HEALTH-ETHIOPIA: Fistula Makes Social Outcasts of Child Brides

Meseret, from the Lalibela district in northern Ethiopia, was only 13 when she became pregnant. Married at 12, her underdeveloped body was not ready for the stress of giving birth. After six days of gruelling labour her child was finally born, but it was dead.

POLITICS-IRAQ: Questions about Secularism Raised

A pair of suicide bombings in the Kurdish area of Iraq and repeated demonstrations by supporters of a revered Shiite leader throughout the country has raised two nagging questions in the minds of many in the war-torn nation.

/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE: Website Helps World Find World Music

Even when Sevara Nazarkhan toured with rock legend Peter Gabriel it was difficult for people who liked her music to find a place to buy it.

/ARTS WEEKLY/ LITERATURE-CUBA: Poet’s Sullied Reputation Recast

Nineteenth-century poet, essayist and playwright Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda is cited as one of the founders of modern feminism in Cuban texts on art and literature. But her literary reputation is only now gaining lustre.

TOURISM-ARGENTINA: Fossils, Whales and Tango

The ''route of the dinosaurs'', Eva Perón and Carlos Gardel, jungles, waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, whales and pre-Colombian ruins form part of the lengthy list of attractions that Argentina offers to the growing number of visitors from abroad.

SRI LANKA: New Alliance Stirs Political Waters

A new political alliance forged between President Chandrika Kumaratunga's party and a Marxist political group with a bloody past is sending tremors through Sri Lanka's already restive political landscape.

POLITICS-UGANDA: LRA Victims Hope for a Sudanese Peace Dividend

The signing of a wealth-sharing agreement earlier this month between Sudanese officials and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army was hailed an important step towards peace in that country. Now, hopes are growing that the accord might also spell the end of another conflict: that in northern Uganda.

DRUGS-MEXICO: ‘Saint Death’ Sought for Blessing in Endless War

The image of Santa Muerte (Saint Death), a skeleton swirled inside a black cape and wielding a scythe, is surely receiving many prayers these days from her followers in Mexico: drug traffickers, who are currently steeped in bloody inter-mafia conflicts.

POLITICS-INDONESIA: U.S. Narrow Focus on Terror a Mistake

The United States is committing a major political blunder in Indonesia by focusing solely on terrorism and should concentrate instead on helping the country build its democratic institutions and revitalise its economy and education system, according to regional experts on Islam.

POLITICS-INDIA: Ruling Party Faces Fierce Fight in Polls

With the announcement by India's ruling coalition that it will ask for the dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament on Feb. 6, the country is all set for national elections to get underway probably five months before the term of the House ends.

ECONOMY-ZIMBABWE: A Dangerous Spice Route

At dawn, Tsitsi Savanhu wakes her teenage daughter so that they can prepare for the 25 kilometre journey to neighbouring Mozambique. Once there, they will dig up as much ginger as possible before rivals descend to challenge their claim to certain areas.

/ARTS WEEKLY/ CULTURE-LAOS: A Venezuelan Watches Over the Temple

The campaign to preserve Luang Prabang from the onslaught of tourism can count on the enthusiastic efforts of Venezuelan architect Felipe Delmont. The number of visitors to this northern Laotian city has grown rapidly since UNESCO declared it a Heritage of Humanity site in 1995.

/ARTS WEEKLY/CULTURE: Calypso Raises Racial Hackles in Trinidad and Tobago

It is the talk of the town. From political and business leaders to the man on the street, Winston Rawlins' latest tune once again raises questions of race, morality and the line between good and bad entertainment.

/ARTS WEEKLY/INDIA: Spirit of the Raj Lives on in Himalayan Village

The spirit of the English 'sahibs' and their equally snobbish 'memsahibs', as European women were called in colonial times, still haunts the Raj's once charming summer capital Simla, over half a century after the British left India.

POLITICS-U.S.: Aid Budget Backs UNESCO, UN Population Fund

The 24 billion dollars earmarked for international spending by the United States this year includes more than 100 million dollars for two United Nations agencies that have been cut off from U.S. funds in recent years.

IRAQ-INDIA: Anti-U.S. Feeling Runs High in Kerala State

Iraqi flags and signs proclaiming the virtues of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein line the streets of this coastal hamlet in southern Kerala state's Muslim-majority Malappuram district, where residents remain agitated by U.S. forces' capture of the former dictator.

SOCIETY-CHINA: Mainland Tourists Leave their Mark Overseas

When a huge red-and-gold dragon moved down the Champs-Elysees in Paris last weekend and the Eiffel Tower was bathed in red lights, it signalled more than a lavish celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year in the heart of old Europe.

SPORT-AFRICA: Soccer Greats Gather for Cup of Nations

The 24th edition of Africa’s premier soccer showcase, the African Cup of Nations, kicks off Saturday in Tunisia. In the only game to be played on the first day, the hosts are tackling Nations Cup debutantes Rwanda after the opening ceremony at Rades Stadium in Tunis.

COLOMBIA: Film Documents ‘Red Dance’ of Annihilation

The Colombian documentary film "El baile rojo" (The Red Dance), competing this week at an international film festival, marks an effort to restore collective memory of an experiment in reconciliation that was erased by blood and fire from the country's political map.

CULTURE-SWAZILAND: Politics and Tradition Clash in Swaziland’s “Incwala”

Swaziland is currently in the midst of its sacred Incwala ceremony, which many believe is crucial for the welfare of the country. However, the celebrations have not been without controversy.

ECONOMY-CHINA: Feudal Customs Revived to Boost Consumer Spending

Lavish Lunar New Year rituals once shunned as feudal superstitions are coming back to life in communist China, spurred by government incentives to encourage consumer spending and keep the economy humming.