Cuban Union Calls for ‘Unity’ in Face of Job Reduction

The elimination of half a million public sector jobs, starting immediately and lasting through the first quarter of 2011, is one of the most complex and sensitive aspects of the reforms announced by Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Sri Lanka Shuns West, Finds Solace in Emerging Powers’ Arms

The European Union’s decision to suspend trade preferences for Sri Lankan exports may have finally come into force, but the island nation is not budging an inch on any of the powerful bloc’s recommendations on its controversial human rights record.

LABOUR-MEXICO: Employment Agencies Multiply, But Regulation Lags

The global economic crisis has taken its toll in Mexico, as elsewhere, leading thousands of people to turn to private employment agencies to find jobs -- even though some of their labour rights may be left unprotected.

INDIA: Handicrafts Give Rural Women A Helping Hand

With her arms loaded with flowers and leaves, Mohini Indrawan negotiates the dusty village track leading up to her house in this northern Indian state, pausing now and then to exchange pleasantries with a passing acquaintance. Her spending a few hours away from home each day was once labelled "immoral", but Indrawan is now hailed as a role model for other women.

SOUTH ASIA: Fishers’ Release A Good Catch for India-Pakistan Ties

It took almost two hours before Jeenti Deva, 16, could board the bus that would bring him home to India, but the long wait did not stop him from smiling.

SRI LANKA: Anger Rises Over Torture Case, But Solution Unclear

The ordeal of a Sri Lankan domestic worker whose Saudi Arabian employer allegedly drove nails and metal wires into her body has sent alarm bells ringing among government officials and activists, but how such abuses can be stopped remain far from clear.

SOUTH AFRICA: “Xenophobia Simmering Just Below Boiling Point”

"Xenophobia is part of life. We do not live easy here. We only survive," says Somali shopkeeper, Abdinasir Shaikh Aden, looking tense.

Fisheries Can Play Key Role in Africa

Fisheries contribute at least $10 billion dollars to African economies every year. In countries such as Angola, Egypt and Namibia, fisheries are vital economic drivers.

EGYPT: Military Court Sentences Civilian Workers

An Egyptian military court handed down sentences Monday in the trial of eight civilian factory workers who led a protest against deteriorating safety conditions in an army-owned factory. Rights groups say the trial should never have taken place.

JAPAN: Househusbands Giving Birth To More Gender Equality

Since their first child was born 16 years ago, Hiroyuki Ozaki has taken care of the household, relinquishing his traditional role as the main breadwinner while his wife held on to her career in the travel industry.

MINING-CHILE: Make Good on Concern for Worker Safety, Say Unions

While efforts get underway to try to rescue the 33 miners who are trapped 700 metres underground in a mine in northern Chile, trade unions are calling on the country's political leaders to tackle the underlying problems of worker safety.

HAITI: Scraping by on Mud Cookies

At six in the morning in Cite Soleil, the poorest zone of Haiti's capital city, the sun is already up. It's the start of another workday for Lurene Jeanti, making cookies from mud, butter and salt. She's been mixing the ingredients on the side of the road to sell to her neighbours for the past eight years.

SOUTH AFRICA: Public Health Strained by Nurses’ Strike

Striking health workers have continued their work stoppage despite accusations that it endangers patients' lives. They are part of a nationwide strike by public sector workers that has some observers concerned that rising wage demands could harm South Africa's economy.

CHILE: Forestry Industry Sows Poverty, Study Says

The poverty rate in the districts of southern Chile where the logging industry is the main economic activity is nearly twice the national average, a new study shows.

SOUTH AFRICA: Teachers’ Voices Heard in Public Sector Strike

South African teachers - along with other public service employees - have embarked on an indefinite strike over wages. The unions are demanding an 8.6 percent wage increase. Government says it cannot afford to offer 1.3 million striking public servants any more than seven percent.

THAILAND: Sweeping Support Sought for Domestic Workers’ Rights

"My male employer was a womaniser and he liked to touch me and told me not to tell his wife. I felt so uncomfortable," says Chompoo, who was just 15 years old when she served – and suffered abuse – as a domestic worker here in the Thai capital.

WORLD: Fair Trade Is Growing But Africans Lag Behind

Despite its minuscule share of world trade, fair trade is a booming business, importing certified foodstuffs and products from all over the world to Northern supermarkets. But there is increasing concern that this growth is yet to benefit poor countries in Africa.

ECUADOR: Small Farmers Sell to Government in “Inclusive Markets”

The powerful middleman threatened them: "I hope it lasts for you. I hope the government buys your beans forever, because I don't want you ever coming back to me!"

RIGHTS-CHINA: Doubts Simmer Around New Labour Rules

Faced with strikes in recent months, China’s southern Guangdong province is crafting revisions to labour regulations that would allow workers to negotiate pay increases and elect representatives to bargain on their behalf.

CUBA: Expansion of Self-Employment Poses Challenges for Socialist Model

The announcement of a plan to expand the practice of self-employment in Cuba as an alternative for the "excess" workers who are to be slashed from the public workforce presents several challenges to the socialist model that the government is seeking to modernise.

MEXICO: Threats Against Journalists: “You’re Vulnerable, and It’s Hard to Accept”

"The threats change your whole life," said Jade Ramírez, a journalist who has been living for months with that burden, which also hangs over a growing group of her colleagues in Mexico.