POLITICS: Inter-Religious Councils Tackle World’s Conflicts

In a world where people increasingly kill and die for their faiths, inter-religious councils (IRCs) offer the one ray of hope against the relentless spiral of violence and counter-violence, say religious leaders gathered in this ancient Japanese cultural capital.

POLITICS: Royal Tussle Over ‘New Nepal’

The committee formed to plot the next steps on the path to a 'new Nepal' handed in its blueprint Friday with most of the important decisions unrealised. The Interim Constitution Drafting Committee recommended that the role of the monarchy be decided in a referendum organised by a constituent assembly, whose shape would be determined in talks between the government and former Maoist rebels.

GUYANA: Weary of Drugs and Crime, Some Voters Eye New Party

Sitting on a barstool sipping shots of vodka and tonic water, Hardat Singh says he is unsure whether he will vote in the general election set for on Monday.

HEALTH: Muslims and AIDS

When it comes to responding to HIV and AIDS, Muslims are neither better nor worse than anyone else, but in its progressive form, Islam is certainly better prepared to respond than the Vatican, says Farid Esack.

POLITICS-US: Bush’s Faith-Based Agenda Losing Steam

The appointment of Jay Hein, a relatively unknown right-wing think tanker, to head the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives may be a sign that the George W. Bush administration has just about thrown in the towel on promoting what was supposed to be - when announced in January 2001 - the centrepiece of the president's domestic policy initiatives.

CULTURE: ‘Hitler’s Cafe’ Serves Up India’s Ugly Side

A controversy is brewing in India over the recent launching of a trendy new restaurant named "Hitler's Cross" in Navi Mumbai (New Bombay). As it gathers momentum and attention, the controversy highlights the polar opposite of India's image as a robustly democratic society which aspires to pluralism and tolerance, and is a role-model for many countries, especially of the Global South.

SRI LANKA: Humanitarian Crisis Building Up in Jaffna

With supplies cut off by two weeks of fierce fighting between Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan armed forces, a massive humanitarian crisis is building up on the Jaffna peninsula according to the Red Cross and other voluntary agencies.

POPULATION-SINGAPORE: It is Either Babies or Immigrants

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned that Singaporeans will either have to produce more babies or they would have to welcome more migrants to sustain economic growth and living standards.

HEALTH-COTE D’IVOIRE: Abortion – Illegal, Sought After, Sometimes Fatal

Poverty, civil war, fears of religious persecution: any one of these can push women to have abortions. In Côte d'Ivoire, however, all of these factors are present, leading to what some claim are substantial increases in the termination of pregnancies.

THAILAND: Facing Insurgency With Indiscriminate Incarcerations

In the eyes of Thailand's military, Arafat Yunoo is an enemy of the state. They have kept the clean-shaven, 21-year-old Malay-Muslim behind the heavily fortified walls of the main prison in this southern province for over two years.

POLITICS-NEPAL: And Now Ethnic Separatism

A splinter Maoist faction in Nepal's southern Terai plains is calling for full sovereignty and independence in what is turning to be the first separatist movement in the country's history.

MEDIA-IRAN: Crackdown on Satellite TV Taken Stoically

Iranians have taken stoically a crackdown on rooftop satellite dishes that allow then to watch 'decadent' foreign channels as well as a proliferation of Farsi language programmes beamed in by dissident expatriates.

AFGHANISTAN: Can NATO Win Against Taliban Insurgents?

Two weeks ago, NATO took over command of insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan from the United States, and the top general warned that he will "strike ruthlessly" against Taliban rebels when necessary.

POLITICS: No Place for Socialists in Malaysian Democracy

In a tiny, dark, room in the squalid suburb of Brickfields, south of the national capital, a small group of people gathered to mourn yet another defeat for democracy, free speech and secularism - this time in the shape of a superior court upholding government refusal to recognise a socialist political party.

SOCIETY: Guenter Grass Jolts Germany with Revelation of Nazi Past

Nobel Prize winner Guenter Grass's admission that he served in the Waffen SS, Hitler's notorious elite army, has triggered an outpouring of shock, rage and disbelief in Germany.

HEALTH-PAKISTAN: Drive Against Polio Hit by Rumours, Litigation

The reliability and safety of oral polio vaccine (OPV) has been put under scrutiny in Pakistan after wild rumours that it causes impotency snowballed into a writ petition in a high court.

ENVIRONMENT-JAPAN: Pawning Natural Wealth for Tourism Revenues

Shiratoko peninsula, home to a stretch of pristine forests, lakes and wild life, is facing an environmental crisis thanks to crowds of tourists attracted by its inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage list last July.

ARGENTINA: Book Sheds Light on Enigmatic President

Who is Néstor Kirchner, really? This is the main question that Walter Curia attempts to answer in his book, currently a best-seller in Argentina, about the country's outspoken president, who enjoys high approval ratings at home but has had frequent public clashes with several governments in the region.

ITALY: Thousands of Pets Abandoned During Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is a time of great risk for many household pets in Italy. Some vacationers leave without taking care of their faithful four-footed friends. And many leave their family cat or dog on the street without a second thought.. The problem has reached national proportions.

ARGENTINA: Both Foreigners and Locals Drive Tourism Boom

Since the 2002 devaluation of the peso, Argentina has not only drawn increasing numbers of foreign visitors, but many locals, who in the 1990s took advantage of the strong peso to travel abroad, have turned their gaze instead to their own vast country as a tourist destination.

TRINIDAD: Battle Over Chief Justice Highlights Racial Divide

As the government's bid to impeach the country's incumbent chief justice, Satnarine Sharma, continues at the London-based Privy Council, for many people in Trinidad and Tobago, the conflict underscores the racial divide in this oil-rich twin island republic.