WORLD

Egyptian Internet revolutionary and controversial blogger, Aliaa Magda, Elmahdy, whose self-pubilshed nude photographs shocked the country, has called on men in Egypt to wear a Hijab (a headscarf) and show solidarity with women.

As 2011 comes close to its, it certainly leaves behind a lot of memories -- some good and others not so good. The year saw many celebrities falling in love, getting married, and creating headlines with their romances, but there were also some heartbreaks and bitter times for a few.

NATO helicopters attacked a military checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing as many as 25 troops and prompting Pakistan to shut the vital supply route for NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.

History will remember 2011 as the year of the popular uprising. The common man is creating history in different corners of the world. What else do the Arab Spring, the Occupy Wall Street protests, the anti-austerity protests in Greece and Spain, and the anti-corruption campaign in India herald?

The year is giving out, and it was not exactly an annus mirabilis. However, 2011 had its sensational moments, marked by major political upheavals in the Middle East, deaths of historic figures, and economic uncertainty highlighted by the Occupy movement.

A French train carrying 150 tons of reprocessed nuclear waste entered German territory on Friday. According to reports, there have been clashes between anti-nuclear activists who attempted to block the train and riot police.

President Obama has caused outrage for leaving the reference to God out of his Thanksgiving day message

Russian TV anchor and award-winning journalist Tatiana Limanova was recently taken off the air after giving the finger following the mention of U.S. President Barack Obama's name in a live newscast.

A planned strike by Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), as part of a broader work stoppage by public sector workers over pension reforms, could lead to a 20 percent drop in health care capacity, warned government officials.

Moscow will have the rights to raise the price of gas in the coming years.

The recent abductions have likely been carried out by the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

The Canadian government is open to the idea of including additional economic stimulus in its next budget if the European debt crisis threatens to derail the country's relatively successful recovery.

Standard and Poor's on Friday downgraded Belgium's sovereign debt from AA+ to AA with a negative outlook.

The Italian government was forced to pay out a record 6.5 percent in interest rate at an auction on Friday, thereby putting even more pressure on the nascent government of Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians demanding an end to military rule packed Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in the biggest turnout during a week of protests and violence that has killed 41 people.

China is set to embrace Canada's offer of more crude, heating up competition with the United States as the world's top two oil consumers jostle to secure supplies and meet ravenous demand.

The state of West Bengal is now on high alert, vigilant of possible reprisal attacks by Maoist sympathizers.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has placed the nation’s security agencies on high alert.

Morocco is in the midst of parliamentary elections, following the establishment of a new constitution (approved by referendum in July), one of the reforms enacted by King Mohamed VI.

The year-end is when you recount the tales of those who rose to stardom or of those who fell from their coveted positions. IBTimes lists the top ten most disgraced personalities of 2011 whose downfalls shook the world.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, has been accused of flip-flopping on a number of issues. So what are his political positions?

The year 2011 is coming on an end and as the year comes closer to its last days; it’s time for us to look back at the happenings in the previous 12 months.

Occupy Wall Street protesters are aiming their new target: Black Friday

An assassination plot against Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and several ministers was foiled by local security forces.

India threw open its $450 billion retail market to global supermarket giants on Thursday, approving its biggest reform in years that may boost sorely needed investment in the country.

Brazil plans to investigate contracts between Chevron and Brazil's state-owned oil company Petroleo Brasiliero regarding the Frade offshore oil region to the northeast of the country where Chevron operates with Petrobras. The move follows an oil leak that saw the release of about 2,400 barrels of oil into the ocean.

In a Thanksgiving special for NBC's The Today Show, Martha Stewart took Megyn Kelly up on her assertion that the pepper spray used on UC Davis students is just a food product, essentially. The kitchen guru sprayed a Thanksgiving turkey with fake pepper spray (watch video here), saying it was a fabulous trick I learned over at UC Davis.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced this week it is likely not going to issue new green house gas emissions limitations for refineries in the country.

The Ontario government cut its growth, revenue and reserve targets on Wednesday, but said it was still on track to balance the budget in six years, without lowering total program spending or raising taxes.