HUNGARY: Cultural Heritage Held Hostage to Real Estate

A standoff over the likely demolition of a cultural centre is only the latest in long wrangling over the fate of Budapest's crumbling cultural and architectural landscape.

PAKISTAN: Abductions For Ransom Blamed on Taliban

A spate of kidnappings in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and areas adjoining Afghanistan are being blamed on Taliban militia.

CULTURE-CHINA: Nuder Than Nude

In a society that dictates how a woman should look - hourglass figure and shiny, long hair - Chinese artist Xiang Jing dares to turn stereotypes on their head and disturb those who view her fibreglass sculptures.

MEDIA: Midwife for an Inclusive Society

Changing society to bring about greater respect for diversity requires the participation of the mainstream press, despite the combination of alternative media and the various forums, blogs and networks on the Internet that promote a more democratic flow of information.

POLITICS: Who Will Make Peace for the Peacemaker?

An intensifying fight between Turkey and a reorganised Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) threatens to introduce a new element of instability to the Middle East at a time when some of the most chronic crises in the region are taken on by regional actors, ironically with Turkey itself playing a key role as a peace mediator.

Q&A: 'Development Aid Is No Panacea'

Celine Tan is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Birmingham. Her doctoral research has focussed on development financing, in particular its impact on global governance and international relations.

RIGHTS-JAMAICA: Bad Place to Be Gay Just Got Worse

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has never been shy about his position on homosexuality.

CULTURE-PAKISTAN: Afghan Refugee Poets Behind Pashto Revival

Afghanistan’s tumultuous history of the last three decades is behind the incredible popularity of poetry in Pashto, the language of the majority Pakhtoons in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

PERU: Indigenous Organisations Aim for the Presidency

Peru’s indigenous associations are pursuing a political project of their own, and hope to win power in the 2011 presidential elections in order to defend their collective rights.

POLITICS-US: McCain’s “Agents of Inconvenience”

As John McCain launched his presidential bid in 2007, he faced a considerable challenge to mobilise support among social conservatives within the Republican Party.

POLITICS-PAKISTAN: Violence Clouds Peace Prospects

Within a day of a controversial peace deal signed between the provincial government in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Islamic fighters in Swat, a journalist was shot dead in neighbouring Bajaur Agency ruled directly by the Pakistan government last week.

RIGHTS-JAPAN: Calls for Peace Echo at Children's Forum

In a fittingly solemn gesture of peace and renewal, children and adults belonging to different faiths offered flowers and prayers, Monday, for the thousands of people who became the first ever victims of a nuclear bombing in this city 63 years ago.

MIDEAST: Lebanon Deal Confirms Qatar’s Honest Broker Role

While Lebanon rejoices over the power-sharing deal among its rival factions that ended 18 months of political conflict and saved it from the brink of civil war, deal-broker Qatar revels in the glory of yet another diplomatic coup.

Q&A: ''Failing to Act For the Benefit of Children Is a Crime''

The world's religions are poised to step out of their 'comfort zones' to heed the feeblest of voices - those of children. Under the aegis of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), these religious institutions are learning to set aside differences and work together for the sake of 2.2 billion children around the world.

RIGHTS-JAPAN: Youths Find Their 'Voice'

If the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step then such a step has just been taken by a group of children from different parts of the world, guided by an older generation dedicated to giving youth a brighter and safer future.

JAPAN: Religious Leaders Renew Pledges to Children

Renewing solidarity and respect for the fundamental rights of children, over 1,300 religious leaders of different faiths, grassroots workers, and decision makers from about 60 countries are gathered in this historic Japanese city to give the younger generation a much-needed 'voice'.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Read the Papers And Fear the Muslims

One result of the Czech media and politicians' frequent warnings of the dangers of Islamic terrorism has been a growing Islamophobia.

SERBIA: Night Life Is For Museums

Serbs appear like some others to have taken to visiting museums during the night.

MEDIA-BANGLADESH: Making Waves Over Community Radio

For 15 years the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) campaigned for the introduction of community radio in the country, only to be turned down by successive, democratically-elected governments.

LEBANON: Druze Take On Hezbollah, Because They Must

Ghostly white sculptures are scattered along the greenery on each side of a sinuous road leading up to a Lebanese mountain range, their silhouettes contrasting against the violet sky. This area, known as the Symposium in Aley, Mount Lebanon, is located behind the infamous '888' mountaintop, a strategic point in Lebanese military history.

CULTURE-US: Muslim Youth Try Humour to Rout Stereotypes

"There are almost 1.2 billion Muslim people in the world. And at least 15 of us are not terrorists. It could even be more than that. Maybe even a lot more," quipped Obaida Abdul-rahim, 28, owner of the Muslim t-shirt business Phatwa Factory.