POLITICS-US: Faith Abounds, Just Not in Condoms

On Mar. 9, during remarks at the Second White House National Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in Washington, Pres. George W. Bush recognised the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for its work with faith-based organisations.

RELIGION-MALAYSIA: Rediscovering Secularism

Moderate Muslims and non-Muslims, fearful of incursions by Islamic 'Shariah' law into their private space, have launched a movement to rediscover Malaysia's secular constitution and restore it as the country's supreme law.

JAPAN: Koizumi Will Leave Mixed Legacy

When Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi demits office in September, he will leave his successors a legacy of forceful leadership and strong United States-Japan ties.

MEDIA-MEXICO: A Larger Piece of the Pie, for the Few

Seven out of 10 Mexican television viewers watch channels belonging to the Televisa consortium, while two out of 10 watch TV Azteca channels. Radio broadcasting stations are concentrated in the hands of 13 business groups.

UAE: Hiccups as Nationals Replace Expatriate Workers

A policy of replacing expatriate workers with nationals in key jobs is now well underway with the United Arab Emirates government compelling all major companies to hire only citizens as public relations officers (PROs) or cease business.

CULTURE: Film Festival to Drive Home Significance of Water at Global Forum

The fourth World Water Forum will be the first to have its own global film festival, with 80 films from 48 countries, as well as five photo exhibits.

RELIGION: The New Evangelism

In a recent New York Times Magazine story about U.S. evangelicals working in Africa, Daniel Bergner wrote that Rick Warren had declared Rwanda the world's "first purpose-driven nation".

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Parliamentarians Show Prostitution the Red Card

The European Union marked International Women's Day Wednesday by launching a campaign against sexual exploitation of women during big sporting events.

INT’L WOMEN’S DAY: Aspiring Decision-Makers Do Battle With Tradition

Monica Amolo's tale is one of endurance and determination: she is intent on being elected to Kenya's parliament, regardless of the intimidation experienced en route.

POLITICS-US: Old Divides Resurface as Bush Sinks

As U.S. President George W. Bush's standing in public opinion polls plumbs new depths, his fellow Republicans are finding it ever more difficult to maintain their unity on key hot-button issues, such as foreign policy, immigration and civil liberties.

SRI LANKA: Geneva Process With Tamil Tigers Falters

A flare-up of violence in Sri Lanka's volatile east and impatience with Norwegian mediation from pro-Sinhala political parties are threatening to derail peace negotiations between the government and Tamil Tiger representatives in Geneva.

IRAQ: Not Yet a Civil War

Repeated cries in the mainstream press of an unfolding civil war fall on deaf ears of many Iraqis. Only some have begun to use the term 'civil war' to describe the conflict raging around Iraq; many feel the term is inappropriate.

EGYPT: The Tourist Begins to Look Asian

In the wake of the Muslim world's angry reaction to cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, the number of Western European vacationers to Egypt has fallen noticeably, according to industry insiders.

ECONOMY: India Returns to Asia

Is India really a part of Asia? Economically speaking, the answer would be 'no'. But, after decades of isolated development, the country's savings and investment rates are moving towards levels prevalent in East and South-east Asia.

IRAQ: U.S. Officials Downplay Civil War Threat

The George W. Bush administration deliberately played down the seriousness of the threat of sectarian civil war in Iraq following the mass killings of Sunnis in revenge for the destruction of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra, despite abundant evidence that even worse sectarian violence is certain to follow the next terrorist bombing.

IRAQ: Sunnis Press for Peace

As violence continues throughout much of Iraq, many Sunni political and religious leaders continue to urge their followers to resist launching reprisal attacks.

MIDEAST: Iran Shows Its Hand

U.S. State Department fears that Iran aims to control the Palestinian government as it does the Hezbollah in Lebanon, on top of new concerns that Al-Qaeda may have infiltrated Gaza and the West Bank, is multiplying anxieties about the eventual impact this could have on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and regional terrorism.

BANGLADESH: Islamist Leader Held but Fear Continues

Few believe that the arrest of Shaikh Abdur Rahman, leader of the Islamist militant group, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), last week, would see the end to a violent campaign to turn this country into a theocratic state.

THAILAND: Anti-Thaksin Anger Vented on Singapore

Singaporeans living in Thailand or visiting as tourists may have reason to feel nervous at the manner in which the affluent city-state is portrayed in the increasingly bitter political debate that has engulfed Bangkok.

GUATEMALA: Satellites Uncover Mayan Secrets

Mayan ruins, hidden beneath soil and dense forest, have been located in Guatemala using satellite technology, revealing more secrets of this ancient indigenous culture.

JAPAN: Wives Stash Cash to Freedom

Masami, 57, is waiting for the day when she can divorce her husband, a respected professor of medicine she married 32 years ago.