politics

Why these Indian state elections matter to the whole world

As vote counts trickled in from five state elections on Saturday, one result loomed large: that of central India's Uttar Pradesh, home to more than 200 million people. The staggered five-week vote in that state alone marks the biggest election in the world in 2017.

Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP, looks poised to take about 75% of the 403 seats on offer in Uttar Pradesh.

South Korea impeachment: Critics urge Park Geun-hye arrest

Ms Park was forced from office on Friday, after judges unanimously upheld parliament's decision to impeach her over her role in a corruption scandal involving close friend, Choi Soon-sil.

Despite the ruling, she remains inside the presidential compound.

Thousands turned out for rallies in Seoul on Saturday, a day after three people involved in protests died there.

Many were calling for Ms Park's arrest, although a smaller number of her supporters also gathered in nearby streets.

Trump's abortion rule will cause deaths - activists

Mr Trump reinstated the so-called global gag rule on Monday, affecting American non-governmental organisations working abroad, to signal his opposition to abortion, which is difficult to access legally in many developing countries due to restrictive laws, stigma and poverty.

Kenyan campaigner Rosemary Olale, who teaches teenage girls in Nairobi slums about reproductive health, said women would go back to getting unsafe abortions.

"You will increase the deaths."

Facebook wants you to get even more political

On Tuesday, the company introduced an endorsement feature, which means that users can now go to the Facebook page of any political official or candidate and endorse them.

This posts the endorsement on a user's profile page (as well as on the candidate's page if a user's account is fully public). People can opt to add an explanation about why they're making that endorsement.

Seven times ordinary people shook up political debate

More often at such times, the stream of political advertising and set-piece speeches flows uninterrupted and can leave voters feeling powerless or disconnected.

But every so often, as these cases show, ordinary people spring to wider attention, knocking politicians off balance.

Joe the Plumber