BRAZIL: African Rhythms Open Prospects for High-Risk Youngsters

"Axé" is a word that means "positive energy or life force" in the Yoruba language of West Africa, an important concept in the Afro-Brazilian "candomblé" religion. For hundreds of children and young people involved in the Axé Project, it is indeed a force for life.

BRAZIL-JAPAN: One Hundred Years of Migration

One hundred years ago, 781 Japanese immigrants arrived at the Brazilian port of Santos on the steamship Kasato Maru, marking the start of a labour flow that gave rise to the ethnic group with the highest levels of education and per capita income in Brazil - a migration that reversed direction in the 1980s.

BRAZIL: Delivery Boy Newshounds Show Life in Sao Paulo

Cleyton Perroni’s motorbike has been a part of his life since he was 12. But 19 years later, its role changed from recreation to an essential working tool as, equipped with a cell phone, he became a reporter of daily life in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo.

GERMANY: Berlin Emerges as Arts Centre

Renowned for its rich assortment of music, opera and theatre life, Berlin is today the centre of the German art scene. A magnet for artists from around the world, thanks to its freewheeling lifestyle and abundance of low-cost studios, the German capital now increasingly attracts artists, international dealers and collectors.

CANADA: Apology Must Be Backed By Action, Native Leaders Say

In a long-sought acknowledgement of the federal government's role in creating Canada's racist residential school system as part of its cultural assimilation policies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a formal apology to Canadian First Nations in the House of Commons in Ottawa last week.

CHINA: Will the People Choose the Death Penalty?

When China’s newly appointed top judge suggested recently that death penalties meted out in the country should adhere to popular will, many were outraged.

HEALTH: Cultural Double Standards Undercut HIV/AIDS Fight

The United Nations says religion and culture continue to have a significant impact - both good and bad - on the spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

ENVIRONMENT-US: "Water Is Alive, It Hears Our Words"

Native Americans and others completed a 10-day "Walk for the Water" this week along the Chattahoochee River, which some estimates say will dry up completely by 2025 due to pressure from the rapidly growing city of Atlanta.

NEPAL: Living In a Republic

A week after Nepal was declared a republic, in the small sleepy town of Lele, some 30 km away from the capital Kathmandu, Dhurba Kumar Sunar, 41, goes about his day like any other.

AUSTRALIA: Olympics Terror Threat a Bogy – Experts

With less than two months to go before the Beijing Olympics begin, analysts have rejected claims that terrorism is a major threat to the Games, despite recent reports from China of militant activity.

BOOKS-IRAQ: The Fruit of a Poisonous Tree

For those seeking different and deeper reasons why Iraq ended up where it is today, other than the often-cited but somewhat clichéd list of blunders like the disbanding of the Iraqi army and dissolving of the Baath party, Jonathan Steele's "Defeat: Why America and Britain Lost Iraq" is a must-read.

Q&A: 'Multicultural Society Can't Be Dissolved Like a Marriage'

"This looks like a toothpaste commercial. People in the Netherlands don't buy that." Rachida Azough shows a flyer of the European Union to promote the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. It depicts a model with a bright smile holding a camera, with the tag line 'Cultures in my street'.

TURKEY: Headscarves Ruling Leading to Bigger Confrontation

In Phase One of what has been called a "judicial coup", Turkey's Constitutional Court has ruled against amendments spearheaded by the Islamic-rooted ruling party to allow headscarves at universities. Headscarves are considered an expression of political Islam by opponents, and an expression of freedom by their proponents.

RIGHTS-CHILE: Growing Outcry Over Filmmaker’s Arrest

There is growing international alarm over the arrest of Chilean filmmaker Elena Varela, who was taken into custody by police a month ago while working on an investigative documentary on the conflicts between lumber companies and the Mapuche indigenous people in southern Chile.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: Japan Officially Recognises Ainu

In a historic breakthrough Japan's Diet has unanimously passed a resolution pressing the government to recognise the Ainu as indigenous people.

CUBA: A City Drinks in Change

Afflicted for far too long by severe drought, which concentrated all minds on how to get water to entire communities of people, this eastern Cuban city seems at long last to be drinking its fill, and its appearance is completely different from what it looked like two or three years ago.

CHINA: Dragon Boat Festival Ditches Freedom Message

A mixture of pride and prickle pervaded China’s first public celebration of Duanwu, or Dragon Boat festival, in over half a century.

POLITICS-US: McCain’s Judicial Plans in Lockstep with Bush

While it isn't as eye-catching as the latest reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, or as headline-grabbing as rapidly escalating gas prices and the growing number of housing foreclosures, and few voters cast their ballot based on it, the judicial appointments of whomever wins the U.S. presidency in November will have long-lasting ramifications for the country.

Q&A: ‘Unlike the Wolf, Sheep Are Afraid of Freedom’

The censored world of Chinese contemporary writing is an unlikely place for the rise of literary mystery. But ‘Wolf Totem’, which has sold millions of copies in China and won the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize last fall, is the ultimate whodunit.

POLITICS: Where Will Headscarf Verdict Lead Turkey?

A decision by Turkey's constitutional court Thursday to overturn a law lifting the ban on Islamic headscarves in the Muslim country will almost certainly heighten tensions in a country that has been a longstanding ally of the United States.

POLITICS-IRAQ: Possible Deal on Kirkuk Could Be a Stabiliser

A possible breakthrough over the fate of the contentious Iraqi province of Kirkuk appears to be underway, which could be a significant source of relief for the United States as it is trying hard to stabilise the country.