• Chile should reform its criminal and military justice codes to eliminate provisions that criminalise speech disrespectful of public authorities, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the chair of the country's senate committee set up to reconsider the issue this month. After a two-and-a-half year debate in the legislature, a government bill to eliminate the crime of "disrespect" entirely is now entering the final stage of discussion.
• Kerala is going in for ''ethics committees'', comprising students, teachers and parents, to monitor the misuse of mobile phones, particularly camera phones, and examine the staging of fashion and dance shows. Orders to form the panels were issued following meetings of representatives of students' unions and educationists convened last month, state Education Minister E T Muhammad Basheer informed the state Assembly in the second week of March 2005.
• Rashmi C Senan of India has received the world environment photography prize awarded by the un. The award carries a cash prize of us$20,000.
The winning candidate was selected from 32,000 entries.
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