her community and even from people who are expected to be caring, like doctors and nurses.

POPULATION-ASIA: U.S. Bullying Tactics Come under Fire at Meet

A conference on reproductive health began here Monday with U.S. President George W Bush being cast as a villain for his attempt to bully health clinics in the developing world to follow his conservative political agenda.

RIGHTS-SRI LANKA: Former Child Soldiers Face Uncertain Future

The 15-year-old child soldier joined Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after her father was shot dead by government troops, but is unsure about her future after leaving the rebel group.

VIETNAM: On Matters of Sex, Youth Ask Doctors, not Teachers

Teachers and parents are just about the last people many young Vietnamese turn to when it comes to understanding sex-related issues, saying they find sex education in school too dry and their parents unwilling to say much about it.

CHINA: Anniversary of Communist Victory Showcases New Liberalism

China celebrated 54 years of communist rule with an outburst of evident liberalism, designed to showcase how the country is evolving into a modern society, governed by populist and responsive leaders where ordinary people are entitled to private lives.

CUBA: Dissidents Have Mixed Reactions to Visa Waiver

The Cuban government's plans to eliminate its special visa requirement for Cuban citizens living abroad who want to return for a visit have drawn mixed reactions from dissidents in this socialist island nation.

CANADA: Top Court Confirms Rights of Metis People

Recognition by Canada's top court that the Métis, a people of mixed European-indigenous ancestry, deserve full constitutional protection is an important opening for a group that has politically, socially and economically ''fallen through the cracks", say advocates for the people.

REFUGEES-IRAQ: Instability Impedes Return

Plans to assist millions of Iraqi refugees to return home have been put on hold due to the military and political insecurity that persists after six months of U.S. occupation, according to the organisations involved in humanitarian operations.

THAILAND: Burmese Find No Reprieve from Low Pay, Harsh Work

After two years of passively accepting her employer's orders, Khin Wa finally found the courage to be defiant. She refused to give into his latest demand - work a 14-hour shift after completing a gruelling 28-hour one that she had just completed a while ago.

COMMUNICATIONS-U.S.: Hispanic Media Merger ‘Threatens Diversity’

The merger of the Univisión television network and the Hispanic Broadcasting radio network in the United States suggests that the Spanish-speaking community here increasingly will have to rely on just one source for news and entertainment.

LABOUR-UAE: Welcome Mat Shrinking for Asian Workers

It is called the 'cultural diversity policy' - but what it means is that the visa applications of workers from mostly Asian nations will be scrutinised carefully and often rejected because of officials' concern about their growing numbers in the United Arab Emirates.