2010 hot spots: North America.

Illegal immigration from MEXICO to the STATES has been a thorny issue for decades. The two countries share a 2,000-mile-long border, and there are 20 million Mexicans in the U.S.

Since 2006, when Raul Castro took over from his brother, Fidel, as CUBA'S President, the prospects for better relations with the U.S. have improved. The American trade embargo against Cuba has been in place for almost five decades.

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