SANTIAGO,Feb 9(IPS)-Criminal law should not be used against freedom ofexpression, nor to silence community radio stations in Chile, sayactivists and journalists in response to closures of communityradio outlets in this South American country.

RIO DE JANEIRO,Feb 8(IPS)-Perfectly in tune, in spite of the off-key world ofTerra Encantada ("Enchanted Land"), a shanty town in thisBrazilian city, the guitars of Daniel Sant'Anna'sorchestra strike up the"Ode to Joy", played by childrenand teenagers who are looking for a way forward in their lives.

BUCHAREST,Feb 6(IPS)-A textbook on human rights activism, beingintroduced in Romanian schools this year, steers away frompreaching and uses interviews with global and local rightsactivists to suggest how young people may get involved.

KUALA LUMPUR,Jan 10(IPS)-Days of simmering religious tension over a NewYear’s Eve court ruling allowingCatholics to use the Arabicword‘Allah’to denote the Christian God have boiledover afterunknown individuals tried to burn down three churches in thecapital.

KARACHI,Jan 7(IPS)-Wracked by intense violence in 2009, Pakistan hasseen an unprecedenteddisplacement of hundreds of thousands ofpeople, which persists to this day.

DIYARBAKIR, (Eastern Turkey),Jan 4(IPS)-With newfound liberties for the Kurdish minorityand the government’s‘Democratic Opening’initiative theprospects for peace in 2010 are brighter than they have been inthe last 25 years. The fly in the ointment is the ban in Decemberof the pro-Kurd, Democratic Society Party (DTP).

KARACHI,Dec 31(IPS)-For Fazeelat Bibi, 21, the last few days of 2009have brought her someretribution, if not cheer."Justicehas been delivered,"said the young woman, hervoice void ofany feelings.

JAKARTA,Dec 31(IPS)-The news about fourth Indonesian president andcleric Abdurrahman Wahidbeing admitted to the hospital lastweek merited only a passing mention in thenational media. Itwas overshadowed by reports on the country’s tumultuouspolitical situation, such as allegations that President SusiloBambang Yudhoyonowas involved in a banking scandal and thecontroversies hounding the country’scorruption eradicationagency.

TORONTO,Dec 30(IPS)-Restrictions on art displays and signage criticalof the upcoming February 2010 Winter Olympics and the creation ofa massive high-tech security network are putting a damper in someresidents' minds on what should be a celebratory sportsextravaganza in Vancouver.

TAGUIG CITY, Philippines,Dec 30(IPS/IFEJ)-Days after the New Year’s Eve revelry dies down,expect colorful lanterns orwreaths to remain hanging on thewindows of many Filipino homes–part of atradition in thisSouth-east Asian country known to have the longest Yuletidecelebration in the world.

PERALIYA, Sri Lanka,Dec 29(IPS)-Waves hitting a train and carriages half submergedin water. Scores of men,women and children leaping above thewater, hands outstretched, bodies strewnall over.

NAHR AL-BARED (North Lebanon),Dec 29(IPS)-The hip-hop beats ringing through the muddy, unlitstreets of this burnt-out Palestinian refugee camp seemincongruous. But the rhymes are camp-grown - and courageous.

ROME,Dec 26(IPS)-What happens to language and the way women areaddressed when they start to occupy positions of responsibility?Well, it depends on the language.

JUBA,Dec 23(IPS)-As the general elections scheduled for April 2010draw nearer in Africa’s largest country ravaged by a long drawnwar, the scramble for political positions is rife as womenstruggle to make their presence felt.

KATHMANDU,Dec 23(IPS)-Just 40 kms away from the capital Kathmandu, inThasingtole, Lalitpur District, Kalli Kumari B.K., 46, a localDalit woman, was mercilessly beaten up. She was accused of beinga 'witch', imprisoned in a shed and forced to eat herown excreta