Politics

Madagascar seeks end to crisis in vote for new president

Madagascans vote for a new president and parliament in elections aimed at pulling the island out of the political and economic doldrums and restoring democracy.

Dec 20, 2013

2013, the year Pope Francis overhauled Catholic image

Pope Francis has turned around the way the Catholic Church is seen but his promise of Vatican reform awaits next year and key problems remain. Duration: 02:30

Dec 20, 2013

Tensions in Tangiers after migrants die in police raids

In Boukhalef, cramped apartment blocks house hundreds of sub-Saharan migrants dreaming of reaching Europe, but tragedy has transformed the poor Tangiers suburb into a flashpoint for racial tensions in Morocco.

Dec 20, 2013

WFP distributes to thousands of displaced C.Africans

Conflict in the Central African Republic has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, increasing humanitarian needs. The WFP is providing food to displaced people in the capital Bangui and at other locations. Duration: 00:36

Dec 20, 2013

Khodorkovsky flies to Germany after release

Russia's most famous prisoner and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Friday walked out of jail after more than 10 years behind bars, immediately flying to Germany following his surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin.

Dec 20, 2013

Hezbollah vows to punish Israel for killing top leader

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned Israel that his Lebanese Shiite movement will "punish" the Jewish state "anywhere in the world" for the killing of a top leader earlier this month.

Dec 20, 2013

Narendra Modi blames Congress for poverty in India

Varanasi, Dec 20 (ANI): BJP's Prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi blamed the Congress for poverty, adding that the party destroyed the country. Addressing a public rally on Friday in Varanasi, Modi stated that the nation was ruled by one family for past 45 years and it was responsible for poverty. Taking a jibe at the Congress party, Modi added that a tea-seller can also become the prime minister of the country.

Dec 20, 2013

Bangladesh war victim's family calls for trial of perpetrators after Molla's execution

Dhaka, Dec 20 (ANI): Wife of a victim of Bangladesh liberation war, Shyamali Nasreen Chaudhury called for trial of other war criminals accused of genocide after the execution of Islamist leader Abdul Quader Molla by International Crimes Tribunal.

Dec 20, 2013

India rolls out its first self-made light fighter aircraft-Tejas

Bangalore, Dec 20 (ANI): India's locally made lighter supersonic combat aircraft, Tejas, on Friday got official clearance as the country moves a step closer towards joining the club of elite countries, capable of manufacturing such aircrafts, and gradually phasing out its ageing fleet of Russian fighters.

Dec 20, 2013

BJP spearheads a shutdown in protest against Bangladesh land deal

Guwahati, Dec 20 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam spearheaded a 24-hour-long shutdown in protest against the tabling of a constitutional amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha to facilitate the swapping of land enclaves with Bangladesh.

Dec 20, 2013

Arun Jaitley calls for acceptance of laws drafted for women safety

New Delhi, Dec 20 (ANI): Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that laws formulated in the country are a guiding force and should be accepted by the society.

Dec 20, 2013

Government files review petition on SC's gay sex order

New Delhi, Dec 20 (ANI): The UPA government on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court to review its ban on gay sex, said Law Minister, Kapil Sibal.

Dec 20, 2013

London theatre roof collapse injures 76

Investigators were seeking Friday to establish why the ceiling of a packed London theatre collapsed, injuring 76 people and coating terrified audience members with rubble.

Dec 20, 2013

1111 couples tie the knot in Nigeria mass wedding

A total of 1,111 Muslim couples tied the knot at a mass wedding on Thursday in Nigeria's second largest city of Kano as part of a government to prome stable families. Divorcees and widows were paired up with suitors in a match-making program.

Dec 20, 2013

Salman Khurshid hopeful of solution to defuse diplomatic spat with US

New Delhi, Dec 20 (ANI): Foreign Minister, Salman Khurshid on Friday said that India is hopeful of a solution to end the ongoing diplomatic spat with US that escalated tensions between the two countries. Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade stands accused in New York of fraudulently obtaining a work visa for her housekeeper and paying a fraction of the minimum wage. Khurshid said that it is important for India and the US to preserve their diplomatic relationship and find a logical solution to the issue.

Dec 20, 2013