/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE-INDIA: Repository of Knowledge in Perilous State

Dubbed as one of the most ancient libraries in India - the 400-year-old Sarasvati Mahal Library in this south Indian town in Tamil Nadu state is badly in need of patronage.

/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE-MALAYSIA: The Night They Raided Zouks

One Saturday night recently, Sarinah Majid, a 23-year-old accountant, was dancing the night away with her Chinese boyfriend at Zouks nightclub - the most happening night spot in Malaysia's capital city. Then suddenly the world, as she knew it, collapsed dramatically around her.

RELIGION: The Pope, By Deepak Chopra

For the past decade Deepak Chopra has been at the forefront of a major trend in holistic healing, combining ancient wisdom and modern science. The widely celebrated New Age guru talks with IPS about Pope John Paul II, arguably one of the most significant figures of the 20th century.

RELIGION: A Latin American Pope?

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Catholics are praying, and in many cases weeping, for the health of Pope John Paul II, amidst a flurry of speculation about which bishops from this region have a chance to succeed him if he dies.

TRADE-AMERICAS: How Much Is the Biodiversity of the Andes Worth?

Washington's refusal to recognise the right of Andean countries to demand compensation for the commercial use of their biological resources is standing in the way of negotiations for free trade between the United States, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, agree observers.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Ethiopia’s Rastas See the ‘End Times’

When news of the Indian Ocean tsunami filtered through to Africa the day after Christmas, Gladstone Robinson was playing Bob Marley's 'Natural Mystic'.

DEVELOPMENT-CAMEROON: Independence Via the Keyboard

As is the case in much of Africa, cultural and religious factors in Cameroon have proved formidable obstacles to the advancement of women in the workplace. Traditional beliefs dictate that a women’s place is in the home, prompting many parents to take their daughters out of school at an early age – and allow them to be married.

RIGHTS-NEPAL: Tibetan Refugees Left in Limbo With Office Closure

Most people passing through the Lazimpat area in Nepal's capital hardly know that a very low profile organisation, close to the French Embassy, shelters hundreds of Tibetan refugees in its premises at any given time.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Nobel Laureate Saramago Defends Lula

Portuguese author José Saramago, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature, condemned the ''disproportionate'' protests at the World Social Forum against the president of the host country, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

ENVIRONMENT: Voyage to the Fragile Beauty of Antarctica

''They are some of the most beautiful images I have seen in my life,'' says Sebastiao Salgado, renowned Brazilian photographer, about the natural landscapes he captured on film during the first days aboard the French scientific research sailboat ''Tara'' as it travels through Antarctic waters.

TSUNAMI-IMPACT: Muslim Solidarity Missing in the Aftermath of Killer Waves

If the Islamic world needs another reason to nail Osama bin Laden as more of a monster who thrives on killing than having a heart for the world's victims, then Muslims should listen to the silence pouring forth from the al-Qaeda leader's camp since the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami.

DEVELOPMENT-SUDAN: The South Starts Picking Up the Pieces

The roads are carpeted by thick layers of dust. Tanks, military trucks and the skeletal remains of buildings dot the landscape. Welcome to Rumbek: the newly-designated administrative capital of southern Sudan.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Venezuela Aims to Channel Voice of the South

Following in the footsteps of Arabic broadcaster Al Jazeera, Venezuela is spearheading a project to launch a new television network that will bring the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean to the rest of world, while challenging U.S. control of the hemisphere's media.

ARGENTINA: Gay Tourism Boom in Buenos Aires

The legalisation of same-sex marriage in Buenos Aires has helped make the Argentine capital the leading Latin American destination for gay and lesbian tourists, outstripping even Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the former favourites.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: India’s Dalits Create Space for Themselves

To the casual visitor, Gaurav Apartments on the eastern edge of India's national capital looks like any other block of middle-class residential flats, set into a genteel neighbourhood patronised by doctors, engineers and other professionals.

POPULATION-INDONESIA: Regional Autonomy Restricts Women’s Rights

When regional autonomy was implemented in Indonesia four years ago, women, who account for more than half of the country's population, thought they would play a greater role in making decisions. However, over the years, they found themselves all the more left out and discriminated against.

RELIGION: Rebel Bishop Remains Critical but Hopeful at 77

On the eve of his 77th birthday and official retirement from duty, Bishop Pedro Casaldáliga, one of the foremost exponents of Liberation Theology, remains as outspoken a critic of the Catholic Church establishment as ever.

SOUTH ASIA: Smuggling of Sacrificial Cattle Drives Prices Up

With the Muslim festival of sacrifice or 'Eidul Azha' just around the corner on Friday, the region is seeing a huge increase in the movement of smuggled cattle - across the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan - to be slaughtered in sacrificial offerings.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: US Charities Feel Heat From "Terror War"

The tsunamis that pounded Indian Ocean coastlines the day after Christmas killed an estimated 30,000 Sri Lankans - nearly half in areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group that has been placed on a special list of "terrorist" groups by the U.S. government.

ARGENTINA: Tragedy Creates New Safety Awareness Among Rock Bands, Fans

The year-end tragedy that claimed the lives of 189 young people in a dance club in the Argentine capital dealt a severe blow to the city's rock scene, and bands, fans and concert producers are now expressing their concern about creating a culture of safety.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: Swaziland Seeks Border Adjustment

South Africa’s agreement to take seriously Swaziland’s claim to its national territory has implications for all of Africa, and the pledges African countries have made to honour boundaries drawn up during the colonial era, diplomats tell IPS.