BOOKS: You’re Not on Their Speed Dial

Amidst the rise of multinational corporations, technology that unites people across borders, and new waves of international migration, globalisation has also ushered in the formation of a powerful network of elites who have access to unprecedented resources and influence - and whose decision-making impacts the lives of millions across the globe.

DEVELOPMENT: Tourism's New Wave

David Aabo is en route from Peru to New York City after having spent much of the last few years in the South American country investigating opportunities for development that might help local entrepreneurs build a sustainable regional economy.

Q&A: Will Olympics Break China's Human Rights Paralysis?

Barely a month before the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympics in China, it remains uncertain whether the Chinese government will respect basic human rights and press freedom during the Games.

AUSTRALIA: Indigenous Voices Lacking in Gov’t Intervention

While the Australian government insists that important progress was made in the first year of its controversial "emergency response" in the Northern Territory - ostensibly to protect indigenous children from abuse - activists are calling for affected communities to be consulted.

POLITICS-BOLIVIA: Volatile Loyalties, Deep Divisions

The governing party in Bolivia is reeling from its latest electoral defeat, and beginning to doubt the popularity of President Evo Morales, who is putting his office, the vice president's and those of provincial governors up for ratification in a recall referendum to be held on Aug. 10.

CULTURE-ETHIOPIA: Debate Swirls Around Fate of Holy Sites

Carved into the rugged mountains of northern Ethiopia, the eleven churches of Lalibela have for centuries remained among the most stunning visions a traveler can encounter.

POLITICS-US: In Search of a Legacy, Bush Looks to the Past

Before 9/11, before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, before the suspension of habeas corpus, before the administration's tardy and shameful response to Hurricane Katrina, before cronies and Republican congressional leaders were dropping like flies, before former administration operatives were writing unflattering tell-all books, before Dick Cheney said "So?" in response to a question about public opinion being firmly against the administration, before the Valerie Plame affair, before gas prices were nearly five dollars a gallon, before housing foreclosures hit record numbers, and before his approval rating dipped to all-time lows, there was President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative.

PARAGUAY: Fourteen Years in the Wilderness

Indigenous Enxet people are still waiting for the restitution of their ancestral lands, nearly three years after the Paraguayan state was convicted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of usurping territory and violating basic rights. Meanwhile, they endure overwhelming poverty.

MIGRATION-GERMANY: Some Uneasy Over New Citizenship Test

What are the colours of the German flag and how are they displayed? Who composed the Ninth Symphony and the "Ode to Joy"? What is the population of this country?

AFRICA: Artists Reflect on World Through Toys With A Difference

It’s not child’s play to showcase ‘‘toys’’ made by artists reflecting on a changing world in African countries. Miniature construction vehicles from Malawi, next to a diminutive Nelson Mandela presiding over South Africa’s first democratic parliament, jostle for space with the Belgian comic hero Tintin on safari in the Congo – all captured in carefully crafted wood.

MALAYSIA: Sodomy Charge May Sideline Reform Agenda

Politics in Malaysia, which have been choppy since the Mar. 8 general election saw the opposition come within reach of state power, have now plunged into further turmoil after new charges of sodomy were brought against prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.

CHINA: Quake Highlights Urban Privilege

1970 - The height of the Cultural Revolution. A severe quake ripples through rural China’s Yunnan province in the south. The response from the communist leadership in far away Beijing arrives swiftly - tens of thousands of little Red Books with quotations from chairman Mao Zedong and as many badges with his image. The rescue efforts are complete with thousands of letters of sympathy from the capital.

RIGHTS-ARGENTINA: ‘The Other Final Match’

Thirty years after Argentina won its first Football World Cup, human rights groups and former players will pay homage to the victims of the dictatorship ruling the country at the time.

CUBA: The ‘Telenovela’ as Springboard for Public Debate

Months have gone by and he still receives suspicious calls on his cell-phone. Memories of a woman who became obsessed with him are triggered every time Chucho sees a popular prime time Brazilian TV "telenovela".

MALAYSIA: Opposition Pledges Yet Unfulfilled

Even as the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition Peoples Alliance coalition celebrates 100 days in office this week with huge rallies across the country, the public euphoria that brought them into power is beginning to cool off as people tighten their belts in the face of a slowing economy and escalating cost of living. Demands are rising for the opposition to implement their pledges.

LATIN AMERICA: Quality of Life at School Boosts Learning

The school environment is the factor that makes the greatest difference in student learning in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to UNESCO’s Second Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (SERCE). Equality in the education system, however, is still a distant goal.

RIGHTS: Mistreatment of Widows a Poorly Kept Secret

Millions of women in many parts of the world are facing discrimination and abuse simply because they happen to be either widows or divorced, according to a new report released by a U.S.-based independent research organisation.

RIGHTS-CHAD: "Africa's Pinochet" Still Eluding Justice

Two years after the African Union mandated Senegal to conduct the trial of Chadian dictator Hissenè Habré, who is accused of thousands of political murders during his eight-year reign, the prosecution remains in limbo, six human rights groups complained in a joint statement Monday.

POLITICS-CUBA: Past, Present and Future Changes

Cuba is paradoxically the same, yet not the same, under President Raúl Castro, who said he would change "everything that should be changed" to perfect the socialist path taken by the revolution nearly half a century ago.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: "Getting People Participating Is a Process, Not an Event"

Amidst the turmoil surrounding the Jun. 27 presidential run-off in Zimbabwe, it is doubtless something of a challenge to muster enthusiasm for plans relating to the country's next general elections. Gender activists intent on having more women voted into office in 2013 are undaunted, however.

MALAYSIA: Unprecedented No-Confidence Motion Against Abdullah

National politics in Malaysia entered uncharted territory this week after a party in the ruling 14-party National Front coalition said it will move a motion of no- confidence against beleaguered Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi. This unprecedented act of rebellion could potentially force Abdullah out of office or call for a snap general election.