Politics

Hollande pays hommage to hostages back from Niger

French President François Hollande pays hommage to four French hostages returning home after three years of captivity. Duration: 00:58

Oct 30, 2013

Winter Olympics shine light on Russian gay community

Russia's treatment of homosexuals has been condemned the world over, and now with months to go before the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia's gay community is hoping it will be an opportunity to expose and improve how they are treated. Duration: 02:31

Oct 30, 2013

Abbott lauds Australian troops' effort in Afghanistan

Prime Minister Tony Abbott declares Australia's longest war at an end during a surprise visit to Afghanistan, with more than 1,000 troops to return home before Christmas in a "bitter-sweet" withdrawal. Duration: 00:39

Oct 30, 2013

Syrian civilians evacuate war-battered Damascus suburb

Some 500 women, children and elderly civilians trapped in the besieged town of Moadamiyet al-Sham, southwest of Damascus, have been evacuated, activists said.

Oct 30, 2013

Trial of veiled woman in France postponed

The trial of Cassandra Belin, a woman wearing a full veil whose identity check by police sparked violent protests in 2012, has been postponed until December.

Oct 30, 2013

UN warning over millions of teenage mothers

Around 7.3 million girls under the age of 18 give birth each year in developing countries, risking death and suffering that can only be addressed by changing social attitudes, a UN report said Wednesday.

Oct 30, 2013

Health Sec. apologizes for poor 'Obamacare' web rollout

President Barack Obama's health secretary publicly apologized Wednesday for the rocky rollout of the US health care law's new website, stressing that citizens "deserve better" from the system.

Oct 30, 2013

Fujimori's bid to switch jail term to house arrest denied

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori's request to have his prison term switched to house arrest has been rejected by a court on Tuesday. He is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights violations.

Oct 30, 2013

Former ECB chief Trichet worried by euro 'unease'

Jean-Claude Trichet, former chief of the European Central Bank and one of the architects of the Maastricht Treaty, adopted 20 years ago, says he is worried by EU-wide 'unease' concerning the euro, but remains optimistic that 'the story is not over.'

Oct 30, 2013

Peace envoy Brahimi in talks with Syria's Assad

UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met briefly with President Bashar al-Assad Wednesday, the third day of a Damascus visit aimed at bringing Syria's warring parties to the negotiating table.

Oct 30, 2013

Saudi 'no woman, no drive' mockery video goes viral

A Saudi video mocking the kingdom's unique ban on female driving has gone viral, featuring a male performer singing "no woman, no drive", an adaptation of Bob Marley's famous song.

Oct 30, 2013

Students flock to Cuba's Medicine School

More than 13,000 young students from around the world study at the Latin American Medicine School of Havana.

Oct 30, 2013

20 years after Maastricht, jury still out on single currency

Twenty years on from the Maastricht Treaty that led to the euro, the European Union's quest for an "ever-closer union" rings increasingly hollow to citizens worn down by the debt crisis.

Oct 30, 2013

Countdown begins: 100 days to Sochi Winter Olympics

Russia began the 100 day countdown to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi on Wednesday, with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach promising an "unforgettable" event despite a growing controversy over gay rights.

Oct 30, 2013

Spain escapes recession in Q3 but concerns still high

After the announcement that Spain escaped from a two-year recession in the third quarter of this year, an economist from ICADE Business School in Madrid says the results are positive but Spain's public deficit is still worryingly high. Duration: 0:52

Oct 30, 2013