by Brenda Peterson, Orion Magazine, USA - “WITH 9/11, the blessed countdown for the Rapture has begun,” my neighbor George informed me almost casually.

by Afsana Rashid and Tanveen Kawoosa, The Daily Etâla'ät, Kashmir - Despite the increase in the incidence of women being raped with impunity in Kashmir, such crimes are not only ignored by the society for the stigma it entails for the victim and her family, but are also swept under the carpet by judiciary system.

by Dianna Ortiz, Tikkun, USA - For the tortured, fundamental beliefs about trust, faith, and human decency have been betrayed.

by Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, USA - One of the nation's largest Libyan-exile populations came believing that the situation in Libya would soon improve and that their stay in the United States would be brief.

by Mary Anne Ostrom, San Jose Mercury News, USA - The final count was in: Edwards, one delegate; Clinton, three, and Obama, five. The Edwards people questioned the delegate calculations, figured on a hand held calculator. Finally, the vice-chair of the caucus quieted them by saying, "This is called caucus math, and it doesn't often make sense."

by Marion Kraske, Der Spiegel, Germany - Slovenia, a small country bordering the southern edge of the Alps, assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union on Jan. 1. But rampant inflation and journalists' concerns about government censorship are causing problems for Europe's model pupil. Slovenia, a nation of two million people on the southeastern edge of the Alps, is without a doubt the most dynamic and ambitious of the former communist countries that joined the European Union in May 2004.

by Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post, Israel - Police, IDF and local dignitaries gathered Wednesday in the Beduin community of Segev Shalom, near Beersheba, to honor the man they all call the "sheikh of all sheikhs." Southern District chief Cmdr. Uri Bar-Lev presented Abu Muamar with a lifetime achievement award, recognizing the Azazmeh tribe leader for his service to the Beduin community and to the defense of Israel. It was the first time that such an award has been given.

by Victoria Ho, Business Week Asia, USA - The economic uncertainty the United States is experiencing will have no impact on Asia's IT industry, which is expected to "power forward" in 2008. "In contrast to ongoing credit crisis in the United States and the upward swing in energy prices there, leading Asian economies such as China, India, Singapore and Korea, are likely to maintain their growth momentum in 2008."

by Stephanie Rosenbloom, New York Times, USA - Now that first impressions are often made in cyberspace people are not only strategizing about how to virtually convey who they are, but also grappling with how to craft an e-version of themselves that appeals to multiple audiences — co-workers, fraternity brothers, Mom and Dad.

by Nina Berglund, Aftenposten, Norway - "It must be made clear that the responsibility for peace on Sri Lanka lies with the parties," Solheim said. "If they don’t want peace, there’s very little Norway can do."

by Najum Mushtaq and Jacklynne Hobbs, IPS News, Italy - Ghanaian President John Kufuor will reportedly head to Kenya Thursday to help bring an end to post-election violence that has claimed upwards of 300 lives across the East African country.

by Kate Connolly, Guardian Unlimited, UK - Newsha Tavakolian, a 26-year-old from Tehran, points to one of her photographs, a woman in a bright green scarf with swollen pink lips, bruised eyes and a thinly plastered nose.

by Renata Avila, Global Voices Online, USA - For the many Guatemalan migrants hoping to earn a better livelihood abroad, a simple phone call replaces the joys of dining room conversations and walks throughout the plaza.

by Jane Roh, The Gate/National Journal, USA - Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced today that the Justice Department would open a criminal probe into why the CIA destroyed videotapes of terrorism interrogations.

by Danna Harman, Christian Science Monitor, USA - Ingrid Moloi runs a support group for grandmothers of AIDS orphans in a poor township in Johannesburg. Of the more than 11 million African children who lost parents to AIDS-related illnesses in the past decade, according to the UN, 40 to 60 percent are cared for by grandmothers. One by one, the elderly ladies stand and give testimony to the young woman they call Mama.

by Christine Avendaño, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines - A new proposal that will see the government resorting to constitutional amendments possibly in 2008 to push the stalled peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would likely have the backing of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. “If this will help peace talks and governance in Mindanao, why not?'' Ermita said.

by Jeannette Andrade, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines- Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte is planning to implement programs for women and underprivileged residents of the locality under the city’s P8.6 billion budget for 2008. The mayor said he was earmarking a large portion of the budget for social and health services, labor, and education.

