Touch of Arab Spring Comes Late to Morocco
Deadly clashes between police and youth in the Northeastern town of Taza last week suggest that, far from bringing change and stability, Morocco's new government is simply repeating mistakes of the...
View ArticleMALI: Fifty Thousand Flee as Political Parties Call for Dialogue
Mali's political parties have jointly called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation as a way to end a Tuareg rebellion launched several weeks ago. The uprising has forced...
View ArticleMAURITANIA: Ravaged by Drought - the Number of Malnourished Children Rises
Mariem Mint Ahmedou sits cross-legged on a worn-out carpet in a basic tent built with mud bricks and layers of sewn-together fabric. Her eight-month-old twins, Hussein and Hassan, lie weakly against...
View ArticleQ&A: U.S. Women's Commissions Under the Budget Axe
State and local Commissions on the Status of Women (CSW) are facing shrinking budgets and even total elimination at a time when women are some of the hardest hit by the financial crisis, says Susan...
View ArticleEconomic and Climate Vulnerabilities Converge in the Caribbean
Caribbean islands are doubly exposed by the convergence of weak economies heavily dependent on foreign imports and greater vulnerability to climate change, according to ECLAC Executive Director Alicia...
View ArticleAnti-Drug Vaccines Hold Promise - But Little Profit
Vaccines against drug addiction appear to be a better strategy than the repressive worldwide "war on drugs", but first they must overcome resistance from pharmaceutical laboratories and secure...
View ArticleWages Stuck in Slow Lane on Chile's Growth Speedway
Despite much government fanfare, the drop in Chile's unemployment rate is not enough to satisfy experts or workers, who point to the deeper problems of sporadic work, underemployment and low wages...
View ArticleBRAZIL: Rio Police Reports to Respect Transgendered Identities
The state of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil will introduce a pioneering policy in March to reduce the under-reporting of crimes against transvestites and transsexual people, who will be able to...
View ArticleBurma in the Throes of Change – Part II
As 'positive' news flows out of Burma - release of political prisoners, ceasefire talks in ethnic areas, increased freedom, formation of labour unions – people inside the country and exiles have been...
View ArticleKYRGYZSTAN: Efforts to Tackle Bride Kidnapping Hit Polygamy Snag
Legislation designed to discourage the controversial practice of bride kidnapping fizzled recently in Kyrgyzstan's parliament.
View ArticleArmy Officer's Leaked Report Rips Afghan War Success Story
An analysis by Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, which the U.S. Army has not approved for public release but has leaked to Rolling Stone magazine, provides the most authoritative refutation thus far of the...
View ArticleMALDIVES: Paradise on a Knife's Edge
The short, one-minute video is grainy but the poor picture quality makes the scene no less chilling. Shot from a balcony, it shows the recently ousted Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed walking out...
View ArticleCanada's Tough New Crime Bill May Violate Child Rights
As the Senate debates the merits of the Canadian government's newly-passed omnibus crime bill, organisations across the country have raised serious issues with the legislation, particularly when it...
View ArticleMigrant Workers in Singapore Demand Justice
When a group of about 100 mostly Bangladeshi migrant workers went on strike at a construction site over unpaid wages this month, it created ripples in this affluent and orderly island republic.
View ArticleFinding a Joint Front Against Polio
The world's two worst polio-affected countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have exhausted themselves in failed attempts to wipe out the crippling ailment.
View ArticleSome Swiss Parcels With Migrants In Them
Two years ago, a Nigerian asylum seeker died during a forced deportation attempt from Switzerland. Now, the prosecution has dismissed the case, leaving nobody responsible for the young man's death....
View ArticleGHANA: Need to Recognise Mental Illness as a Health Concern
The incessant buzzing of mosquitoes was the first sign that there was something wrong. While Bernard Akumiah could clearly hear the small insects, there were none within his vicinity.
View ArticleARGENTINA: Victims of State Terrorism No Longer on Their Own
Mental health professionals in Argentina have accumulated such a wealth of experience in treating victims of state terrorism that they are now sharing it with colleagues across the country's borders.
View ArticleCan Europe Derail the Shale Gas Express?
Following numerous warnings issued by geologists, health scientists and environmental experts throughout the United States, Europe is now well aware of the high ecological and health risks associated...
View ArticleIsraeli Envoys Targeted in India and Georgia
Israeli diplomats have been targeted by car bombs in India and Georgia, leaving three injured and Israel's foreign minister promising a response.
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