AFP: Off Central Park, a 'church' for humanists 22 May

It's not easy for Egyptian artists to reconcile the demands of their work and the strict rules of modesty in Islamic culture. Sculptors and artists can't train with nude models at Cairo's Academy of Fine Arts, and dancers hesitate to show too much skin.

From bustling Orlando to the beaches of Dayton, Central Florida offers an endless array of entertainment. Orlando, with its fine hotels and exciting nightlife, is gateway to this theme park wonderland. From the depths of the ocean to space explorations, from nature to modern technology, Central Florida is a non-stop entertainment destination.

A French navy ship stocked with 1,000 tonnes of food and emergency supplies is positioned off of the worst-hit region of Myanmar's coast and awaiting permission to deliver its supplies. The vessel is equipped with three helicopters and enough rood to sustain 100,000 people for two weeks, as well as tents and tarpaulin sheets to shelter 60,000 homeless people.

Beijing lifted the curtain on the Olympic Village here on Wednesday, offering journalists a glimpse inside the home away from home for about 10,500 athletes during the August 8-24 Games. The village's biggest claim to fame is its eco-friendly "green" credentials and its superb location -- situated just across the road from the Olympic Green, home to major sports venues, including the main stadium.

The region of Taean is on the Korean peninsula's west coast, about 150 kilometres southwest of the capital Seoul. The national park is famous for its sandy beaches popular with tourists, as well as its marine farms and oyster beds. But the oil spill has not only devastated the environment, it's also hit the local economy hard, putting fishermen and restaurants out of business. Joanna Partridge reports

Now Missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency and President Bush has approved federal assistance for the state...as the storm continues moving northeast.

Following the consecration of gay cleric Gene Robinson, can anything be done to reconcile the Anglican church? “The Communion has fractured,” states Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen. “A crack has emerged and that crack will continue unless something radical is done.” Like many traditionalists, he believes Robinsons ordination was “a very bad moment for our church.” Conservatives are angry that the Archbishop of Canterbury did not firmly oppose gay ordination. They are threatening to pull their Churches out of the Anglican community and have started to look elsewhere for religious guidance. But the man many see as responsible for the rift, Gene Robinson, remains unrepentant. “God is doing a new thing here and I believe time will show that it is a Godly thing.”

A supernatural short thriller based on true events, local legends, and folk law. The Park follows the journey of two spoilt, dysfunctional sisters on a solemn trip to an ancient country park. When the girls become separated and a mysterious lady in white appears, the sisters soon realise what a godless place they have naively stumbled across. More… The Park is a short film completed in 2007, which formed the basis of a third year degree project for a university film production course. The film was inspired by a famous White Lady ghost myth and shot over a week in the haunted grounds of Marbury Country Park in Cheshire, UK. The Park has since been broadcast on Sky TV and had successful screenings in a selection of different film festivals; including The Royal Television Society Student Awards, where it picked up the award for Undergraduate Drama in the North West region of England.

The United Nations Environment Programme has awarded this year's Sasakawa Prize on the theme of Climate Change to an individual, to Jeunesse Park, CEO of Food and Trees for Africa.