by Rebecca Anna Stoil, The Jerusalem Post, Israel-After months of discussion and planning, the Israel Police officially established on the first day of 2008 a new unit - nicknamed the "Israeli FBI" - and revealed its official name: Lahav (blade). The word "blade," police said, signified the sharpness and precision needed to carry out the unit's tough assignment - fighting organized crime and corruption at an institutional level. The "four" signifies the four specialist investigative units integrated within its auspices - the National Fraud Squad, the Security-Economic Unit, the Serious and International Crimes Unit, and the anti-car-theft unit, Etgar.

by Emily Holland, International Rescue Committee, Sudan-Today, I arrived in Nyala, Darfur to document the International Rescue Committee's programs here, in particular those aiding displaced women. Approximately 50,000 people displaced by the Darfur conflict currently reside here, many in makeshift shelters -- some without a roof over their heads. The IRC has operated a health clinic in Otash since August 2004, which provides critical services to internally displaced people, plus special care for women.

by Leslie Bennetts, Vanity Fair, USA-Who needs a warm-up campaign? Having scaled down her career to support her husband’s political goals, Michelle Obama says “it’s now or never” for the couple to take the White House. As Barack gathers momentum, Michelle speaks candidly about America’s need for change, and a different kind of political marriage.

by Juliette Terzieff, World Politics Review, USA - A group of distinguished veteran statesmen, diplomats and human rights campaigners known as the "Elders" launched a global drive to gather signatures from one billion people who are committed to living their lives according to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

by Cnaan Liphshiz and Ruthie Pliskin, Haaretz.com, Israel - When teaching Holocaust studies to Dutch Muslim teenagers in Amsterdam, Mustafa Daher says he first has to defuse his pupils' own hostility toward Jews and Israel.

by Stephanie Nolen, Globe and Mail, Canada - An unprecedented escalation in violence and worsening humanitarian crisis have earned little notice in the West.

by Caroline Wyatt, BBC News, Paris - What could be more French than sitting in a cafe enjoying a coffee and a cigarette, watching the world go by?

by Linda Chavez, Boston Herald, USA-The world became a more dangerous place last week with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. The country, a linchpin in the war on terrorism, is wracked with violence, endangering not just Pakistanis but all of us. All of this should focus voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, who are about to make their choices for the presidential nominees.

by Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, USA- In a normal season, losing all the early contests would almost certainly end a candidacy. Though he is not especially funny, Rudy Giuliani likes to begin with a joke. “Did you know that I’m running for President of the United States?” he asked at a recent house party in Windham, New Hampshire. “Did I tell you that? I’m running because I believe that the country needs strong leadership for the future.”

by Elizabeth Drew, Politico.com, In all the excitement over the prospect that Hillary Rodham Clinton might be our first woman president, largely overlooked is the fact that, after trying numerous other strategies, she has ended up dependent on her husband to help her win.

Her campaign had begun by tagging her, simply, “Hillary.” She would win this thing on her own.

by Charlayne Hunter-Gault, All Africa, South Africa-How the ANC embarked on damage control after the exuberant behavior of presidential challenger Jacob Zuma's supporters at the ANC conference on Sunday. To no one's surprise, Thabo Mbeki, president of the ruling African National Congress Party and his deputy, Jacob Zuma were nominated tonight for the position Mbeki now holds.

by Breanne Gilpartick and Beth Reinhard, Miami Herald, USA-In the first U.S. presidential race without an incumbent president or vice president in more than half a century, Iowa caucuses will narrow the field Thursday.

by Sheila Musaji, The American Muslim, USA-There was a lot of bad news for Muslims in 2007 (and we might as well look at that first). Some of the bad news was brought to us by non-Muslims,

UNICEF, USA - American photographer Stephanie Sinclair is the winner of this year’s ‘Photo of the Year’ competition

by Kate Woodsome, VOA, Hong Kong - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has wrapped up a four-day visit to China that helped soften historically tense relations

by Rebecca Harrison, Reuters, Jerusalem - The number of people killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dropped sharply in 2007

by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Katie Nguyen, Mail&Guardian, South Africa - Delays announcing the results ignited deep ethnic tensions in East Africa's biggest economy.