BANGKOK, Oct 12 (IPS) - Beyond the sound and fury at the rallies and violence at recent protests here in Thai capital, a larger, more painful struggle over how to resolve deep divisions in electoral democracy continues -- and may well reshape politics in this South-east Asian country.

NEW YORK, Oct 11 (IPS) - In what appears to be another stunning legal rebuke to President George W. Bush's policies in the "global war on terrorism", a federal judge has blocked the government from blacklisting a Muslim-oriented charity to give the group a chance to defend itself after its assets were frozen almost three years ago.

SANTIAGO, Oct 11 (Tierramérica) - As greenhouse gas emissions drive global warming and fuel prices continue to soar, pedalling has come back in style in many cities of the industrialised world. In Chile, as well, public bicycle services, bike routes and special parking areas are some of the initiatives currently being developed.

COLOMBO, Oct 11 (IPS) - It might have been the script of a Tamil blockbuster movie. When Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, eastern commander of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), turned renegade in 2004 he could not have dreamt of being sworn in as a member of Sri Lanka’s parliament.

BARCELONA, Oct 10 (IPS/Terraviva) - Several environmental organisations have asked the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to stop accepting funding from Shell, the giant international oil company.

DAKAR, Oct 10 (IPS) - The Sicap Baobab neighborhood, one of the prettiest in the Senegalese capital, stands out, but not for the most obvious reasons. Not for its well-paved roads, or the number of naturalised immigrants from Cabo Verde, Togo or Benin, not for the hustle and bustle of the formal and informal economies.

HAVANA, Oct 10 (IPS) - Pastors and representatives of Protestant churches expressed their disagreement with a report from the United States that describes Cuba as one of the countries that restrict the practice of religion and said that, on the contrary, they have absolute freedom to practise their faith.

HELSINKI, Oct 10 (IPS) - The Finns had almost waited for the Nobel Peace Prize for Martti Ahtisaari too long. It finally came as a happy surprise, amidst speculation it would go this year to Asia.

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (IPS) - The Nevada voter registration operation of a low-income advocacy organisation had its offices raided on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation by state authorities into whether the group is involved in systematic voter fraud.

TOKYO, Oct 10 (IPS) - Japan’s death row inmates revealed to the world on Friday their personal stories of isolation and suffering, uninformed until the last minute when they will be taken to the gallows.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (IPS) - Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi’s planned stepping down in March 2009 may well see a return to the authoritarian rule familiar to Malaysians during the 22-year iron rule of his predecessor Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

BEIJING, Oct 10 (IPS) - For a country with an enduring tradition of Confucian ethics, the poisoned milk scandal -- possibly the worst crisis of its type in Chinese modern history -- has had a devastating blow on the public's trust in its government's benevolence.

MADRID, Oct 9 (IPS) - When it seemed that the atrocities committed during the 1936-1939 Spanish civil war and the 1939-1975 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco were buried once and for all, the debate has been reopened.

SANTIAGO, Oct 9 (IPS) - The arrest of Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) a decade ago in London set the justice system in motion in Chile and in other countries in the world, stimulated the attempt to get at the truth about atrocities, and sent out a strong message to a number of notorious human rights violators.

NEW YORK, Oct 9 (IPS) - Wall Street may be in the throes of agony, but business is booming at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen a bit farther north in the Manhattan neighbourhood of Chelsea.