KABUL,Dec 11(IPS)-After the fall of the Taliban, the most widelyrecognised and praised Afghan film has been 'Osama'.Directed by Sediq Barmak, the 2003 production is the heartrendingstory of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy named Osamaso that she might survive the Taliban regime. Osama receivedawards at both Cannes and the Golden Globes.

UNITED NATIONS,Dec 8(IPS)-A landmark U.N. treaty on women’s rights, whichwill be 30 years old next week,is in danger of beingpolitically undermined by a slew of reservations by 22countriesseeking exemptions from some of the convention’s legalobligations.

MONTEVIDEO,Dec 7(IPS)-Contrary to popular belief in Uruguay, the capitalcity’s black population is no longer concentrated inneighbourhoods like Barrio Sur, Palermo and Cordón, which werehistorically home to the majority of African descendents andremain heavily steeped in Afro-Uruguayan culture.

SANTA ANA, New Mexico,Dec 5(IPS)-Some 8,000 kilometres from the Climate ChangeConference in Copenhagen, Native American environmental expertsfrom 66 tribes came together at a summit here this week toaddress the most pressing needs in their communities - problems,all emphasised, that know no geographic boundaries.

BUENOS AIRES,Dec 5(IPS)-A group of local residents from Villa 1-11-14, aslum on the outskirts of the Argentine capital, put out amagazine aimed at breaking down the stereotypes propagated by themainstream media, which associate neighbourhoods like theirs onlywith drugs, crime and marginalisation.

MANAGUA,Dec 4(IPS)-More than one million poor children in Nicaraguawill enjoy a massive Christmas celebration this month, completewith recreational activities and presents, organised by thegovernment of President Daniel Ortega. But the opposition iscriticising the project as populist and eccentric.

CAIRO,Dec 4(IPS)-A few years ago, dog markets were dull places withpooch purveyors keepingan eye open for more lucrative business.

MEXICO CITY,Dec 3(IPS)-"The judges are usually men, and they tend toprefer men's writing,"Mexican journalist and novelistElena Poniatowska, a perennial candidate for the Miguel deCervantes Prize, said with a note of resignation in her voice.

MEXICO CITY,Oct 3(IPS/IFEJ)-Four sculptures in human forms, made of concrete,will be submerged in November in the Mexican Caribbean - thefirst of 400 figures that will comprise the world's largestunderwater museum.

RIO DE JANEIRO,Oct 2(IPS)-Brazil has"the happiest and most creative"people in the world, and deserved this opportunity, BrazilianPresident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in Copenhagen,celebrating Friday's election of Rio de Janeiro as the hostof the 2016 Olympic Games.

MEXICO CITY,Oct 2(IPS)-Mexico has big plans for celebrating its 200thanniversary of independence from Spain next year. But Mexicans ofAfrican descent are as invisible in those plans as they are ineveryday life.

MANILA,Oct 2(IPS)-Pushing Muslims’long-held aspirations for genuineself-determination in mainly Catholic Philippines is acomplicated struggle"because we are not a priorityissue"for the central government.

TOKYO,Oct 2(IPS)-Hip hop. Fashion. Zen café. Animation.

MONTEVIDEO,Sep 30(IPS)-Making the contributions by black people to thecultural heritage of Latin America visible is one big steptowards pulling people of African descent out of the poverty andmarginalisation in which so many still live, said participants ata regional seminar in the Uruguayan capital.

SANTIAGO,Sep 30(IPS)-Sound files containing recordings of spokenKaweshkar - a nearly extinct indigenous language of southernChile–have been put together thanks to the work ofethnolinguistÓscar Aguilera and anthropologist JoséTonko, anddonated to national and foreign institutions with the aim ofpreserving the culture of one of Chile’s nine native groups.