April 30, 2013
ANC defends Nelson Mandela visit and video footage
It was the third time in the past four months that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate had stayed in hospital. President Jacob Zuma and ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa were among senior ANC officials who called in on Mr Mandela at his home in…
April 30, 2013
Central Damascus ‘hit by bomb explosion’
At least 13 people to have been killed and many more injured by a powerful explosion in Syria's capital, Damascus, state media and activists say. A bomb is believed to have been detonated in a square in the central district of Marjeh. Civilians and…
April 30, 2013
Bangladesh defends rejection of foreign aid for collapse
Bangladesh has defended its decision to turn down foreign help following Wednesday's collapse of a building near Dhaka that killed at least 382 people. Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told the BBC authorities were confident they could deal…
April 30, 2013
Tokyo governor in apology over Olympics comments
The governor of Tokyo has apologised for comments he made about rival Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Naoki Inose, who is chairman of Tokyo's Olympic bid committee, made the comments in an interview in New York. He appeared to…
April 24, 2013
Canada train ‘al-Qaeda plot’ suspects challenge case
Two suspects in an alleged al-Qaeda-backed plot to derail a Canadian passenger train have challenged the case against them. In a Montreal court, Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, said the case against him was based only on "appearances". A lawyer for…
April 24, 2013
French parliament approves new Same-sex marriage law
France has become the 14th country to approve a law allowing gay marriage. The bill, which also legalises adoption by same-sex couples, was passed by 321 votes to 225 in the French parliament. The decision follows a divisive public debate with…
April 24, 2013
FBI faces Tamerlan Tsarnaev questions in Boston Marathon bombing
US security officials are to face questions in Congress over whether they mishandled information about Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. They will brief the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed hearing, after some US lawmakers…
April 24, 2013
US drops case against ricin letter suspect Paul Curtis
US authorities have dropped the charges against a Mississippi man accused of sending letters poisoned with ricin to President Barack Obama and a senator. Paul Curtis was freed on Tuesday after prosecutors revealed the investigation had uncovered…
April 24, 2013
Australia police arrest hacker group LulzSec ‘leader’
Australian police say they have arrested a "self-proclaimed leader" of the hacking group LulzSec. The 24-year-old from New South Wales is accused of attacking and defacing a government website earlier this month, a police statement said.…
April 23, 2013
China manufacturing activity growth slows in April
Growth in China's manufacturing sector slowed in April, a survey by HSBC showed, adding to concerns about the country's economic recovery. The preliminary reading of HSBC's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 50.5, from 51.6 in March. A reading…