Rohingya children in a refugee camp.

Burma: Can Burma become a multi-ethnic Asian star?

When President Obama visited Burma last year, he was careful to temper any praise he had for the recent reforms undertaken by Burmese President Thein Sein and his government.

A sign for the Cuban Hospital in Qatar

Qatar: Cuban doctors in the desert

If you’re not coming to Dukhan to work at its famous oilfield or visit its isolated beaches there is a little reason to visit the Qatari town. Yet it is here that the recent completion of a new hospital marks Read on! →

A sign attached to a fence of a mine reads 'Keep Out, Mine Void'

Australia: Is this the beginning of the end for mining boom?

This time last year, Roxby Downs was booming. In an Australian landscape dotted with constellations of metal, mineral and energy mines, Roxby was one of the most modern towns in Australia, growing out of an isolated patch of desert 563km Read on! →

The Castellers de Sants performing in 2007

Spain: A Catalan tradition with universal values

Human towers, known as castells, are a long-time Catalan tradition, but some say it teaches more than just good balance.

Students on the campus of the University of Cape Town

South Africa: Why can’t graduates find work?

For many young South Africans who grew up under severely poverty stricken families, education is their only ticket out of poverty. They grow up being told that they are where they are because their parents were never given the privilege Read on! →

A girl stands in the street in the Indian city of Dehli

India: The underground industry of gendercide

Female infanticide has been prevalent in parts of India for centuries, but a new industry worth $244 million is emerging: sex-selective abortions.

Olives grown in Jaén

Spain: Poor olive harvest spells problems for farmers

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, but as the olive harvest draws to a close, farmers are worried about the low crop yield.

The twisted barrel gun sculpture, Non-violence, stands outside the UN building in New York. It mirrors the turning tide in public opinion on gun control. [Alan English]

USA: New York law marks the start of gun control

The NY SAFE legislation is the first law since the Sandy Hook shooting to tighten gun ownership, but it comes in the middle of a bitter political fight.

The vuvuzela has become a trademark of African football after the World Cup in South Africa three years ago. [Álvaro Felipe]

South Africa: Is the African Cup of Nations good for Africa?

The 29th Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), which begun on 19 January when hosts South Africa took on debutants Cape Verde, will attract a record global audience. In 1957, just three teams, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, took part in the Read on! →

Billboards around Rwanda promote the government's zero tolerance of corruption.

Rwanda: Corruption will not be tolerated

Rwanda has been the most successful country in East Africa in stamping out the graft culture, but is it at the cost of freedom?