Nepal's court rules out amnesty for serious war crimes
Nepal's top court has rejected a demand by ultra-leftists that an amnesty be granted to people who committed serious rights abuses during the country's civil war, an official said Saturday.
Putin to keep within the law in terror hunt: UN
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Monday to stay within international law in the hunt for the perpetrators of two bomb attacks in the city of Volgograd, the United Nations said.
31 December 2013
Huge crowds hold Madrid mass after new abortion law
Tens of thousands of Roman Catholics joined in an open-air mass in central Madrid on Sunday to celebrate the Holy Family, just days after the Spanish government agreed to tighten the abortion law.
30 December 2013
Argentina court grants abortion for teen rape victim
A court in Argentina ruled Friday that a 14-year old rape victim could have an abortion, overturning a judge's earlier decision barring the girl from seeking the procedure.
China formally abolishes labour camps: state media
China's top legislative committee on Saturday formally abolished the country's "re-education through labour" camps and approved a loosening of its one-child policy, state media reported.
28 December 2013
Coloured tattoos escape ban in France
Tattoo artists in France, who were up in arms about a government ban on certain dyes, say the health ministry has reassured them they will be able to keep using coloured ink, attributing the uproar to a misunderstanding of thousands of pages of regulations.
Kazakhstan not sending peacekeepers to Syria
According to Kazakhstan ex-Permanent Representative in the UN Senator Byrganym Aitimova, Kazakhstan will not send any peacekeepers to Syria.
23 December 2013
Uganda adopts tough anti-gay bill
Uganda's parliament on Friday adopted an anti-homosexuality bill that will see repeat offenders jailed for life, sparking an international outcry as lawmakers hailed it as a victory against "evil".
Mexico's Congress approves historic oil reform
Mexico's Congress approved historic energy reform Thursday aimed at luring foreign oil firms back into the country and ending the state's 75-year-old monopoly following a heated debate.
13 December 2013
US House votes to get tough on child abduction
The US House of Representatives voted Wednesday to punish countries that do not promptly return abducted children, upping pressure in an issue that has soured relations with Japan and other allies.
12 December 2013
India's top court upholds law criminalising gay sex
India's Supreme Court Wednesday upheld a colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality in a landmark judgment that crushes activists' hopes for guarantees on sexual freedom in the world's biggest democracy.
Japanese parliament passes controversial secrets law
Japan's parliament on Friday adopted a law on protecting state secrets despite a public outcry, with strong opposition from the media and academics who fear it will infringe on the right to information and free expression.