US/ISRAEL: Evangelicals Get a Piece of the Promised Land

After more than 30 years of organising testimonial dinners for right-wing Israeli politicians, handing out checks to Israeli charities, and forming alliances with conservative Jewish leaders and groups, evangelical Christians may finally be getting a chunk of the "Promised Land".

NEPAL: City of Peace in a Time of War

The birthplace of the Buddha exudes peace on an autumn afternoon so hot that a lazy stroll on the meditation platform atop the birth temple quickly becomes a dance on sun-baked tiles.

INDONESIA: Bali Bombings May Recur

With experts fairly certain that Saturday's bombings were a repeat of the October 2002 attacks on this tourist resort by the Jemaah Islamiyah, the big question is when will the group, said to have links with the international al-Qaeda network, strike next.

CULTURE-CAMBODIA: Villagers Guard Their Own Antiquities

Reet, 14, grew up among the hilltop ruins of this district, about an hour's drive from the capital Phnom Penh and learned how to count by going up and down its 412 steps.

RIGHTS: Sowing Peace in Southern Thailand

In the shimmering paddy fields and leafy rubber plantations that stretch across a 400 sq km area, a new crop is struggling to take root-peace.

CULTURE: The Home of English Football’s Most Ardent Fans? Uganda

It's a cold, wet Sunday evening outside the Little Highbury pub. Inside, patrons are glued to a huge television screen showing an eagerly awaited football match between two English Premier League teams: Arsenal and Chelsea.

AUSTRALIA: New Anti-Terror Laws Worry Muslims, Rights Groups

Special powers approved for security services and police agencies at a national summit on terrorism, that included state political leaders, have alarmed members of the Muslim community who fear they will be targeted.

POLITICS-US: Next Court Nominee Likely to Face Harsher Scrutiny

As Pres. George W. Bush prepares to nominate a successor to retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner - as early as this week - he may be facing one of the most bruising battles of his presidency.

AFGHANISTAN: Was Women’s Vote a Roar, or a Whisper?

While the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush describes the recent elections in Afghanistan as a major step forward for the war-torn nation, human rights groups here wonder if women will have an effective voice in the new parliament.

POLITICS: European Right Divided Over Islam, Enlargement

Three days did not suffice for a consensus to be reached among the right and centre-right forces in the European Union (EU), which are divided over the future composition of the bloc, and even more so over relations with the Muslim world.

RIGHTS-ALGERIA: When Going to Court Is Too Great a Trial

In a sad reflection of the times, the Drop-In Assistance Centre for Female Sexual Harassment Victims has done a bustling trade in the Algerian capital, Algiers, since being established two years ago. Hundreds of women have made use of the centre, which is funded by the General Union of Algerian Workers – the country’s largest labour body.

POLITICS-US: Faith-Based Hiring Sets up Congressional Rift

Advocates for separation of church and state took a major hit yesterday as the U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow "faith-based" groups to discriminate on the basis of religion in hiring personnel to participate in the Head Start education programme for poor children.

POLITICS: Buddhist Monks Will Sway Sri Lanka Polls

Sinhala Buddhist monks and 'patriotic' forces, aligned behind the candidature of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, are determined to play a major role in the Nov.17 presidential elections announced this week.

COMMUNICATIONS: Future of Civil Society Participation in Doubt

By the end of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society this November in Tunis, the role to be played by civil society in bridging the digital gap and democratising communications will be clearly defined. But many activists are less than optimistic about the eventual outcome.

ARTS WEEKLY/DANCE-CHILE: State Funding Needed to Revive a Dying Art Form

Without government funding, the creative power of dance in Chile will continue to wane, warns choreographer Karen Connolly, who has witnessed a steady exodus of young talent spurred by the lack of prospects at home.

/ARTS WEEKLY/BOOKS: Political Colours at Literary Festival

Carlos Fuentes, 77, the famous Mexican writer, drew eager audiences at Berlin's 5th International Literary Festival. He proved quite a magnet, along with Hans Magnus Enzensberger, the veteran German poet, and London-based Nagasaki-born Kazuo Ishiguro whose latest novel 'Never Let Me Go' could lift him this year's prestigious Booker Prize in Britain.

/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE: Chocolate Moon Cakes Are Festive Too

As the Mid-Autumn Festival draws to a close in many Asian countries and communities, people are busy buying 'moon cakes' to share with friends and family or to give as gifts. Most of these cakes are made with the traditional bean-paste or lotus-seed filling, but from a - remote" corner of Singapore come moon cakes with a difference - made from pure chocolate.

/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE: Little China Stays Alive in Eastern India

The unveiling of yet another road sign is no spectacular event in this busy capital of West Bengal state and eastern India's main metropolis. Yet it drew a crowd of curious passers by.

MEDIA-THAILAND: Censorship by Proxy, a Looming Threat

Paiboon Damrongchaitham is the new public enemy of Thailand's independent press. ''An arrogant, inconsiderate entertainment mogul'' is how 'The Nation' newspaper described him in an editorial on Monday.

RUSSIA: Putin Came to the Mountain

It is more than memories that linger from the time the 12-ton bell rang, and Russian and Ukrainian monks queued up in impeccable white robes to receive Russian President Vladimir Putin at Mount Athos..

CUBA: Out of the Closet, Onto the Big Screen

A government-sponsored HIV/AIDS prevention group and the Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) joined forces to organise a groundbreaking event: the first ever gay cinema week in the history of Cuba.