MEXICO CITY,May 17(IPS)-Horacio Ramos is not bothered about paying an extra50 dollars on his television subscription so that he can watchthe entire FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Jun. 11 in SouthAfrica.

MANAMA,MAy 17(IPS)-Surging dowries and the skyrocketing costs ofliving amid constrictingeconomic opportunities made worse bythe global financial crisis have placed aheavy burden onBahraini men contemplating marriage.

MEXICO CITY,May 13(IPS)-Learning to do aerial acrobatics has not onlyhelped 13-year-old Atenas Padilla overcome her fear of heights,but also to become more tolerant and creative.

BUENOS AIRES,May 12(IPS)-The First International Women and Film Festival forGender Equity drew enthusiastic audiences this month in theArgentine capital, where movies from nearly 40 countries werescreened.

BUENOS AIRES,May 11(IPS)-In little over a decade, Argentina has become oneof the world leaders in production and export of films,mini-series, telenovelas (soap operas), entertainment programmesand commercials.

SAN SALVADOR,May 7(IPS)-As the 35th anniversary of Salvadoran poet andrevolutionary Roque Dalton’s death approaches, his sons allegethat two of his killers are currently working for the governmentsof El Salvador and Mexico, respectively, and have demanded theirdismissal.

SANTIAGO,May 7(IPS)-If control of the media was not so heavilyconcentrated in Latin America, the situation of inequality in theregion would be more actively challenged, says Martín Becerra, anArgentine media specialist who presented his latest researchstudy here in the Chilean capital this week.

SANTIAGO,May 6(IPS)-"I want to film the few untouched naturalresources we have left and show the injustices that have beencommitted against our communities,"Claura Anchio, who tookpart in an innovative free filmmaking course for young MapucheIndians in Chile, told IPS.

ASUNCION,May 6(IPS)-From passion for football, to football as aprofession: many parents in Paraguay are hoping this sport willprovide a career for their sons, who flood into football schoolswith the burden of their dreams -- and their parents'demands -- to become sports idols.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey,May 4(IPS)-Six years after the ruling Justice and DevelopmentParty government declared‘zero tolerance’for torture, thepractice prevails in Turkey, human rights monitors in thecountry’s predominantly Kurdish southeastern region say.

ZARQA, Jordan,May 4(IPS)-Infamous as the hometown of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,the late al-Qaeda leader, Zarqa is dominated by Islamic parties.

MELBOURNE,May 4(IPS)-Sara Aboueid, 15, and Jamillah Noordin, 16, wearuniforms similar to countlessnumbers of footballers around theworld.

GAZA CITY,May 3(IPS)-Football is the world's most popular sport,boasting more than an estimated 2billion fans. And despite itsisolation from the world through Israel's four-year-oldblockade, the Gaza Strip is no exception. When a football matchis on, teaand shisha cafes are packed with people gatheredaround the TV sets.

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka,Apr 21(IPS)-Whenever Sri Lankan rights activist Shereen Xavierattends a meeting related to her work in this war-batterednorthern capital, she makes sure to be dressed in a sari, atraditional gown worn by South Asian women.

PARIS,Apr 19(IPS)-"Please remember that we know where your childgoes to school."