Global Perspective

Stand at the Bellingen look-out, high above one of the many river valleys on the north coast of Australia’s New South Wales, and waves of camphor laurel trees spread out beneath you.

The New Zealand Navy might be small, but it's known for punching above its weight. The Navy also prides itself on being somewhat progressive – even in matters considered taboo in other jurisdictions.

Radio New Zealand shares the story of a gay naval officer, Lieutenant-Commander Kevin Sanderson.  Along with other Gay and Lesbian Defense personnel, Kevin is able to serve his country, thanks to the Navy’s policy on 'sexual diversity.'...

Sanne, Tom and Bo are young and idealistic. Like many of their friends and contemporaries, they can’t afford a home at current Amsterdam prices. So they’ve followed a time honored Dutch tradition:  they found an empty apartment building and with a group of friends, they moved in, fixed it up and claimed it as their own.

However, in October 2010, a new anti squat law came into being that aims to get squatters out of Dutch cities once and for all.  For the...

Over the last 10 – 15 years, a third of Britain's commercial fishermen have left the industry.

A decade ago, European fish stocks appeared to be in irretrievable decline. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the European Union brought in quotas to protect white fish in the hope of returning to sustainable numbers. But the constantly shifting regulation has bamboozled and maddened British fishermen like Fred Normandale who end up throwing back a lot of what they catch because it...

WAMU 88.5's Andrea Wenzel takes us to Elkader, Iowa — a town named after a 19th century Algerian jihadist — and home to an Algerian-American restaurant run by a gay couple.

Elkader, Iowa (population 1,500) is a town with an unusual namesake — American settlers named it after the Algerian jihadist and anti-colonialism fighter Abd al-Qader in 1846. This...

Disabled people are rarely touched in a loving way or thought of as sexually desirable yet they have the same need for a sexual life as everyone else. In this confronting program John Blades, who has a major disability himself, talks to sex workers about why they work with disabled clients and the importance of touch to every human being.

John also meets other people with disabilities; Gary who has burns to 60% of his body and finds that being touched by his wife on his...

In Hong Kong, Bun Chai has been struggling to regain control over his life.  He was paralyzed from the neck down in an accident twenty years ago.  After spending more than a decade in a hospital bed, he made a public appeal for the right to die.

Radio Television Hong Kong introduces us to Bun Chai, as he talks candidly about those trying times, the public letter he wrote and making a fresh start.

For more information on this program, visit...

From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the series theme "Who Says I Can't" takes on a double meaning.  There's the defiance of Eduardo Lopez, and the price it exacts.  And then there's the story of those in authority...those who say, you can't.

The story begins in the Central American country of Honduras and ends in Canada.  Canada's self-image as a safe haven for refugees is part of the national myth...except that there is always a...