RIGHTS-ARGENTINA: The Unfinished Story of the “Disappeared”

"The night of Oct. 23, 1976, nearly 33 years ago, was the last time I saw my son Pablo. He was 17 years old, and he was terrified. Since then I have had no reliable news about his fate. My family and I have been left at the mercy of the anguished torments of our imagination."

FILM-COLOMBIA: A Priest’s Passion for Justice

The latest film out of Colombia is based on the true story of a priest in a rural town whose passions include a search for justice in an area that, like so many in this civil war-torn country, is hemmed in by armed groups, whether far-right paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas or state security forces.

RIGHTS-CHILE: Personal Stories Bring the “Disappeared” to Life

Two Chilean women living in the United States were so moved by the plight of people who were detained and disappeared during the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that they overcame the problems of distance, and wrote a book reconstructing the personal lives of eight victims through the accounts given by their closest relatives.

ARGENTINA: 20 Years for Manager in Tragic Club Blaze, but Band Acquitted

Nearly five years after a fire in a night club in the Argentine capital claimed the lives of 194 young people, a court sentenced the club manager and several city officials Wednesday. But the judges absolved the members of the band that was playing that night, touching off angry reactions from families of the victims waiting outside the courthouse.

BOOKS-US: The (Not So) Invisible Ones

People try to illegally enter foreign countries for many different reasons, and in many different ways. But they all have something in common - they are largely "invisible" to authorities and the media.

AFRICA: Ethiopia’s Pop Star Out of Jail, to Stage Big Concert

He has not yet decided where and when it will be, but Ethiopia’s sensational musician Tewodros Kassahun a.k.a. Teddy-Afro, will stage a major concert for the first time after his release from controversial imprisonment.

BOOKS-US: Soldiers Who Just Say No

Six months into Barack Obama's presidency, the U.S. public's display of antiwar sentiment has faded to barely a whisper.

CULTURE-URUGUAY: Music to All Ears

Taking in a classical music concert, learning to make films or attending a literary workshop are no longer activities reserved for the elite in the Uruguayan capital. In addition to the existing initiatives offered by the city government, a new project is under way to promote cultural production and recreation among the poor.

CHILE: The Journalist Who Caught His Own Killer – On Film

Leonardo Henrichsen turned his film camera on the soldier who was aiming at him and held it steady until he was shot to death. But the justice system never caught up with the killer of the Argentine journalist, murdered 36 years ago in Chile while he was filming a military uprising for Swedish television.

CHILE: Dakar Rally Left Trail of Archaeological Damages

The Dakar rally, held this year for the first time in Chile and Argentina, caused severe damage to archaeological sites in northern Chile, according to a report by the Council on National Monuments.

PARAGUAY: Dance Helps Disabled Kids Leap Barriers

Nicolás, a 14-year-old disabled boy, was finally able to open up and begin expressing himself thanks to Open Wings, a project in Paraguay that uses modern dance as a tool to help youngsters with disabilities develop on both the physical and psychological level.

CUBA: Following the Trail of a Woman Who Lived as a Man

When Cuban historian and anthropologist Julio César González and his Spanish friend Alberto Góngora Sanz arrived at the birthplace of Swiss physician Enriqueta Favez, in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, their joy at finally reaching their destination was so great that they broke into tears and dropped to the ground in the square across the street from her house.

CULTURE-AUSTRALIA: Film on ‘Slavery’ Ignites Controversy

‘Stolen’, an Australian documentary film that premiered at the Sydney Film Festival last month, has ignited a controversy with its claims on slavery in the refugee camps of Western Sahara. The main protagonist has denounced the film for her portrayal as a 'slave’, but the filmmakers say they stand by their version of the story "one hundred per cent".

FILM: Graphically Condemning a “Barbaric and Horrific Punishment”

Director Cyrus Nowrasteh's latest feature film "The Stoning of Soraya M." begins with a car radio blaring the successes of Iran's 1979 Revolution.

Q&A: "My Boyfriend Insisted I Quit Dancing, My Answer Was No"

She has had to change her name, sever links with her family and boyfriend, and even move cities because of male stalkers in the Bahraini capital. But no "sacrifice" is too much in the pursuit of her dream for Tufaha, just 24.

CHILE: Home Truths About the Dictator and His Family?

"La Familia. Historia privada de los Pinochet" (The Family: Private History of the Pinochets), a book that delves into the personal life of the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his immediate family, has had a mixed reception in this country and in Ecuador, where a man claiming to be his illegitimate son may soon identify himself.

ARGENTINA: Women Writers Who Break the Mould

An Argentine woman’s first novel, narrated by a character that eludes female literary stereotypes, has surprisingly met with some nasty sexist comments from spheres where such biases were previously unheard of, such as literary criticism and sophisticated readership.

FILM: Shattering the Myth of “Agrarian America”

"How is it that you can buy a 99-cent cheeseburger but not even a head of broccoli?" wonders Michael Pollan, author and co-narrator of the new documentary "Food, Inc.".

EAST TIMOR: Disabled Athletes Shine With Pride

Getting around isn’t easy for Jose Noronha. With minimal use of his legs, he has opted for a red wheelchair-bicycle hybrid that he pedals with his hands, a common sight in Dili, East Timor’s capital.

RIGHTS: Arab TV Soaps Reinforce Gender Bias

Arabic TV channels wait for Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, to launch new soaps that generally portray women negatively. Ramadan starts this year at the end of August.

PAKISTAN: An Unexpected Tribute to MJ

In this South Asian nation, people fondly remember a pop-singer who stole many hearts.