US nuns can opt out of contraception clauseThe US Supreme Court said Friday that religiously-affiliated groups could opt out of a provision in the new health care law that requires employers to provide insurance that includes contraception.
25 January 2014
Nigeria to hold presidential vote on February 14, 2015Nigeria is to hold its next presidential election on February 14, 2015, the electoral agency said Friday, with incumbent head of state Goodluck Jonathan expected to seek a second term.
Australia asylum policy 'draconian': rights groupAustralia has damaged its human rights record by persistently undercutting refugee protections, including a "draconian" policy to send asylum-seekers to Pacific island camps.
Australia to go ahead with shark 'kill' zonesA controversial policy to catch and kill sharks off popular west coast beaches got the green light in Australia, in a move the Humane Society Tuesday termed a "complete disgrace".
Uganda president blocks anti-gay bill: reportUgandan President Yoweri Museveni has refused to approve a controversial bill that would see homosexuals jailed for life, saying there were better ways to cure the "abnormality", a report said Friday.
18 January 2014
Japan PM to attend Sochi Olympics: reportsJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics, reports said Friday, despite calls for a boycott over Russia's anti-gay laws.
17 January 2014
Same-sex ban 'legalises' homophobic violence: gay NigeriansGay activists on Tuesday vowed to fight the Nigerian government after the country outlawed same-sex unions, warning the act legitimised homophobic violence and increased fears of persecution.
Hollande says may sue magazine over affair claimFrench President Francois Hollande told AFP Friday he was considering legal action against Closer after the magazine said he was having an affair with an actress.
10 January 2014
UAE made me 'a scapegoat': US man jailed for YouTube gagAn American jailed for nine months in the United Arab Emirates for making a spoof YouTube video mocking Dubai teenagers returned home Thursday, comparing the experience to being in a "cage."
10 January 2014
Hollande backs ban on 'anti-Semitic' comedianPresident Francois Hollande has backed attempts to ban controversial French comedian Dieudonne as a furore intensified over his sketches that have been widely condemned as anti-Semitic.