MEDIA-BRAZIL: Free Speech and an Open Mic

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva "betrayed" community radio stations, said Magno Cruz, the head of Radio Conquista, speaking at a round table discussion at the International Laboratory for Free Media, held in the capital of the northeastern state of Maranhao.

RIGHTS-MALAYSIA: Malaysian, Thai Officials Trafficking Burmese Migrants?

A scandalous trade in Burmese migrant labour involving Malaysian and Thai officials and international human traffickers is now coming to light.

RIGHTS-SRI LANKA: 'Plight of Tamils Similar to Gaza Civilians'

While the Sri Lankan army has announced the capture of Mullaitivu, the last bastion of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the plight of more than 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting continues to be as grim as that of civilians in Gaza, say those involved in humanitarian work.

PAKISTAN/INDIA: Women Beat Unorthodox Paths to Peace

As high-profile delegations from Pakistan visit India after the launch of a month-long cross-border signature campaign to press for resumption of dialogue between the two countries and call for peace, IPS interviewed three Pakistani women who are pushing this agenda in their own unorthodox ways.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: By-Poll Debacle May Hit Reforms

A key parliamentary by-election on Saturday that fell to a resurgent opposition alliance has piled pressure on Malaysia's prime minister-to-be, Najib Razak.

INDIA/PAKISTAN: Civil Society Mounts Peace Offensive

A visit to India by a delegation of civil society activists from Pakistan as part of a ‘peace offensive’ is expected to help keep the two South Asian neighbours from going to war over the Nov. 26-29 terror attacks on Mumbai city.

THAILAND: Burmese Refugees Set Adrift, Hundreds Feared Dead

Hundreds of Rohingya (Burmese Muslim) refugees are feared dead after being pushed back into the sea by Thai authorities, according to human rights activists based in Thailand.

BOLIVIA: Christian Groups Stir Up Debate over New Constitution

"Did you know they want to throw God out of Bolivia?" asks a television spot frequently broadcast by opponents of leftwing Bolivian President Evo Morales ahead of the Jan. 25 referendum on constitutional reform.

CHILE: Ex Political Prisoners in Therapeutic Theatre

A group of former political prisoners in Chile will become actors and actresses this month to heal the wounds left by the 1973-1990 dictatorship. They will be performing a cycle of plays written in torture camps and in exile.

MALAYSIA: By-Poll Will Test Political Drift

Following the political tsunami in March, which propelled a disparate opposition alliance to power in five of 13 Malaysian states, voters in the capital of oil-rich Terengganu state will determine Saturday if an 'east coast monsoon' will drive the alliance closer to national power.

RELIGION: Catholic Church Family Meet Slams Door on Diversity

The social diversity and broad range of thinking among Catholics is conspicuously absent from the Sixth World Meeting of Families taking place in the Mexican capital this week, say observers.

CULTURE-PAKISTAN: Artistes Caught in Crossfire

Arson attacks and killings have shut down girls’ schools and brought a thriving entertainment industry to its knees in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

SRI LANKA: Journos Vow to Carry on Slain Editor's Legacy

Every Tuesday the editors of ‘The Sunday Leader’, the investigative Colombo-based newspaper, go through a ritual. Throughout the morning editorial staff amble in and out, tension levels rising as deadlines near.

MIDEAST: Malaysia Exercised Over Gaza

As an economically advanced country that seeks a key role in the Muslim world, it is perhaps natural that Malaysia and its people are exercised over Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

RELIGION-INDIA: Reviving Buddhism Where It Was Born

Over 50 years ago, the author of India’s constitution, B. R. Ambedkar, set in motion a Buddhist socio-political movement which many believe is now ready to fructify through Mayawati, chief minister of northern Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.

RIGHTS-AUSTRALIA: No Accountability For Anti-Terror Errors

Despite the Kevin Rudd-led government committing to introduce all ten recommendations of the inquiry into Australian authorities’ bungled terrorism investigation of Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, civil rights groups are concerned at the lack of accountability for mistakes made.

RIGHTS-SRI LANKA: ‘Culture of Violence Getting Ingrained in Society’

One of the worst legacies of the decades-old civil war in this island country is the culture of violence and impunity that many fear has become ingrained in Sri Lankan society - once known for ‘serendipity' and respect for Buddhist virtues.

POLITICS-MALAYSIA: By-Election Test For Ruling Coalition

Prime Minister-designate Najib Razak, who succeeds Abdullah Badawi in March, faces a by-election that will test whether voters, especially majority Malays, still support the 13-party coalition government which suffered massive setbacks in general elections last year.

BRAZIL: Afro-Brazilian Religions Battle New Threats

Millions of Brazilians usher in the new year by wading into the sea, dressed in white, scattering flowers on the water as an offering to the Afro-Brazilian deity Iemanjá, in return for her blessings for the year to come. But few of them realise that this tradition is rooted in a religion fighting for survival in the face of prejudice, racism and intolerance.

MEXICO: Films on Indigenous People – But Who Will See Them?

Half a century of films about indigenous peoples have been removed from forgotten corners of store rooms, recorded on compact discs and launched on the Mexican market, in order to bring to light views and realities that are seldom shown on commercial television and in movies.

CUBA: Racism – “Taboo, Complicated and Thorny” Issue

The persistence of racism in Cuba is disturbing to some of the island's thinkers, who are calling for a debate on the problem in this country, where equal rights have not guaranteed equal opportunities for all social groups.