ARGENTINA: Newspaper Brings to Light Abuses against Poor Farmers

Small farmers in the northern Argentine province of Santiago del Estero are publishing their own newspaper in an attempt to raise awareness about the constant abuses they suffer at the hands of wealthy landowners, who are encroaching on their small plots of land.

POLITICS-US: The Day Character Finally Eclipsed Colour

Last Tuesday's ascension of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States - the first African American in history to command the White House - sent a shock wave around the world that a political change of such magnitude could happen in a nation often traumatised by racism.

RIGHTS-BURMA: Military Accused of Crimes Against Humanity

An onslaught by Burmese troops in the eastern part of the military-ruled country, running for three years now, is laying the junta open to charge of ‘crimes against humanity’.

CUBA: Cultural Prejudice Still Lingers

Political convenience, generation gap or Stalinist influence? Nearly 50 years after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, it is still hard to discern why this country decided that rock, fashion, long hair for men and homosexuality were counter-revolutionary.

CHINA: Tackling Tibet and Taiwan – Differently

Chinese negotiators have, this week, discussed Tibet’s quest for genuine autonomy with the Dalai Lama’s representatives and also pushed forward the agenda to establish economic rapprochement with Taipei.

PAKISTAN/US: ‘Obama’s Muslim Heritage Will Help’

The most watched polls ever in the world had their share of attention in Pakistan, complete with news updates, TV talk shows, call-ins from Pakistanis living in the United States and speeches by President-elect Barack Hussein Obama.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-US: Exorcising the Ghosts of Slavery

On the island where the African slave trade was first introduced to the western hemisphere in 1520, the United States embassy in Santo Domingo hosted more than 1,000 people to view the possible election of the son of an African to the U.S. presidency.

RELIGION-INDIA: Secular Fabric Under Threat

Police in India have unearthed a well-organised terrorist network inspired by intensely Hindu-chauvinist ideas, which they suspect, has been involved in a series of bombings since 2003, primarily targeting mosques and intended to kill Muslims.

VIETNAM: Scant Interest in US Elections

While the US Presidential election has gripped the world, there is little interest in this city where Republican candidate John McCain spent over five years as a prisoner of war.

POLITICS: ‘New US President Must Review Pakistan Policy’

Tensions between the United States and Pakistan - on the eve of the keenly-watched U.S. Presidential elections - accompanying a visit by U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus over unabated air strikes into Pakistani territory bode ill for peace in the region say analysts.

POLITICS-US: Racism Won’t Keep Arab Americans From Polls

Arab Americans are expected to vote in large numbers Tuesday, despite concerns over voter intimidation and weak outreach from the presidential candidates, representatives of major community organisations say.

LATIN AMERICA: Campus Party to Bridge Digital Gap

Seeking solutions for closing the digital and technological gap and sharing innovative experiences are the aims of the Ibero-America Campus Party, which is being held parallel to the 18th Ibero-American summit of heads of state and government this week in El Salvador.

VENEZUELA: Simon Bolivar in Orbit

Venesat-1 Simón Bolívar was launched into space Wednesday in China, making Venezuela the fourth Latin American country with its own satellite, along with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.

COSTA RICA: Indigenous People Still Largely Invisible

In Costa Rica, the most advanced country in Central America in terms of human development, indigenous people tend to be neglected and forgotten.

AUSTRALIA: Indigenous People – Approach Still Paternalistic

The paternalistic, top-down implementation of the Australian government’s intervention in indigenous communities in the Northern Territory is undermining its chance of success.

U.S.: Arab Americans Stoke Strong Minority Support for Obama

With only one week left before the Nov. 4 presidential elections, Arab Americans have sharply increased their support for the Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, according to a poll released here Tuesday by the Arab American Institute (AAI).

RIGHTS-BURMA: No Mercy For Women Political Activists

When it comes to throwing pro-democracy activists in jail, Burma’s military regime does not discriminate between the sexes. The junta treats women and men with equal measure of abuse.

RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Condemned Pin Hopes on Amnesty

Zulfiqar Ali, 38, has been snatched from the gallows once again after Pakistan's president agreed to give his relatives more time to negotiate clemency from the families of two persons shot dead during a violent dispute.

ARTS-US: Spotlight on 40 Years of Black Theatre

For decades, playwrights writing realistically about the black experience in the United States could not get their works produced, black directors didn't get jobs, and even the most successful performers were confined to roles as servants in plays about whites.

CULTURE-NEPAL: Religious Tradition vs Maoist Secularism

Nepalis, religious and tradition-bound as they are, have in recent months worried over the fate of their centuries-old rituals and customs in the newly minted Maoist republic.

ARGENTINA: Non-Sexist Language for Reporters

An organisation of over 100 journalists in Argentina has drawn up ten "commandments" for news coverage of gender-based crimes, which include avoiding expressions like "crime of passion" and incorporating terms like "femicide."