AFRICA: Artists Reflect on World Through Toys With A Difference By Johan EybersJOHANNESBURG - 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. MORE >>
RIGHTS-ARGENTINA: ‘The Other Final Match’ By Marcela ValenteBUENOS AIRES - 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. MORE >>
BOOKS-US: All Doughnuts Lead to the Pentagon By Ali GharibWASHINGTON - U.S. defence spending in recent years has either matched or exceeded the military budgets of the rest of the world combined. Presented with that fact, the next logical question is, where is all the money going? The answer is simple: Everywhere. MORE >>
CUBA: The ‘Telenovela’ as Springboard for Public Debate By Dalia AcostaHAVANA - 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". MORE >>
RIGHTS-CHAD: "Africa's Pinochet" Still Eluding Justice By Katie VandeverUNITED NATIONS - 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. MORE >>
BRAZIL: African Rhythms Open Prospects for High-Risk Youngsters By Fabiana FrayssinetSALVADOR DA BAHIA, Brazil - "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. MORE >>
BRAZIL: Delivery Boy Newshounds Show Life in Sao Paulo By Mario OsavaRIO DE JANEIRO - 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. MORE >>
THEATRE-US: Welcome to the Machine By Lucy Komisar*NEW YORK - "The Adding Machine" (1923) and "Top Girls" (1983) are separated by 60 years, but both used stylised techniques to portray workers as willing slaves of capitalism. That system has destroyed them, but they haven't the consciousness to know it. And they absorb attitudes that are racist and sexist. MORE >>
GERMANY: Berlin Emerges as Arts Centre By Clive FreemanBERLIN - 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. MORE >>
BOOKS-IRAQ: The Fruit of a Poisonous Tree By Mohammed A. SalihWASHINGTON - 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. MORE >>
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