INDIA: Village Workers Give Dose of Health to Remote Community

It took Maya Umargundavar only minutes to get her gear organised - a thermometre, a simple weighing scale, a small baby-sized 'warm bag' to treat hypothermia, soap, a few strips of tablets, and the all-important booklet.

RIGHTS: U.S. Must Fight ‘Islamaphobia’, Says U.N. Official

The United States needs to ''confront'' the spread of ''Islamaphobia and Arabophobia'', a senior U.N. human rights official warned Monday.

RIGHTS: NGOs Wary of Bush Slant on Human Trafficking

Activists have welcomed the spotlight shone on human trafficking by U.S. President George W. Bush's speech here but fear his remarks could mislead because they link the phenomenon of human trafficking solely with the prostitution of women and girls.

SOCIETY: In Thai Town, Burmese Take Little Comfort as the Majority

Once again, the Burmese who people this border town have a reason to fear the nights. On Thursday evening, a female migrant worker from Burma was raped and killed close to a garment factory here.

PAKISTAN: Desperation, Lack of Options Drive Women to Abortion

Hamida, a frail 65-year-old woman, works deep in a squatter settlement in this port city A trained 'dai' or traditional birth attendant, Hamida knows well that some of the work she does is illegal, because abortions are not permitted in Pakistan unless necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman.

POPULATION: Bush ‘Gag Order’ Chokes Global Family Planning – NGOs

President George W. Bush's cuts to funding for global reproductive health programmes have not only failed to reduce abortions, but have devastated family planning and reproductive services in some of the world's poorest countries, says a report released Tuesday.

DEVELOPMENT-LATAM: Inward vs. Outward Expansion of Cities

Latin America's large cities continue to encroach on agricultural areas in an incessant process of expansion. One reasonable solution, say town planners, would be to grow inwards, by building high-rises, for example.

POLITICS: Canada Reverses Tougher Immigration Policy

Canada is taking steps to open its doors to more immigrants by scaling back a ''points system'' that gave the country a reputation as a hard place to get into.

HEALTH-THAILAND: Motherhood a Risk for Burmese Migrants

When she heads to the only health clinic in this border town where Burmese migrant workers feel welcome, Khin SoeYee runs the risk of being arrested.

HEALTH: Japan Slow to Heed Warning Signs on Abortions

Japan may be an industrialised country, but lags behind many others when it comes to heeding the warning signs emerging in recent years - growing rates of abortion and unwanted births among teenagers and young women.

RIGHTS-SRI LANKA: Employers Zero in on Sexual Harassment

In Sri Lankan plantations, female tea pluckers are occasionally asked to sleep with the 'kangani' or field supervisor, or find tea dust poked into their blouses by male workers. Sexual harassment in the workplace and the seeking of sexual favours are a common but largely hidden occurrence, according to studies by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

POLITICS-U.S.: Hispanic Soldiers Die in Greater Numbers in Iraq

One of the first U.S. soldiers to die in Iraq, Jose Gutierrez, was an orphaned Guatemalan who at the time of his death was not even an American citizen.

RIGHTS-INDIA: Battered Women Find Hope in Self-Help

For years, Sudha put up with beatings and extreme cruelty at the hands of her husband. Today she is a confident member and activist of the organisation that helped her find her feet.

HEALTH-LATAM: Unemployment, Hopelessness Drive the Young to Suicide

Osirene Melo, who has manned a suicide hot-line once a week for 10 years in northern Brazil, says many of the calls are from troubled youngsters who have found it impossible to land their first job.

HONG KONG: Territory Losing its Shine to Mainland China

Daniel Guo, a university professor with an enviable salary and a cosy flat, is feeling less and less confident about his prospects in this once exuberant city.

SOCIETY-INDONESIA: Ex-Convict Leads Others to Life after Prison

Norman is an 'angkot' or intra-city driver in Bogor, just outside the Indonesian capital, and leads a happy life with his wife and two children. But his life was not always this tranquil or uneventful.

POPULATION-BRAZIL: Living Alone – or in Three-Generation Households

The number of single-occupant households in Brazil rose 67 percent between 1991 and 2000, although among the lower socioeconomic strata there are many homes in which three generations live under the same roof, to share expenses.

SOCIETY-VIETNAM: Gov’t Steps In to Manage Mixed Marriages

When Vietnamese police last month arrested five South Korean men who were choosing potential wives from among 125 women presented to them at a hotel, not too many people were surprised.

COLOMBIA: Wayuu Indians Trade in Herbal Remedies for Sterilisation

Dressed in the traditional Wayúu shawls that protect them from the glaring sun of La Guajira desert at the extreme northern tip of Colombia, mother and daughter show up together at the municipal hospital in the provincial capital to undergo tubal ligation.

RIGHTS: U.N. Indigeous Leader Pessimistic On Declaration

The long-sought U.N. declaration on indigenous rights will not be adopted before the end of 2004, the final year in the decade for indigenous people, predicts Ole Henrik Magga, chairman of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

RIGHTS-INDIA: Govt Stand on Homosexuality Causes New Furore

The government's stand that same-sex relationships are criminal and unlikely to be accepted in Indian society has left homosexuals and HIV/AIDS workers a disappointed lot.