Toxic Mess or Tanker Company: 30,000 people from the Ivory Coast are suing an oil trading company for dumping toxic waste on the city of Abidjan, leading to chronic sickness across the city. The incident occurred three years ago, but new documents have emerged saying that the company, Trafigura, lied about the danger posed by the waste. John Hoskins, a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, told BBC2's Newsnight: "If you dropped this in Trafalgar Square, you would have people being sick for several miles around, and that would involve millions of people. You'd see the effects out to the M25."

 

Pope Calls for Palestinian Homeland: During a visit to Bethlehem, the Pope offered his "solidarity" to the people of Gaza, and urged for a "sovereign Palestinian homeland." Archbishop Fouad Twal from Jerusalem told the Pope: "Our people are suffering - suffering from injustice, from war, from occupation, from lack of trust and lack of hope for a better future."

Kuwait Elects First Female MP: Kuwait has elected its first female MP in the third general election in three years. "It's a victory for Kuwaiti women and a victory for Kuwaiti democracy," Ms Awadhi told AFP news agency. "This is a major leap forward" she said.

 

Burma's Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Goes On Trial: Burma's opposition leader is facing charges for breaching her house arrest after a visit by an American man who swam across a lake to her house earlier this month. The trial is taking place in the infamous Insein prison, with dozens of Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters gathering outside. Ms Suu Kyi has already spent 13 of the past 19 years in jail or detained in her home, and faces a further three to five years imprisonment if found guilty of these latest charges.

Indian Politician Promotes "Above-The-Law-Law" for Celebrities: An Indian politician, Pappu Raj, is promoting an "Above-The-Law” law for "media stars, industrialists, cricketers...Why? Because they are dancing nicely, looking hot and some can really hit ball hard." Along with this new law will be "jail reform - seven star cells for VIPs." Mr Pappu Raj also proposes "bribing schools; with bribing instructors, bribing lessons and bribing licences." Of course this is all satire, coming from a new website Raj has set up to fight political apathy amongst young voters.

Steel Protest: Angry steel workers have attacked the Luxembourg headquarters of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker. Protestors, angry at job cuts, attacked the company's annual shareholder meeting with smoke bombs and managed to break through the front doors. Buses brought over 1,000 workers from across Europe to take part in the protest.

Words: Richard Lemmer. News editor, Ctrl.Alt.Shift.