ARGENTINA: Rosario, a Child-Friendly City

Children in one of Argentina's biggest cities have been blazing a trail in urban management for the past 10 years. Their participation in government has resulted, for instance, in more green areas, riverside benches, and theme parks that are a magnet for tourists.

CUBA: Ecumenical Christians Working for Dialogue

It is difficult to find someone who is unfamiliar with it. Located on what was once called Real Street in the western Cuban city of Cárdenas, the Christian Centre for Reflection and Dialogue provides assistance to vulnerable people and advocates new urban waste treatment plans, the use of biogas, and reforestation.

IRAQ: Violence Driving People Out

Tens of thousands have fled their homes or the country since the bombing of the Shia shrine in Samarra Feb. 23.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: Aid Initiatives Not to Be Taken on Faith

Faith-based organisations that wish to succeed with humanitarian projects in Swaziland have been advised to take into consideration the views and sensibilities of indigenous populations, even if the benefactors believe they are on a mission from God and know what is best for the local people.

MEDIA-THAILAND: Thaksin’s Departure Spells Press Freedom

With Thaksin Shinawatra stepping down as Thailand's leader, the country's media are rediscovering traits that had earned them a reputation for in the region - criticising and exposing those in power.

IRAQ: US Efforts to Oust Jaafari May Backfire

Efforts by the United States to split the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) and deny interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari his claim to head the next government could well prove counter-productive to long-term U.S. objectives in both Iraq and the larger region, according to some specialists here.

MOROCCO: New Gender Law Upsets Everyone

A new family law intended to promote the rights of women seems to have pleased neither men nor women.

POLITICS-US: Evangelicals Rally Their Flocks Behind Israel

Charismatic televangelist John Hagee thinks that the Rev. Pat Robertson's suggestion that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was payback from God for withdrawing from Gaza was "insensitive and unnecessary". But he nevertheless appears to share Robertson's concern that Israel may be giving up too much land to the Palestinians.

JAPAN: In Solidarity Against Female Genital Mutilation

When Hiroko Hashizume, 66, first heard of female genital mutilation (FGM) in some Muslim countries in Africa, she was deeply shocked and, later, overwhelmed by a desire to do something to stop the cruel custom.

HEALTH-US: Govt Watchdog Criticises Bush’s AIDS Plan

The priority given to abstinence-only strategies in U.S. Pres. George W. Bush's global HIV/ AIDS programme may be undermining the overall effectiveness of his administration's multi- billion-dollar AIDS-prevention efforts, according to a study released here Tuesday by Congress' Governmental Accountability Office (GAO).

ECONOMY-MALAYSIA: New Deal for Rural Poor

After watching development pass by for nearly three decades, Malaysia's rural poor - mostly native ethnic Malays - can finally look forward to some goodies thrown their way.

CUBA: ‘Colourful’ Tenements Reminder of Severe Housing Deficit

Despite serving as a frequent and colourful inspiration for music, literature and other art forms, the overcrowded tenement houses known popularly in Cuba by the name of "solar" are a dramatic reminder of the severe housing shortage still facing the country, despite the efforts made in recent years.

ARTS-DRC: Paintings Vent a Nation’s Collective Grief

A Congolese prisoner lies prone, as he is whipped by a police officer under the gaze of his anguished wife - and under the supervision of a Belgian colonial administrator.

BIODIVERSITY: Indigenous Groups Denounce Exclusion from Talks

Indigenous leaders are speaking out about their exclusion from talks about a binding regime for regulating access to genetic resources, during the international biodiversity conference that ended on the weekend in this southern Brazilian city.

INDONESIA: Debate on Pornography Bill Steers Clear of Religion

Public debate on an anti-pornography bill, although presented in parliament by conservative Islamic groups, has managed to steer away from religion.

RIGHTS: Don’t Kick the Football Makers

With tickets to the World Cup in Germany hard to come by, millions of fans are calming their football fever buying World Cup T-shirts, toys and, of course, footballs.

CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The braiding of black hair is a slow process, typically starting at an early hour, and continuing well into the evening. For the uninitiated, it is easy to imagine that hours of socialising in bustling salons are involved.

ENVIRONMENT-CANADA: Annual Seal Hunt Begins

Despite protests by animal rights activists, including former Beatle Paul McCartney and French film star Bridgette Bardot, the annual seal hunt has begun on the ice floes of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Not Enough for Regime Change

As the polycentric sixth World Social Forum (WSF) drew to a close in Pakistan's principal port city, on Wednesday, participants were left wondering what kind of impact it would have on the military dictatorship that hosted the five-day event

THAILAND: ‘Disappeared’ Rights Lawyer Haunts Gov’t

The search for her husband's remains brings a Thai Muslim woman to the banks of a river that flows past this small town some 100 km west of Bangkok.

BIODIVERSITY: Activists Disagree on Economic Aspects of Benefit-Sharing

Access to genetic resources and the equitable distribution of the benefits derived from their use are the most controversial issues being discussed in Brazil by the 3,600 delegates from 173 countries attending the largest conference ever on biological diversity.