POPE JOHN PAUL II: ‘Founding Father of a United Europe’

Leading European Union officials have paid tribute to Pope John Paul II, highlighting his role in helping to reunify a divided Europe after communism.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: 100 Days Later And Still Living in Limbo Zones

It's a hundred days since Asia's devastating Dec. 26 tsunami and communities across the region are trying to rebuild and heal. In the face of tragedy, Sri Lankans have always looked towards religion as an antidote to the battered national psyche.

RELIGION: How Do You Say Wojtyla

"Ma, Chi è? (Who is He?)" That was the question on the minds of many at St. Peter's Square on a balmy autumn evening on Oct. 16, 1978 when Cardinal Pericle Felici announced: "Habemus Papam (We have a Pope).."

POPE JOHN PAUL II: Asia Remembers a Champion for the Downtrodden

As Father Paul Nettham, pastor of the Thai capital's Holy Redeemer Church prepares his congregation at Sunday mass for holy communion, he tells the packed church in a somber voice: ''For our beloved Pope John Paul II, who's passed from this life to an everlasting one...Lord have mercy.''

LATIN AMERICA: Serene Farewell to Wojtyla

Mexico became the capital of mourning in Latin America over the death of Pope John Paul II Saturday, while governments in the region - home to almost half the world’s Catholics – expressed their condolences, regardless of their political bent.

RELIGION: An African Successor for the “Symbol of Unity”?

Even as Roman Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, the attention of many is turning to the future - and the question of who will succeed the Polish cleric as Bishop of Rome.

POPE JOHN PAUL II: In the End, the World Was a Stage

Karol Josef Wojtyla was a theatre lover and budding actor in his youth in Poland. He never quite made it as an actor, but since 1978 when he became Pope, the world became his stage.

RELIGION: Little Chance of a Latin American Pope, Say Observers

Observers both inside and outside the Catholic Church believe there are numerous cardinals in Latin America and the Caribbean with sufficient merits to succeed Pope John Paul II, and although they feel such a scenario to be unlikely, they are not completely ruling out a surprise choice.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Thou Shalt Not Condomise

Muslims and Catholics do not see eye-to-eye on many issues. But when it comes to practices which they fear will allow the encroachment of unacceptable secular values - abortion, gay marriage and condom use - they quickly close ranks to form a united front against the threat.

ARTS-ZIMBABWE: Secrets and Silence Around AIDS

As AIDS affects a growing number of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, a timely novel has been released by first time Zimbabwean author Lutanga Shaba which tackles the factors underpinning women’s vulnerability to HIV.

MIDEAST: Lebanon Fears, and Hopes

The political upheaval which has engulfed Lebanon following the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri has given rise to fears of renewed sectarian bloodshed - and hopes that it can be avoided.

EDUCATION-US: Gov’t Woos Tiny Pool of Arabic Students

An acute shortage of Arabic speakers is in danger of crippling U.S. efforts to counter terrorist threats, communicate with prisoners, and build bridges to the Muslim world.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Rehearsals for the Rapture

In mid-February, Israel's parliament backed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.

RIGHTS: Groups Fear Vietnam Duping U.S. Over Religious Freedom

While Vietnamese government and mainstream religious officials are relieved that the U.S. State Department will ask Congress for more time to discuss with Hanoi how to end abuses suffered by some religious groups in the communist- ruled country before imposing sanctions, rights groups are crying foul.

ENVIRONMENT: Green-Themed World Expo a First for the Millennium

With attractions ranging from humanoid robots to mammoth fossils, the World Exposition in Aichi, Japan, the first of the millennium, opens its doors on Mar. 25 with the intention of promoting economic development in harmony with nature, organisers say.

RIGHTS-US: Battle Over Feeding Tube Becomes a Free-For-All

"Terri Schiavo has done nothing to deserve the death sentence she has been handed. She is a disabled woman guilty of nothing more than marrying a man who has not taken seriously his vows to love and protect her for as long as they both shall live."

/ARTS WEEKLY/SRI LANKA: Where Pavement Artists Still Rule

The Sri Lankan capital's weekly open-air art market comes alive amidst an odd set of neighbours. It's not unusual to see a mahout tend to a tusker about 10 meters from where artists sell their work.

/ARTS WEEKLY/VENEZUELA: Promoting Art by the Community, for the Community

A multicoloured cluster of small, rundown houses on the westside of the Venezuelan capital serves as both the backdrop to and the inspiration for a project aimed at involving the community in artistic creation and appreciation.

ARGENTINA: Local Non-Actors in No-Budget Films

"I was already old when I started out, but it's my whole life," says Nélida Agustoni, 71, who has appeared in several films whose casts are made up of local residents of a small city in Argentina, and which are currently being presented at the Latin American film festival in Toulouse, France.

THAILAND: Beer and Buddhism, a Definite No – Cry Conservatives

Beer business and Buddhism, in Thailand it seems, do not mix. And that will be the message the Stock Exchange of Thailand has to heed when it meets Wednesday to decide whether to allow the public listing of Thai Beverages, brewer of the country's best-selling Beer Chang or ''Elephant Beer''.

ARGENTINA: Despite Vatican, President Sacks Controversial Military Bishop

In a decision running counter to the position taken by the Vatican, Argentine President Néstor Kirchner on Friday sacked the country's military bishop, who had quipped that the health minister should be "thrown into the sea" because he is in favour of decriminalising abortion.