World News

A member of Rio de Janeiro's Social Work Department speaks with crack addicts in a slum area known as "Crackland," during a police operation in the city in November.

World News

Brazil's Drug Epidemic: Welcome To 'Crackland'

2:19pm January 08, 2013

by Juan Forero

Crack has been in Brazil since the 1990s, but the drug has exploded in the past six years. The government has poured billions into a prevention and treatment program, but officials are still trying to figure out the best way to combat the epidemic.

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Future Of U.S. Troops Looms Over Afghan Leader's Visit

8:06am January 08, 2013

by Jackie Northam

President Hamid Karzai is in Washington this week for meetings with President Obama and other officials. One of the key issues to be discussed is the number of American troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014, when the bulk of U.S. and NATO forces leave.

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Editorial Ignites Freedom Of Press Debate In China

7:47am January 08, 2013

A dispute over an editorial in a Chinese newspaper has widened into calls for more freedom of expression. Hundreds of people protested Monday calling for an open news media.

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Ren Jianyu poses for a photograph at a restaurant in Chongqing, China, on Nov. 19, 2012, after being freed from a labor camp. The village official was sentenced to a "re-education through labor" camp after he criticized the government.

World News

China Pledges Reforms To Labor Camps, But Offers Few Details

8:23pm January 07, 2013

by Louisa Lim

China has indicated that it will stop handing down sentences to its "re-education through labor" camps, which allow detention without trial for up to four years. Many questions remain about what will happen to those currently detained and what might become of these labor camps.

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai will meet with President Obama and other senior U.S. officials in Washington this week. Many analysts remain skeptical about the prospects for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan. He's shown here speaking in Kabul last month.

World News

As Karzai Visits U.S., What Are The Prospects For Afghan Peace?

7:16pm January 07, 2013

by Sean Carberry

France recently hosted discussions between Afghan and Taliban officials. The meetings again raised the possibility of negotiations to end the fighting in Afghanistan, though many analysts remain deeply skeptical.

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Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (left) has returned to Italy's political scene in advance of next month's election. Also in the race is the current Prime Minister Mario Monti (right). They are shown here in November 2011 as Monti took over for Ber

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Berlusconi Plots His Comeback: 'You Italians Need Me'

6:19pm January 07, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Polls for next month's election show leftist parties with a comfortable lead. But attention has focused on the attempted comeback of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the man who took over when he was ousted, Mario Monti.

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South Korean men play games at a downtown park in Seoul on Nov. 1. Recent data suggest that South Korea is now the fastest-aging country on Earth.

South Korea Prepares The Young For A Rapidly Aging Population

1:43pm January 07, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

South Korea now appears to be the fastest-aging country in the world. The government has launched a series of creative programs, including a network of community centers for dementia patients and training for young people that simulates the physical and mental effects of old age.

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Katia Abreu, a senator and landholder who heads the powerful landowners bloc in Brazil's legislature, takes a look at the new plantations on her 12,000-acre farm.

A Strong Voice For Brazil's Powerful Farmers

7:56am January 07, 2013

by Juan Forero

Brazil is now a world power when it comes to food production. And a leading symbol of that might is Katia Abreu, a senator, landowner and head of the country's most powerful Big Agro association. But environmentalists say limits need to be placed on the farming industry in order to protect the forests of the Amazon.

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Competitive Advantage Could Force French Labor Changes

7:56am January 07, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

French President Francois Hollande has vowed to improve his country's competitiveness. But to better compete, France has to overhaul its labor market, and some hard-earned workers' rights and privileges could be lost.

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Supporters of the Scarlet Alliance Australian Sex Workers Association demand better legal protections at a rally outside the New South Wales Parliament in September.

World News

Australia's Mining Boom Creates Demand For Sex Workers

7:07pm January 06, 2013

by Sana Qadar

The big money earned by workers in Australia's thriving mining industry is attracting sex workers from around the world. One lawmaker wants to restrict or ban prostitution, which is legal in Australia — but so far, there hasn't been much progress in changing the law.

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