IRAQ: No Refuge Within or Outside the Country

U.S. occupation authorities and successive U.S.-backed Iraqi governments have done little to stem the flow of Iraqis fleeing their war-torn country since the beginning of the occupation.

CULTURE-JAPAN: Flushing Away Toilet Taboos

The evolution of the toilet in Japan, from the humble squat latrines of a few decades ago to today’s hi-tech, cockpit-like contraptions, parallels the dramatic rise of this country from post-war ruination to global technological leadership.

VENEZUELA: Adios Lenin…and Other ‘Exotic’ Names

While Stalin led hundreds of students on a march in solidarity with Nixon, authorities in Venezuela were drawing up a law to prevent parents from giving their children names that are invented, difficult to pronounce in Spanish, or exotic.

POLITICS: U.S. Denies Visas to Iranian Religious Leaders

A religious delegation from Iran has cancelled a scheduled visit to the United States this week after members of the group were denied visas by the State Department.

HEALTH: Medical Research Hits Cultural Roadblocks

Many new medical technologies to improve the lives of people in the global South fail to be adopted not because of the costs but because of ethical, social and cultural issues, a new study reveals.

RIGHTS-MALAYSIA: Ethnic Indians Blame Britain for Sorry Plight

As Malaysia marked 50 years as an independent nation on Aug. 31, a team of Malaysian lawyers were in London filing a lawsuit against the British government for abandoning minority Indians to the mercy of majoritarian Malay-Muslim rule while granting independence in 1957.

Q&A: &#39Migration of Religion Can Work Both Ways&#39

Migrants most often carry their religion with them, and this often leads to clashes with people in their host country, Peter Schatzer, Director Mediterranean Regional Office and Head of Mission in Italy for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), tells IPS correspondent Sabina Zaccaro. And that makes religion a particular issue for about 95 million migrants around the world.

MIDDLE EAST: Bridging the Shia-Sunni Divide With Free Trade

While Iran and the United States exchange aggressive statements, the Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been busy building trade relations with Tehran and charting an economic course with a potential of mending ties in a tough neighbourhood.

IRAQ: Fighting Amongst Shias Adds to Violence

Clashes between rival Shia militas in Kerbala have spread across southern Iraq and Baghdad, adding a new dimension to sectarian violence.

SPAIN: Deportation of Venezuelan Band Sparks Outcry

Four well-known Venezuelan folk musicians were deported when they arrived to perform at Spain’s Canary Islands, where the community reacted with anger and pointed out that the South American country took in tens of thousands of Spaniards during the 1939-1975 dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

IRAQ: Clerics Begin to Take Over

Religious clerics are beginning to play an increasingly powerful role in Iraq. Many Iraqis now fear that they are endangering human rights and religious freedom in the once largely secular country.

Q&A: "We&#39re Dealing with a Christian Taliban"

Last month, the Pentagon pulled the plug on a plan to dispatch so-called "freedom packages" to U.S. troops in Iraq that included Bibles, proselytising materials in English and Arabic, and an apocalyptic computer game in which "soldiers for Christ" battle satanic "Global Community Peacekeepers".

POLITICS-MOROCCO: Quotas Overpowered by Machismo

When Morocco held legislative polls a decade ago, just two women were elected to the lower house of parliament in this North African country. Legal reforms enacted since have ensured that women will fare better when the latest parliamentary ballot gets underway Friday. But for activists, there is still a long way to go in bringing gender parity to the Chamber of Representatives.

AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Mines Take Toll on Civilian, Coalition Lives

New landmines planted since the Taliban returned to challenge the Afghan government and the United States-led coalition in Afghanistan have claimed hundreds of civilian and military lives.

POLITICS-BURMA: Buddhist Monks Take on Military Regime

Political tension in military-ruled Burma has taken an ominous turn with soldiers clashing, this week, with sections of the country’s respected Buddhist clergy. The confrontation was the latest in an unfolding drama that has featured rare public protests at massive hikes in fuel prices in August.

CUBA-US: Academic Exchange Continues, Despite Embargo

Relocating the 27th Latin American Studies Association (LASA) International Congress from the United States to Canada has meant that 138 Cuban academics have been able to take part in the event, which promotes dialogue and academic exchange in the region.

RIGHTS-IRAN: Dissidents Encouraged to Go Into Exile

The Iranian establishment has an unstated policy to deal with rising dissidence among academics, artistes and political activists - encourage them to leave the country and go into self-exile.

POLITICS-US: Bush Appointee Campaigns for Evangelicals

The head of the U.S. federal government agency that doles out benefits to disabled veterans is under fire for saying Bible study is "more important than doing [my] job."

RIGHTS-ASIA: MTV Turns Spotlight on Human Trafficking

MTV, the most popular music channel in the Asia-Pacific region, will soon be playing a different tune. Half-hour shows, beginning Sep.18 for MTV Thailand, will have live and hip music giving way to the harrowing accounts of human trafficking victims.

POLITICS-KENYA: “I Almost Have No Fare to Come Back to Nairobi”

Posters, campaign appearances, radio spots and television adverts: all are essential for winning office in Kenya's general elections, set for December, and all cost money that parliamentary candidates are responsible for raising in this East African country.

BRAZIL: Sports, Not Overprotection, for the Disabled

Sports competitions for the disabled help parents and educators overcome the pitfalls of overprotection. Ten-year-old Andrea began swimming as a toddler, and trains twice a month in the ocean. Her mother says she has never been given special treatment, even though she has been blind from birth.