Christine Lagarde named new IMF chief

Christine Lagarde (photo, from lemonde.fr), the French finance minister, will become the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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State of New York approves gay marriage

The state of New York became the sixth and largest in the US to allow men and women to marry members of the same sex. (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk)

With 33-29, the Republican-controlled senate voted for a bill earlier approved by the lower house, where the Democrats have the majority.

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Christchurch : government to buy houses ruined by the earthquake

Following February’s earthquake which killed 181 people and devastated Christchurch (photo, frombbcimg.co.uk), New Zealand’s government has agreed to buy more than 5,000 homes which will have to be abandoned for several years.

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Dutch MP Geert Wilders acquitted

Geert Wilders (photo, frombbcimg.co.uk) has been found not guilty of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims after describing Islam as a “facist ideology” and comparing the Quran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

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Dam project suspended in Chile

A multi-million dollar dam project in the south of Chile has been suspended by a court, after being approved in May with heavy backing from president Sebastian Pinera.

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US Supreme Court ruled against the women class-action lawsuit

The largest sex-discrimination lawsuit in history has been dismissed by the US supreme court which ruled for Wal-mart Stores Inc (photo) against plaintiffs who said they were less paid because they were women.

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Saudi women take driver’s seat to protest against ban

Emboldened by uprisings taking place across the Middle East and Arab world, in Saudi Arabia several women sat behind the wheel on Friday (photo, from lexpress.fr) in defiance of a rule that bans them from driving in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

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Zawahiri becomes new al-Qaeda leader

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s long-serving second in command, has been appointed leader after the death of Osama bin Laden. The statement announcing it was posted on a militant website and said : “Sheikh Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, may God guide him, assumed responsibility as the group’s amir [leader].”

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China in children lead poisoning ‘cover-up’

In a report a US-based rights body says China tried to cover up the extent of lead poisoning among children as well as discouraging tests.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its report on Wednesday that in heavily-polluted industrial areas local authorities have been sending children suffering from lead poisoning back to their contaminated homes. (map, from nytimes.com)

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Jailed Iranian activist dies on hunger strike

Iranian journalist and veteran activist Hoda Saber (photo, from bbcimg.co.uk) started a hunger strike in jail on 2 June. He has died of a heart attack at the hospital.

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