During every year that ends in an even number, the month of August is a special occasion for young men in Kenya's Western Province. During this month thousands of boys aged between 10 and 18 undergo male circumcision–something that is seen as an important rite of passage into manhood among their communities. But it is also a time were nearly half the young men circumcised will have to fight for their lives.

A bicentennial celebration for ordinary people, envisioned as the start of a process of social reflection, is being prepared by over 100 organisations and public personalities in Chile as a response to the official commemoration of the 200th anniversary of independence from Spain.

Turn schools into hate-free zones, and achieving peace inviolence-wracked Pakistan may not be far behind.

Like a seasoned star, Ting Ting pranced around on the stage inan energetic dance routine as she delivered a pitch-perfectrendition of a high-tempo Chinese ballad. Enthralled, the 500-strong crowd surged forward, eager to catch a closer look atthe svelte 25-year-old artiste, dressed in a bright pink top–and a skirt that ends too many inches above her knees.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is threatening an international showdownwith neighbouring Thailand over the vexed question of managing a 10th-century Hindu temple, an architectural jewel of Cambodia's ancient Khmercivilisation.

Independent theatre productions are mushrooming in basements, small theatres, garages or private residences throughout the Argentine capital, and sometimes even making it big across borders.

"I had a lump in my breast for a few years that I ignored [mainly because] it didn't hurt. It's so easy to try to deny illness,"says Tracey Derrick. When she finally went to see a doctor for a biopsy, she got a big shock. The result came back positive: breast cancer.

"The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has proved that music can break down barriers previously considered insurmountable,"its Argentine-Israeli conductor, Daniel Barenboim, told IPS on a visit to Ecuador.

When architect Hikari Kurihara built his quaint house fiveyears ago, he hoped to spread a new message of conservation–by revisiting the past.

The magazine El Teje, which is published in the Argentine capital and presents itself as"the first transvestite publication in Latin America,"has been fighting the stigmatisation of the trans community for nearly three years.

Weak floodlights barely held back gathering darkness as Somalia met Serbia in the finals of the Poor People's World Cup. A small band of supporters were on hand to see an African side lift the cup in Cape Town's Vygieskraal Stadium.

Late on a hot summer morning in January 2008, 46-year-oldAboriginal elderMr Ward climbed into the back of a prisoner transport van forthe 360-kilometre, four-hour journey from the small Western Australiangoldfields townof Laverton to Kalgoorlie, a larger mining centre, where hewas due in court toface drink driving charges.

At first glance, Sara Samarasinghe's website could be anyteenager's: cheerful pink text scrawled against a blackbackground, blog entries about summer clothing sales, andlists of favourites: music (Kelly Clarkson), movies (10 ThingsI Hate About You), and quotes (Jennifer Aniston, J. K.Rowling).

"When time starts to change, no one can stop it,"says a character in"El canto del pozo ciego"(Blind Mouth Singing), a play that is reviving the cultural exchange between Cuba and the United States, which has been virtually nonexistent over the past 10 years.

Just a month after the buzz from the vuvuzelas ended at the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Singapore is busypreparing to host the next major event in the world sportscalendar–the Youth Olympic Games. But few seem to know, orcare, about the inaugural youth version of the venerableOlympic Games.