23 December 2013 Last updated at 09:25 GMT
In January 2011 hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and other cities and achieved what at the time appeared to be a stunning victory: Longstanding dictator Hosni Mubarak, whose regime stood for over 30 years thanks to tight controls on politics, the press, and civil society, was forced from power by huge numbers of Egyptians risking torture and death to say they'd had enough.
Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina freed in Russia
Maria Alyokhina, a member of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, has been freed early from prison under an amnesty.
She told a Russian TV channel the amnesty was a "PR stunt" and she would rather have remained in prison.
The release of fellow band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is also expected later on Monday.
The women were jailed in August 2012 for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after performing a protest song in Moscow's main cathedral.
Their conviction was criticised by rights groups, anti-Putin activists and foreign governments.
Spain's El Gordo lottery: Fat chance or a ticket out of economic turmoil?
Thousands demonstrate in Istanbul against Turkish government
Multiple arrests over what prime minister calls ‘dirty operation’ to undermine his rule
Thousands took to the streets of Istanbul yesterday to protest against the government over a corruption scandal that has led to multiple arrests and exposed a rift between prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and an influential US-based Muslim cleric.
Twenty-four people, including the sons of two ministers and the head of state-owned Halkbank, have been formally charged in connection with the corruption inquiry that Erdogan has called a “dirty operation” to undermine his rule.
In response, Mr Erdogan has sacked or moved to different posts about 70 police officers, including the powerful head of Istanbul’s force, in a widening crackdown on the force that launched the investigation.
Thai protesters seek to block election registrations
Thai protesters have tried to stop political parties from entering planned polls, surrounding a registration center. The blockade appeared unsuccessful, with numerous parties now listed for the ballot.
Hundreds of opposition protesters gathered outside a stadium in the Thai capital in an effort to prevent political representatives from registering for the February 2 elections.
At least 150,000 people were said to have joined the protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose resignation they are demanding. Members of the main opposition Democrat Party, which has failed to win a parliamentary majority for the past two decades, have said they will boycott the elections.
Despite the protests, nine parties did manage to enter the stadium site on Monday to begin the registration process. They included Yingluck's Pheu Thai party, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported online.
23 December 2013 Last updated at 05:10 GMT
'Atmosphere of fear' in South Sudan town of Bor, says UN
A UN official in South Sudan has spoken of an atmosphere of fear and desperation as violence escalates.
Humanitarian Co-ordinator Toby Lanzer told the BBC about summary executions in Bor, in the restive state of Jonglei that has fallen to rebels.
The UN mission in South Sudan has urged rival political leaders to agree a truce and open negotiations.
Clashes broke out between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and others backing his former deputy a week ago.
Meanwhile the US said it had evacuated its citizens from Bor.
In Egypt, the 'revolution' is eating its young
Three leaders of a group that played a key role in organizing protests that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011 have been jailed. Their crime? Protesting.
In January 2011 hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo and other cities and achieved what at the time appeared to be a stunning victory: Longstanding dictator Hosni Mubarak, whose regime stood for over 30 years thanks to tight controls on politics, the press, and civil society, was forced from power by huge numbers of Egyptians risking torture and death to say they'd had enough.
The fall of Mubarak wasn't a solution to Egypt's many problems. But it opened the door to imagining the Arab world's largest country, which was once a cultural and political leader in the region, becoming a place where democratic politics could emerge, and citizen involvement in reining in rampant abuses could set an example for the rest of the region.
That dream has been dying for a long time now. And the latest bit of bad news was the sentencing of three activists to three years in prison today under a law passed after the military coup the deposed Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president, in July.
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