DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Giving Ethnic Divisions the Boot

Anthony Njoroge passes the ball to David Onyango, whose shot makes it past the goalkeeper to a thunderous cheer from spectators at Huruma Stadium, in Nairobi's Eastlands slum area.

US/PHILPPINES: Civilian Deaths Cue Against Joint War Games

Non-government organisations (NGOs) opposed to the presence of United States troops in the country are calling for a suspension of U.S.-Philippine joint military exercises scheduled for Feb.18.

POLITICS-CHINA: Spielbergian Snub – Blow To Cultivated Image

For image conscious China the public snub by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, withdrawing involvement with the Beijing Olympics to protest the country’s indifference to the Darfur crisis, is seen as a setback to painstaking efforts to stage the perfect ‘coming-of-age’ party.

MEDIA-INDIA: Community Radio Stifled With Red Tape

Aspiring community radio operators from various parts of the country are complaining of long delays, frustration and bureaucratic red tape in obtaining licenses to run radio stations.

POLITICS-PAKISTAN: Suicide Bombings Ruin Election Campaigning

Escalating violence in the run up to general elections on Feb. 18 has made campaigning impossible for political parties and their supporters in Pakistan’s lawless border areas.

RIGHTS: Widows Face a Life of Quiet Destitution

Many years ago, as Dr. Mohini Giri was walking down a street in Vrindavan, India - known as the "City of Widows" - she noticed the body of a woman who had passed away on the road. Animals were feasting on the corpse, and no one had tried to move her or cremate her.

RIGHTS-AFGHANISTAN: Women Speak Out On Sexual Abuse By Relations

Violence against women perpetrated by a member of the woman’s family or someone known to her appears endemic in Afghanistan.

U.S./IRAN: A History of Violence

By his own admission, U.S. Ambassador John W. Limbert's ordeal as a captive during the Iranian hostage crisis began with a monumental failure of negotiation.

IRAQ: US-Backed Groups Challenge Government

U.S. backed Sunni militants have challenged the U.S.-backed Iraqi government in Baghdad, and demanded political power after two women were killed by government forces.

LEBANON: Internal Conflict in Chilling Rise

The year 2000 heralded the end of Israel's occupation of Lebanon, with the exception of the much disputed enclave of the Shebaa Farms, located at the country's southern western tip between Israel and Syria. Since then, concern over Hezbollah's new role has been in the political spotlight, leading to a continuous rise in tensions, especially following the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

EAST TIMOR: Violence Targets Highest Levels of Gov&#39t

It was a time of hope and rejoicing when East Timor finally achieved independence in May 2002, after 450 years of Portuguese rule and a quarter-century occupation by Indonesia that killed one-third of the population. But the violence has not let up, and it was President José Ramos-Horta who was in the cross-hairs this Monday.

RIGHTS: Hiroshima Forum to Focus on Children Under Siege

The world's 2.2 billion children are under siege - battling poverty, hunger, military conscription, sexual abuse, labour exploitation and HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations.

TURKEY: This Turban Could Bring Trouble

Thanks to an alliance between the ruling Justice and Development (AK) and Nationalist Action (MH) parties, the Turkish Grand National Assembly has approved legislation to lift the ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf for female students at universities.

POLITICS: Kosovo Independence – Albania Seeks Tokyo’s Help

During his four-day visit to Tokyo last week, Albania's first democratically elected prime minister, Sali Berisha, asked Japan to strengthen economic ties with his country and support Kosovo's bid for independence from Serbia.

RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Pantanal Indians Threatened by Deforestation

The indigenous peoples of the central-western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul do not look like the tribes portrayed in film, decked out in colourful clothing and adornments and depending on their natural surroundings to survive in the Amazon jungle. But some of their problems are similar to their Amazonian counterparts, and in some cases even more serious.

ARTS: Scorsese Sets Film Festival Rolling

The 58th International Berlin Film Festival was given a rousing start when Martin Scorsese's vibrant Rolling Stones documentary 'Shine a Light' was chosen to kick off the ten-day movie extravaganza Thursday evening.

POLITICS-SPAIN: Immigration, a Polarising Electoral Issue

In the campaign for Spain’s Mar. 9 elections, there are two opposing positions on the question of immigration. On the left, the predominant viewpoint is that immigrants must be accepted, and that comprehensive global solutions are needed, while on the right the attitude is at best to cold-shoulder, and at worst to harass them.

HEALTH-INDIA: Will To Stop Live Kidney Sales Missing

The arrest of Indian kidney transplant racketeer Amit Kumar alias Santosh Raut has lifted the lid off a huge well-ramified illicit international organ trading ring with operations running into billions of dollars across several countries.

RIGHTS-CHILE: In the Mapuche People’s Heartland

Before the latest outbreak of protests and unrest among Mapuche Indians in the southern Chilean region of Araucanía, IPS visited the village of Temucuicui, whose residents have complained for years about judicial persecution and police brutality in response to their claims to their ancestral land.

LATIN AMERICA: A Hellish Life for Dolphins

Mexico is one of the few countries in Latin America that allows the operation of dolphin aquariums - tourist venues that rake in high profits and where these sea mammals often live in severely inadequate conditions, according to studies.

GERMANY: Dating Agency for Disabled Shows Love Has No Barriers

"Living as a couple is the best dream come true," Volker Lauer told IPS, referring to his five-year relationship with Monika, who he met through a unique German dating agency for the disabled.