MEDIA-SOUTH ASIA: Gov’ts Play Gag the Press Games

Across South Asia, ruling establishments have introduced or are attempting to introduce laws that curb the working of independent media, while claiming to uphold democratic values.

JAPAN: Free Trade Deal With Manila Stumbles Over Labour

While Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of bilateral friendship between Japan and the Philippines, Tokyo has decided not to use the occasion to conclude a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) with a fellow Asian country.

SRI LANKA: Civilians Caught in Tamil Militant Factional Rivalry

The large sign alongside the Batticaloa lagoon in eastern Sri Lanka reads "Vanakam (Welcome) TMVP" in bold, red Tamil letters, proclaiming that the writ of the formidable Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) does not run in these parts.

NEPAL: King Depressed or Scheming?

Four months ago he was the one figure in Nepal everyone turned to for a solution to political deadlock. Today King Gyanendra is reduced to a shadow, although a persistent one, hovering over a delicate peace process being carried out by the government and Maoist rebels.

THAILAND: Losing Hearts and Minds

If the Thai government feels that it is winning the hearts of Malay-Muslims in the country's troubled south, it should look no further than a protest that unfolded Thursday outside a police station in the district of Rusoh to realise how far it is from achieving that dream.

MEDIA-INDIA: Bloggers Blocked After Mumbai Blasts

India's fast-growing community of ‘bloggers' and Internet users was in for a rude shock when it found favourite sites blocked out in the wake of the serial blasts in crowded trains that killed 200 commuters in the western port city of Mumbai, last week.

CULTURE: Germany Takes a Fresh Look in the Mirror

"Can I be proud of being German?" "Who am I?"

POLITICS-US: Back to Sunni Authoritarians?

After posing as the champion of democratic reform and the long oppressed Shia minority in the Arab world, the administration of President George W. Bush appears to be scurrying back to Washington's traditional policy of strong support for the region's Sunni-dominated, pro-U.S. authoritarian governments.

PAKISTAN: No Hope for Women Raped and Jailed for Adultery

While a Presidential fiat grants bail to 1,300 females facing trial for various offences, it is unlikely to permanently benefit those charged with adultery under Pakistan's notorious religious-based 'hudood' laws - long criticised by rights groups as being anti-women.

ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Organic Farming, Answer to Farmers’ Suicides?

As the phenomenon of mass suicides by farmers turns into a major national issue, small cultivators in this sub-Himalayan state are demonstrating that the way forward to sustainable agriculture may lie in sticking to traditional methods.

UAE: Anger, Frustration at Lebanon Bombings

Israel's air raids on Lebanon have evoked strong reactions in the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf countries, thousands of whose nationals have had to flee the 'war zone' on short notice.

INDIA: Blasts Leave Economy Unaffected, for Now

If the perpetrators of Tuesday's serial bombings in the financial hub and main port of Mumbai had hoped to apply the brakes on India's fast-growing economy, they are bound to be disappointed. A day after the blasts, in packed suburban trains, the stock indices went up by three percent.

RIGHTS-FRANCE: Assault Makes Zidane an Immigrant Hero

French football star Zinedine Zidane could have become a bigger hero among immigrant groups after he brought down Italian player Marco Materazzi with a head butt during the World Cup final in Berlin Jul. 9.

SOUTH ASIA: Blasts Impact Indo-Pakistan Peace Process

The series of eight bomb blasts that killed close to 200 train commuters in the western port city of Mumbai, on Tuesday, has impacted a peace process between India and Pakistan.

ECUADOR: Hidden Indigenous Communities Fight Extinction with Spears

Under persistent harassment by oil, logging and tourist operations, Ecuador's indigenous Tagaeri and Taromenani peoples, who shun all outside contact, have been launched into the public eye following several deaths in their territory deep in Yasuní National Park.

ENVIRONMENT-U.S.: Al Gore Is Back and Greener Than Ever

Six years after he lost his bid for the White House, Al Gore, the former U.S. vice-president, has returned to the national stage, but this time as a champion of the movement to fight global climate change.

SPORT: World Cup Shows Different Faces of Immigration

Anyone unfamiliar with football could be excused for asking whether Italy was playing the World Cup final with France or with a team from Africa.

INDIA: Gathering the Pieces After the Mumbai Blasts

As the death-toll continues to mount in Mumbai's ghastly serial bomb attacks, it is becoming clear that India is witnessing a human tragedy of the same dimensions as the Madrid train bombings of March 2004, in which 192 people lost their lives. The bombings were Europe's worst-ever case of sub-state terrorism.

MALAYSIA: Apex Court to Decide If Muslims Can Convert

Both Muslims and non-Muslims keenly await the verdict of Malaysia's Federal Court on one of the most contentious issues it has ever examined - whether the country's secular constitution, which guarantees freedom of worship, allows ethnic Malays to renounce Islam.

MEDIA-SINGAPORE: Crackdown on Satirical Blogging

Among the popular T-shirts that a tourist can buy on a visit to Singapore is one that, tongue-in-cheek, describes that affluent island country as a 'Fine City'.

CUBA-U.S.: Faith Groups Tell Bush to “Love Thy Neighbour”

As the United States again toughens its sanctions against Cuba, in what the Fidel Castro government says amounts to a "declaration of war," another caravan organised by the inter-faith foundation Pastors for Peace arrived in the island nation's capital with 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid.