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Thousands of women are smuggled each year from Tenancingo, Mexico, to Queens, New York through an elaborate sex trafficking ring. The BBC's Laura Trevelyan followed the route and spoke with female victims, pimps and law enforcement officials along the way.

The borough of Queens is probably the most diverse place on earth, in terms of the amount of languages spoken and the sheer diversity of immigrants living there. “1001 Voices: A Symphony for Queens” is Frank London’s mammoth piece for orchestra, ethnic instruments, actors, visual projections, and a 190-piece choir; the work examines our changing ideas of migration and home. The composer joins us along with the writer and actor Judith Sloan to talk about their collaboration.

New York is a city of specialists from foodies to academics, laborers to shopkeepers. Every Wednesday, Niche Market takes a peek inside a different specialty store and showcases the city's purists who have made an art out of selling one commodity. See the slideshow.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing to build the nation’s largest convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. He hasn’t shared many details of the plan, but one thing is clear: the governor’s choice to build the complex is a little-known Asian conglomerate with big ambitions.

The governor’s plan to redevelop the Javits Center in Manhattan and build a new convention center in Queens outlined has picked up support from the borough’s chamber of commerce and the Real Estate Board of New York.

A group of civic leaders in Queens is proposing once again to turn an old rail line that runs through Forest Hills into an elevated park. Several community leaders proposed the idea a few years ago, but the project stalled. Now, leaders say there's more political buy-in.

The blocks around the Roosevelt Avenue subway stop in Jackson Heights, Queens offer a culinary tour of South Asia. Listen to a recent trip Food in Two Worlds took with some of the people behind the neighborhood's booming food scene.

During the Festival of Lights, which is observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains for five days, sugary confections and snacks are given as gifts and shared at home among family and friends. While some people make their own or order them from South Asia, many head to sweets stores in Jackson Heights.

Sea scallop ceviche, Penang beef curry, and shredded chicken over mole sauce: these are just a few of the dishes being served at "A Taste of Sunnyside,” a food festival and tasting event taking place on Tuesday evening at a community center in Western Queens.

Residents of Woodside and Sunnyside, Queens are being warned to watch out for a sexual predator who has been riding his bike up to women and grabbing them from behind before fleeing.

One of the main issues being discussed during redistricting is providing communities of interest--often meaning, in short hand, racial and ethnic groups--with political boundaries that give these under-served groups greater influence over who represents them.

Last week a coalition of social justice groups released draft maps for the state legislature seats here in the city. Asian and Latino-majority districts were carved out for both the Assembly and State Senate, while existing African American districts were kept intact. Today Common Cause, who has been pushing this issue, has an op-ed in El Diario on the need for more majority Latino districts.

"Where the lines are drawn have the power to influence whether a particular neighborhood or community will be able to elect the representative of their choice," Susan Lerner, the group's executive director, wrote in the English version. "Communities that are divided among several districts – as neighborhoods with large numbers of Latinos have been in current and previous district maps - find it harder to gather the voting strength to make a difference at the polls."

At the Congressional level there have been pushes to create both a Latino--predominately Dominican--Congressional district in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx. There has also been speculation that a 40 percent Asian district could be created in Queens.

We decided to see if that was possible. John Keefe, our map wizard at WNYC, dug through census data to carve out what would be a 40.3 percent Asian district.

A few things. First, race can't be the only thing used to create a political map, per Federal rules. This was the specific thing we were looking to do, and did our best to keep the district as condensed as possible. Still, as you can see, it's not the most visually pleasing map. Other groups working on maps they plan to submit to LATFOR, the legislative group drawing the lines, say it's possible to create a 40 percent Asian district that is more tightly constructed.

But what the map does illustrate is that it's possible to create such a district. More importantly, the Asian community in Queens is currently having their political potency spread over four different Congressional districts.

Steve Choi, executive director of MinKwon--an Asian American community group located in Flushing, Queens--took a look at the map. His group is creating their own, and he was particularly concerned about the push into Jackson Heights and Elmhurst area because of the Latino population there that would itself be diluted if only the Asian population was considered. He said they're working to create a unity map with other organizations to help preserve political strength across the various ethnic and racial communities.

Still, the exercise helped prove Choi and other activists' point. "The basic concept is that you can have a [Congressional] district that is 40 percent Asian American in Queens," he said.

The long-time exclusion of Asians in the political process has driven Choi and others to use this opportunity to push for better districts. "I don't think it's a stretch to say we have historically been disenfranchised just as many other minority communities in the state have been," he said.

While LATFOR hasn't been, in Choi's mind, particularly embracing of the push to create more Asian districts--he said the committee has said it is focusing on "the current political realities"--he feels the time is right for political lines to be drawn with his community in mind.

"It's realistic, it's possible, and its necessary to draw these districts in a way that's going to include our influence," he said, noting that he and other groups are keeping all options on the table--including litigation--to make that happen.

Next up: we'll be looking at the 11th Congressional District in Brooklyn and what it will need to take to keep the Federally protected African American population in the district at the levels it what was in 2000, despite major demographic shifts over the last decade.

Urban farming systems, a waterfront promenade, a community kitchen and biodiesel trucks that double as artist studios. Those are some of the ideas behind a new show opening at The Noguchi Museum on Thursday, called "Civic Action: A Vision for Long Island City."

More than 100 people based in Queens have been indicted in an international identify theft probe after authorities said they bilked customers out of $13 million over a 16-month period.

As the search continues for the eight children plucked from a Queens foster home by their biological mother this week, experts say it's common for parents to contemplate kidnapping.

New Yorkers throughout the city marked the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks in myriad ways — crowding into coffee shops, attending church services, sitting in the park. Here are three snapshots from the the city where many reflected on the events that forever changed the world.

This month, cultural institutions around the city are paying respect to the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks through literature, visual arts, theater, dance, music, and film. Here's our guide to what's happening around town.

For decades, prostitution has plagued the neighborhoods of Jackson Heights and Corona in western Queens – with some authorities dubbing the area the new Times Square.

Democratic candidate David Weprin discusses his campaign to replace Anthony Weiner for the congressional seat representing NY-9 and what he would do if elected to Congress.

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The Long Island City, Queens wholesale bakery Pain D'Avignon will now have a lot more dough on its hands — and not just the kind it uses for its famous artisanal bread.

An air conditioning unit has lately been the hottest -- or coolest -- commodity around town. But to the dismay of many overheated residents looking to buy or replace a broken AC unit, they've all but sold out in area retail stores.