Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez was awarded Latin America's most prestigious prize in journalism in July this year. Going to pick it up however, would be impossible. Yoani is forbidden from leaving the country. Just before the awards ceremony was to take place, she went to the immigration centre. Here's what she had to say to the officer...

All eyes were on the massive migrant camp in Calais, nicknamed the “jungle” by its occupants, when it was dismantled on Tuesday. Scenes of desperate-looking immigrants watching their scarce belongings razed by French riot police were caught on camera by French and British TV. Thirty kilometres from there, another "jungle" suffered the same fate, only this time no-one was watching. Read more…

Blogger Wael Abbas has published footage of a man being tortured in what he says is an Egyptian police station. The horrific scenes seem not to have greatly shocked the Egyptian public. Our Observers there, however, are asking why, and for whom, these images were filmed. Please be aware that this post includes images which you may find upsetting. Read more...

Protests over living conditions in South African shanty towns turned violent on Wednesday when discontented slum dwellers around the country clashed with police forces. Similar outbursts last year resulted in over 70 deaths when rioters also targeted foreigners from neighbouring countries; a cause for concern for the hundreds of thousands of World Cup fans planning to travel to the country in a year's time. Read more...

One of our readers has sent us a warning to Facebook users — a site which he says has far too much information about our private lives. Read more...

A Stanford University student grills former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the Bush administration's torture policy. Who sounds more convincing: Rice or Jeremy Cohn? Read more...

The person we see in this video is none other than Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates, and Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Read more...

Violent protests in Istanbul have resulted in clashes with riot police, arrests and deportations. The protesters are demonstrating against... a seven day forum that aims to address the world's fresh water crisis. Our Observers tell us why not everyone thinks the World Water Forum won't solve the looming global water crisis. Read more...

A report issued by human rights activists reveals that young migrant workers are labouring under sweatshop conditions for IBM, Microsoft, HP and Dell in a factory in China. Twelve hours a day, seven days a week, the people who put your keyboard keys into place are paid 60 euro cents an hour to do it. And they're not even allowed to raise their heads or go to the toilet... Read more and see the photos...

A freakish cold spell in the Moroccan town of Beni Mellal has already killed at least ten people this year. Our Observer there condemns the inaction of the public authorities. Read more and see his photos...