PAKISTAN: HIV Drive to Reach Sex Workers – If They Can Be Found

Shabnum (not her real name), a 30-year-old sex worker in the Pakistani capital, does not ask her clients to use condoms as protection against HIV/AIDS, fearing this might scare them off.

AUSTRALIA: Cable Unravels Gov’t Claims on Deadly Voyage

A furore over the 2001 sinking of a boat carrying asylum seekers has taken a new twist, after an Australian official denied ever seeing a diplomatic cable that contradicts claims by Prime Minister John Howard that the boat sank in Indonesian waters instead of international waters patrolled by Australia.

POPULATION-LIBERIA: Human Tragedy in the Making as Thousands Flee Conflict

A major human tragedy is in the making in the Liberian capital Monrovia, where thousands are seeking refuge after fleeing the conflict between government and rebel forces.

POLITICS-RUSSIA: A World Leader in Suicides

Russia is emerging as something of a world leader in suicides. At 39 suicides per 100,000 population per year, it is leaving the U.S. at 11 per 100,000 far behind.

SOUTH ASIA: Immigrant Issue Sours Indo-Bangladesh Relations

Relations between India and Bangladesh have hit a new low over what New Delhi claims is a "huge influx" of "illegal immigrants" into its territory from across the porous 4,984 kms long border between the two neighbouring countries.

RIGHTS-NEPAL: Men Who Have Sex with Men Speak up

In a slinky back sari and a miniscule string blouse, Kumar glid across the packed conference room in four-inch heels, as numerous heads turn.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: War Worries Rise among Foreign Workers

It is the season of festive shopping festivals in the Gulf, but uncertainty due to an expected war against Iraq is gripping much of the region - and worrying its army of foreign workers the most.

LABOUR-JAPAN: For Men, Midlife Brings New Jobs

After 25 years of hard work at a cement manufacturing company in Japan, 49-year-old Ken Oishi quit his job in September and is now studying computer graphics.

POLITICS: Stranded People Vanish from Tense Indo-Bangladesh Border

After five harrowing days on a barren strip of no man's land, hemmed in by heavily armed border guards from India and Bangladesh, a group of 213 stranded people vanished without a trace Thursday morning - defusing an explosive situation between the neighbouring countries.

POLITICS-THAILAND: Premier’s Trip to Burma Zeroes in on Drugs

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's scheduled visit to Burma Sunday will be pivotal for his just-launched crusade against drugs here at home, since that neighbouring country is the font from where the narcotics flow.

LABOUR-SAUDI ARABIA: Nationalisation Drive Reflects Job Woes

Saudi Arabia's decision to reduce its foreign workforce by more than half in 10 years is a major setback for these workers, but reflects increased efforts to counter its growing unemployment problem.

POLITICS-SOUTH ASIA: Snake Charmers Snared in Indo-Bangladesh Row

The immediate fate of a group of 213 stranded snake charmers may determine the future of India's new policy of deporting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, who cross the border in large numbers to seek jobs in this relatively more prosperous country.

HEALTH-ARGENTINA: Anemia Rate Soars in Major Beef Exporter

Half of all children under two in Argentina are suffering from anemia, despite the fact that this Southern Cone country is the world's fourth-biggest exporter of beef, one of the best dietary sources of iron.

POPULATION-JAPAN: Preference for Girls Upsetting Tradition

Mika Hiratsuka, 30, is having a baby and she is praying that it will be a girl.

PHILIPPINES: President in a Political Minefield -Population Policy

When Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said this week that her government would promote "birth spacing" and use "modern technology" in its family planning strategy, she stepped right into a political minefield in this Roman Catholic country.

EUROPE: Five Nations Begin Sea Patrols to Stem Immigration

Five European nations initiated sea patrols with armed vessels in the Mediterranean Tuesday to keep undocumented immigrants from entering the European Union (EU), amidst criticism from activists who protest that the operation is a violation of human rights.

LABOUR-NEPAL: Measures to Fight Abuse Start at Home – Activists

Chandra Kumari Gurung left Nepal to work in South Korea in 1992, a healthy woman nearing 40. She disappeared in 1993 and was found six years and four months later at a national psychiatric hospital there.

PAKISTAN: Involvement in Security Work Boosts Women’s Image

Two moves by the Pakistani government to improve women's involvement in police and sensitive security work are helping make some inroads into this patriarchial society and raising hopes of renewed efforts to bridge gender gaps.

PHILIPPINES: ‘Romanticised’ Idea of Family Unrealistic – Critics

The just-ended Fourth World Meeting of Families, organised by the Vatican here, highlighted deep differences between the Catholic Church's notions of society and what Filipino activists say are today's realities - starting with the shape of today's families.

RIGHTS-FRANCE: Justice Probes Two Deaths, Govt Rejects Refugees

Ricardo Barrientos, a 52-year-old Argentinean, did not want to fly back home from Paris to Buenos Aires. But he did û in a coffin.

RIGHTS-LATAM: Turning a Blind Eye to Child Sexual Exploitation

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have shown scant interest in living up to their commitments to work to eradicate child sexual exploitation, warned a global network that fights the phenomenon.