RIGHTS-MEXICO: The Lost Cause of Court-Appointed Lawyers

A defendant in the hands of a court-appointed lawyer facing trial in the courts of the Mexican capital can practically be assured of losing the case, as well as a great deal of money and patience.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Church Asks Mediators to Ensure Lasting Peace

The church has appealed to the mediators of Sudanese peace talks not to abandon the process even after a final deal is signed in August or later this year.

THAILAND: Despite Crackdown, ‘King of Commercial Sex’ Thrives

''The reason I like 'Emmanuelle' is because all around service is the best,'' a man writing as 'ABC' says about a place here in the Thai capital that fronts as a 'massage parlour' but caters to the sexual fantasies of men.

CORRUPTION-PARAGUAY: Incoming Gov’t Plans Clean-Up Coup

Hopes run high that Paraguay's president-elect, Nicanor Duarte Frutos, will make good on his promise to fight corruption - which costs this impoverished country 5.0 billion dollars annually - as changes occur in the leadership posts at key government ministries.

SAO TOME & PRINCIPE: A New Challenge for Africa

African leaders are becoming more and more frustrated with coup plotters, rebel groups and errant governments whose relentless fighting is hampering the development of the continent.

POLITICS-SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE: Nigeria, UN Condemn Military Coup

Nigeria and the United Nations have condemned the military coup in the tiny West African island state of Sao Tome and Principe, which toppled President Fandique de Menezes this week.

POLITICS-EAST AFRICA: Plans Underway to Create Peaceful Region

Countries of the Great Lakes region, the African Union and United Nations, have come together to work out a long-term strategy to promote peace in the region.

BANGLADESH: Latest Ferry Deaths Point to Old Problems

A week after the worst ferry disaster in Bangladesh's living memory this month, grief-stricken family members and relatives of the hundreds still missing pace the banks of swollen rivers, clutching on to any hope.

CORRUPTION: French Find an Italian Connection

It was an unfortunate coincidence for French President Jacques Chirac that his government announced a constitutional amendment to reinforce his immunity as head of state at the very time that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was being given similar protection.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Talks Hit Snag

The delicate nature of bringing the long-running crisis in Zimbabwe to an end has produced varying public statements, which in some instances make it hard for any meaningful dialogue to take place.

FINANCE: ‘Transparency’ Pleads for a Strong Anti-Corruption UN Convention

Transparency International has called upon governments around the world to commit themselves to signing the UN Convention against Corruption and ensure that forthcoming Vienna negotiations lend it sufficient clout.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Pressure Mounts on President Taylor to Resign

Any abrupt exit of President Charles Taylor could leave behind a power vacuum and plunge Liberia into chaos, warns a senior government official.

POLITICS-UGANDA: Rebels Decline to Negotiate, Wreak Havoc on Civilians

-Efforts by the government of Uganda to bring Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army to the negotiating table for peace, are proving difficult.

INDONESIA: Drive vs Trafficking Means Fighting Poverty, Corruption

Thirteen-year-old Yati was robbed of her childhood when she was sold into bonded labour and now, she sells both tea and her body.

POLITICS: Despite Setbacks, U.N. Peacekeeping Will Focus on Africa

The United Nations has earmarked nearly 60 percent of its just-approved 2003/2004 peacekeeping budget for a continent in perpetual political and military turmoil - Africa.

ARGENTINA: Putting An End to “Justice Made to Order"

The overhauling of Argentina's unpopular Supreme Court is putting the new government of Néstor Kirchner to the test, presenting it with the opportunity to make good on the president's campaign pledges of change by showing unconditional respect for the independence of the different branches of the state.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Fighting Closes in on Capital

"We know that the insurgents are not just rebels of LURD, but a force backed by Great Britain and the U.S. to remove this (Liberian) government," claimed Reginald Goodridge, information minister of the embattled government in Monrovia, Thursday.

CORRUPTION: Presidents, Beware

Il Cavaliere Silvio Berlusconi is off the hook for the time being. Last week, the Italian Parliament approved an immunity bill that will freeze a trial in Milan where the Italian Prime Minister is charged with bribing judges over a 1985 business deal involving a corporate takeover battle.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Disquiet Rises as End of Mahathir Era Nears

Behind the praise and euphoria that attended Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's final appearance before the ruling party he had led for 22 years lurks general disquiet over the country's future and keen anticipation of a political re-alignment after his era.

POLITICS: Conflicts, Poverty at the Bottom of the African Union Agenda

The second summit of the African Union is likely to be marked by political wrangling as the continent's leaders try to reach agreement on the functioning and final structures of the pan-African body.

CORRUPTION-FRANCE: Politicians Not Keen to Clean Up

An ambitious anti-corruption plan proposed in Paris by 14 international prosecutors Thursday is unlikely to find political backing.