ARTS-ENTERTAINMENT – 3.

Water puppetry, a unique Vietnamese art form has been known to rural farmers in the north of the country since the 11th century.

LIFESTYLE-BRAZIL: Wheels of Fortune to Spin in Brazil

Legislation to legalise casinos in Brazil, currently under review in parliament, has provoked mixed reaction in a society where gambling is already a way of life.

THEATRE-BRITAIN: Big BITE of International Theatre

The Edinburgh Festival has become Britain's premier home for summertime international drama, but this year London is striking back with its own extensive programme of foreign performances.

TELEVISION: Puppets Bring Humour to Election

The biggest drawcard in Venezuela's current election campaign is a group of puppets that appear nightly on television and imitate the major political figures vying for office.

TOURISM-JAMAICA: Weather Deals Blow to Major Tourist Spot

With its picture postcard-type scenery and fantastic nature spots, Portland always has ranked high on the list of tourist spots in Jamaica's 14 parishes. But the natural beauty, a magnet for visitors over the years, is now threatened - and so is Portland's viability as a tourist destination.

LIFESTYLE-INDIA: Cuban Cigars “In” Thing in India//REPEATING//

At 32 dollars apiece - or nearly twice the monthly wage of the average Indian - Cuban cigars are the latest status symbol of the rich and famous in the nation's capital.

LIFESTYLE-INDIA: Cuban Cigars “In” Thing in India//REPEATING//

At 32 dollars apiece - or nearly twice the monthly wage of the average Indian - Cuban cigars are the latest status symbol of the rich and famous in nation's capital.

ARTS-ENTERTAINMENT – 1

Judging from the turnout at this year's Pan African Children's Book Fair, Africa's premier showcase for children's literature, is losing its lustre.

LIFESTYLE-INDIA: Cuban Cigars “In” Thing in India

At 32 dollars apiece - or nearly twice the monthly wage of the average Indian - Cuban cigars are the latest status symbol of the rich and famous in nation's capital.

MUSIC-SIERRA LEONE: Gone But Not Forgotten

Music fans have been mourning the death this month of Onike MaCauley a pioneer female singer in Sierra Leone who became a symbol for feminine action.

MUSIC: Controversy Still Surrounds Dead Tango Singer

Uruguay and Argentina, great rivals on the soccer field, will not be facing each other at the current World Cup tournament in France; but this week saw the renewal of another feud between the two countries - which also involves France- over the birthplace of legendary singer Carlos Gardel.

TELEVISION: Soap Shocker Upsets Viewers, Church

A typical episode in a new soap Opera on Brazilian TV has a husband beating to death his wife and one of her lovers, two elegant women revealing their lesbianism, and drug traffickers shooting their way into a mansion in search of the drug addict son of a business magnate.

CINEMA-KENYA: Lion Man Adamson on Screen Again

Kenya always has prided itself on its wildlife and the beauty of its national parks - two features which a new film, 'To Walk with the Lions', has used well to advertise the East African nation.

CULTURE-RELIGION: Buddhist Monument Now an Archaeological Site

Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world but it also boasts the biggest and most elaborate Buddhist complex ever built.

CINEMA-USA: All the World’s a Stage in ‘The Truman Show’

The modern United States in some ways is Franz Kafka's strangest vision come to life: a nation in which someone can be plucked from obscurity, like Monica Lewinsky, and then analysed, hounded and investigated by the pervasive inquisitors around them.

MUSIC: Dancehall on Edge of New Triumph in U.S.

After years in the wilderness of the North American ethnic market, dancehall music may have found a new winner in Beenie Man's "Many Moods of Moses" album.

THEATRE-URUGUAY: Black Performers Increase Presence

After years of discrimination, Uruguayans of African ancestry increasingly are making their presence felt in the theatre world.

ART-ITALY: Bernini, Maestro of Italian Baroque

An exhibit dedicated to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, arguably the greatest baroque artist of all time, is drawing huge crowds to the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

CINEMA-USA: You Don’t Have to be Crazy to Believe in Aliens

Aliens are everywhere, at least in the United States - where the number of people who believe in Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) outnumbers those who voted for Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

MUSIC-JAMAICA: Reggae Stars Fall Foul of Law

From marijuana possession to domestic abuse, reggae performers have been making more than just music in Jamaica. In fact, the imprisonment last month of singer Mikey Spice on gun charges capped a year when entertainers hit the wrong note with the law.

DRAMA-ZIMBABWE: Constitutional Journey

A captivating new drama, which moves beyond the realm of the theatre, highlights a slice of life of a young Zimbabwean woman and, along the way, exposes many of the flaws in the nation's constitution.