ECONOMY: UAE Recasts Weekend to World’s Beat

As part of the drive to open up its markets and become a leading player in the Middle East and beyond, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to institute a Friday-Saturday weekend.

ARGENTINA: World Cup – Behind Bars

The Argentine team lost 7-3 to Ivory Coast and was eliminated from the 2006 world football championship. But luckily for Argentina, this is not the World Cup that kicks off this month in Germany, but a contest that has already begun in 32 prisons in the province of Buenos Aires.

ENVIRONMENT: Japan Spites Whaling Ban With Gourmet Offerings

Japan is defiantly preparing for the annual meet of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), in the West Indies this month, by going on a promotion drive for whale meat and other products.

CARIBBEAN: Recognising the Legacy of Slavery

Slavery is inextricably intertwined with the history of the countries of the Caribbean, and a new Sites of Memory on the Slave Route project is focusing on the African influence in Aruba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

POLITICS: India in Epic Caste War

An epic battle is in progress in India over the issue of affirmative action in favour of socially disadvantaged groups, in particular those who belong to the lower castes in India's notoriously hierarchical social order.

INDONESIA: Malaysia Pitches In with Quake Relief

Indonesia's closest neighbour Malaysia, which is host to some two million Indonesian migrant workers, half of them undocumented, has been rushing food, tent, doctors, nurses and medicines to earthquake hit Java.

HEALTH-KENYA: Changing Tradition Through Talk

It is a part of Kenya where prevalence rates for female genital mutilation (FGM) are at their highest, and communities deeply resistant to cultural change. However, Kajiado district is also an area where simple conversations hold out the promise of helping to end FGM.

DEVELOPMENT-BRAZIL: Music Can Conquer Poverty

Mozart's music has transformed the small, impoverished town of Sao Caetano, a forgotten backwater in the state of Pernambuco in northeast Brazil, ever since its children's orchestra began to win national and international fame, 13 years ago.

JAPAN: Education Bill Sets Patriotism Over Individualism

Hiroo Miyamoto, 60, a retired businessman, follows with keen interest the ongoing debate on revising Japan's post-war education policy that emphasises individual rights and democracy over patriotism.

MEXICO: Using Rock to Get Out the Young Vote

"We all complain. But how many of us vote? If you don't vote: shut up. Don't let anyone else decide for you on July 2." With this slogan, printed on billboards and signs with the image of famous actors, rock stars and models, the Tu Rock Es Votar campaign is trying to encourage young people in Mexico to take part in the coming presidential elections.

IRAQ: Basra Begins to Fall Apart

Basra in the south of Iraq is beginning to splinter under increasing violence and sectarian divisions.

INDONESIA: Volcano Spirits Trusted More Than Scientists

Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, has been wheezing, belching and threatening to blow its top for the last few weeks. Yet, while scientists call for mass evacuation, most of the locals have stayed put, trusting to centuries-old mystical traditions to calm the spirits of the mountain.

BOLIVIA: Wanted – Healthcare Adapted To Indigenous Cultures

The alarming state of health in Bolivia is related to the dominant healthcare model, which ignores the society's traditional cultures, said Health Minister Nila Heredia, who is attending the World Health Assembly in this Swiss city.

MOROCCO: New Fears over Rise of Islamists

Fierce debates have arisen in Morocco over a public opinion poll by a U.S. group suggesting that Islamist parties may gain 47 percent of the vote in elections due next year.

ARGENTINA: Women Air Society’s Dirty Laundry in Art Exhibit

A group of female prostitutes in Buenos Aires is using art to lay bare their situation - that is, the state and societal abuse they endure - to the public.

RIGHTS-US: English Amendment Ignores Reality, Migrants Say

With the U.S. Senate poised to vote by the end of this week on its version of a controversial immigration reform bill, many immigrants and their supporters are urging lawmakers to focus more on helping people from other cultures integrate into U.S. society.

SPORTS: Far Right Goal Under Close Watch

As Germany preens itself for an influx of World Cup tourists, a racist attack on a politician and a planned neo-Nazi demonstration have overshadowed preparations for the international event.

POLITICS: Iran Target of Apparent Disinformation Ploy

A story authored by a prominent U.S. neo-conservative regarding new legislation in Iran allegedly requiring Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive colour badges circulated around the world this weekend before it was exposed as false.

AUSTRALIA: Ignoring Abuse of Aboriginal Women, Children

Revelations of horrific levels of sexual abuse and violence suffered by women and children in Australia's aboriginal communities have surfaced, even as the fifth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is underway in New York.

HEALTH-INDIA: Concerted Campaign to Weed Out Polio Virus

Subhadra Santosham, a retired schoolteacher, was about to turn in for a siesta when she noticed a gang of school children entering her yard. Thinking they were probably trying to solicit money for a cause, she was all ready to shoo them off, when one of them asked: ''Isn't your granddaughter visiting from Chennai?''

SOUTH PACIFIC: Post Polls, Fiji Faces Uncertain Future

While the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) of Mahendra Chaudhry has agreed to join Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's new government, rather than sit in the opposition, few are willing to bet on the longevity of the multi-party arrangement in Fiji, a country notorious for its brittle racial relations