JAPAN: Anti-Nuclear Groups Sound New Warning

Heightened tension on Saturday after a blast at a nuclear facility in Fukushima, 150 kilometres north of Tokyo, eased off after the government reported that the danger had been overstated.

JAPAN: Explosion at Nuclear Plant Raises New Fears After Destructive Tsunami

Fears of a nuclear meltdown at one of Japan's nuclear installations have gripped the country following a blast at a nuclear installation. Emergency teams were struggling to limit damage following the explosion.

MIDEAST: Obama Besieged by Policy Challenges

Rarely, if ever, has a post-World War II U.S. president been beset by so many foreign policy challenges and uncertainties in one key geo-strategic region at the same time.

Businesses in Brazil Rediscover “Route to the Indies”

Companies from Brazil and India -- whose bilateral trade flow rose nearly threefold in the last three years -- are starting to diversify and complement their business dealings in order to strengthen the two emerging powers' economic presence in the world, in a kind of new two-way "route to the Indies".

U.S. Hearing on ‘Radical Islam’ Opens

Al-Qaeda is targeting Muslim Americans for recruits to terrorism and the community must do more to combat radicalisation, a U.S. politician has said as he opened hearings in Washington that have been criticised as a witch hunt.

Botswana Parliament’s Speaker a Well-Loved Woman

It would have been hard for a teenaged Margaret Nnananyana Nasha to imagine that she would grow up to become one of the most powerful figures in Botswana's government.

Security – Prime Focus at Central America Summit with Ban Ki-moon

Central America's security problems will be front and centre at a summit meeting between United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and leaders of seven countries, to be held Mar. 16 in the Guatemalan capital.

U.S.: Tears and Anger after Wisconsin Passes Anti-Union Bill

Emotions are running high at the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin after Republican senators passed a revised version of a budget repair bill that will take away public workers' collective bargaining rights in an ad hoc session Wednesday night.

BOOKS: Expose Questions EU’s Role as “Honest Broker” in Mideast

Sixty-five years ago, six million Jews perished in concentration camps across Nazi Germany, while the rest of Europe watched silently. Today, says political journalist David Cronin, the world is again witnessing what he calls Europe's "blood-soaked foreign policy" in the Middle East, where billions of Euros are enabling Israel's illegal and inhumane occupation of Palestine.

PAKISTAN: At Home, and In Hell

"Life is next to hell as we pass the entire day and night inside four walls of our houses. Militancy and the local male-dominated culture are the reasons for the women’s problems," says Jabeena Bibi, 38, a resident of Khyber Agency, one of the seven tribal districts of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) of Pakistan.

INDIA: Court Challenges Dubious Environmental Impact Reports

India’s Supreme Court has questioned clearances to industries on the basis of environment impact assessments (EIAs) carried out by private consultants in the pay of project proponents.

INDIA: 60 Registered Rapes a Day

It was just past 9 p.m. of Feb. 1 when guards of the Ernakulam-Shornur train found 23-year-old Soumya, an accountant, unconscious near the railway tracks at Vettikkattiri in Thrissur district, Kerala state.

Mauritian Women Dreaming of Active Politics

"We have had enough of the training given to us in cooking, sewing and household works... We now have another dream: of participating actively in the development of our island at decision-making level," says Marie-Anne Laganne, a political trainer at Women In Politics.

YEMEN: Death Toll Rising at Peaceful Protests

Despite an ongoing dialogue between U.S. officials, human rights groups and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh regarding concerns over the use of lethal force to quell anti- government protests throughout the Persian Gulf state, the death toll continues to rise in Yemen's port city of Aden and in other locations.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Still Stuck in Stalemate

The past-due leader of this resource-rich African nation remains bent on clinging to power, despite calls by his opposition and the wider international community to leave office immediately.

LIBYA: U.S. Edges Towards Rebel Recognition

As the tide of battle appeared to shift for the first time Thursday in favour of forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, the United States and its European allies moved closer toward intervening - if not yet militarily - on the side of the insurgency.

New Constitution Promised for Yemen

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, has promised to put a new constitution to a referendum this year and move the country to a "parliamentary system" but opponents say the move fails to meet the demands of anti-government protesters.

Q&A: ‘Women Are Shackled During Childbirth’

Female Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel are often denied legal representation and medical care while being housed in squalid conditions that can include sharing cells with rodents.

Public Debate on the Shape of Socialism in Cuba

The absence of more open social policies and real citizen participation are some of the concerns being debated in the run-up to the Sixth Congress of the ruling Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in April.

MAGHREB: For Migrants, Crisis Worsens Economic Situation At Home

The mass exodus of immigrant workers from Libya is aggravating the social and economic situation in the migrants' home nations - from Sudan and Chad in sub-Saharan Africa, to Bangladesh in Asia - according to labour and economic experts.

Q&A: New Victory Against Death Penalty in U.S.

After trying unsuccessfully for years to design a flawless death penalty system, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill Wednesday abolishing capital punishment in the state of Illinois.