The International Criminal Court is considering the venue of Saif al-Islam’s trial at a public hearing in The Hague.

Libya wants to try Gaddafi in the country and lawyer Ahmed al-Jehani told the hearing that patience was needed as it will take the authorities some time to organise a fair trial.

However, lawyers of the ICC argued that Gaddafi will not receive a fair trial in Libya and the hearing will hear evidence from ICC defence lawyer Melinda Taylor, who was arrested by Libyan authorities earlier this year while visiting Muammar Gaddafi’s son.

Libya has repeatedly rejected calls by the ICC to hand Saif al-Islam over to The Hague since his arrest nearly one year ago.

A group of Northern Christian leaders - the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NORSEF) demanded that the 2015 presidency be allocated to a Christian, citing marginalisation, reported The Guardian Nigeria.

The NORSEF chairman, Mathew Owojaiye and Secretary Illiya Yusuf said that Northern Christians would protest against Muslim politicians putting themselves forward for the contest.

In a statement, NORSEF said:

“The Federal Government must understand that Christian leaders are being put in a very difficult position. Why must we keep apologising to our people on behalf of the Federal Government? Why must we keep telling our people to be calm in the face of such provocations, slaughter and terrorist acts? Why is the Federal Government making us cowards, inactive and incapable leaders to protect our people and fight for their interest? Our youths are becoming restless and furious. We urge the Federal Government to show that they are truly in control. This nation is fast becoming a failed state”.

Owojaiye said:

“We the Christians boldly affirm that the next person to be president of this country from the north must be a Christian”

"The north has produced Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Murtala Muhammed, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Gen.  Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Sani Abacha, Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalam and Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua."

“You can see that out of these nine persons, the Northern Christians have only Gen. Yakubu Gowon. If we are to consider elective presidents, we have Balewa, Shagari and Yar’Adua. The Northern Muslims have produced three elective presidents while the Christians from the North have produced none. Justice, equity and fairness demand that the next president of Nigeria from the North must be a Christian; nothing less than that should happen”.

Alleging marginalisation, Owojaiye said:

"The Federal Government gave N5 billion to the Muslim almagiri school system and gave nothing to the Christians... such unjust, unfair and discriminatory action is totally unacceptable to the northern Christians. President Goodluck Jonathan, the Northern Christians are waiting for their N5 billion for 2012. The national lawmakers should see to this urgently.

“Some states governments in the north refuse the teaching of Christian religious studies in their public schools even when voluntary organisations are ready to pay the CRS teachers. The Northern Governors Peace Forum, while commendable, is unacceptable to us because the committee is lopsided, with 30 Muslims and only 11 Christians.”

Hugo Chávez won the presidential vote on Sunday, securing another six year term in office.

Chávez's socialist part, polled 54.66% compared to 44.73% for the opposition leader Henrique Capriles of the Movement for Democratic Unity (MUD).

Addressing cheering crowds from the balcony of Miraflores Palace, Chávez said people had "voted for socialism" and exclaimed, "the revolution has triumphed!"

Celebrating the victory, President Fernandez of Argentina tweeted: "Your victory is our victory! And the victory of South America and the Caribbean!"

The former president of the Maldives, Mohamad Nasheed, has been arrested for failing to turn up at his trial for illegally arresting a judge.

A spokesman for Mr Nasheed's party, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, tweeted that Nasheed was "grabbed from protesting supporters" before being arrested and "taken away" from the southern atoll of Fares Mathoda.

"I also fear for his safety given the brutality shown by armed and covered police. We do not know where he is being taken," he told the BBC.

Nasheed resigned earlier this year, after which he claimed he was threatened to do so by rebellious security forces.

"committed with the aim of supporting the revolution and bringing about its objectives, in the period January 25, 2011 to June 30, 2012, with the exception of crimes of first-degree murder."

The Philippine government has agreed a peace deal with the largest rebel group in the country, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

After lengthy negotiations between MILF and the government, the new agreement creates a larger autonomous region in the Muslim south of the majority-Catholic country.

The MILF's vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar told AFP news agency: "We are very happy. We thank the president for this."

The president Benigno Aquino said in a speech that the framework can create an "enduring peace" in the region.

“This Framework Agreement paves the way for a final, enduring peace in Mindanao. It brings all former secessionist groups into the fold; no longer does the Moro Islamic Liberation Front aspire for a separate state,” he said.

The 40-year conflict between MILF, who previously asked for a separate state, and the Philippines, has cost over 120,000 lives.

Libya’s first elected prime minister since the fall of Gaddafi, Mustafa Abu Shagur has been dismissed after failing to win a parliamentary vote on a new cabinet.

The prime minister wanted to establish an “emergency government” with just 10 ministries.

"In face of the dangers threatening the country, I present to you a crisis government restricted to 10 ministers, rejecting all geographical considerations," Mr Shagur told the General National Congress before the vote.

He lost the vote 44 to 125  while seventeen members abstained.

The GNC has to elect a new premier in three to four weeks.

“Nepal’s cabinet has thrown the entire idea of holding soldiers accountable for abuses out the door... This cynical and reprehensible decision seriously undermines respect for human rights and contradicts Nepal’s assurances to the international community that it would hold those implicated in wartime crimes to account."

“Nepali civil society, with support from the UN and the international community, has spent years seeking to promote justice and accountability.

By promoting Col. Basnet, the government has sent a clear signal to the Nepali people and the country’s international supporters that it not committed to these same goals.”

“Despite years of promises, the Maoists and the army have shown themselves united in one crucial aspect: contempt for the notion of accountability for criminal acts and victims’ rights to justice, truth, and reparation.”

Russia has signed an agreement with Tajikistan that allows it to keep its military base in the Central Asian country for another 30 years.

Around 7,000 Russian soldiers are based on the border to Afghanistan.

The country’s border with Afghanistan is thought to be a major transit point for drugs trafficking and the forthcoming withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan has raised fears of an influx of militants into Tajikistan.

Catalonians are preparing to use a football match - Barcelona v. Real Madrid - to assert the call for independence reports The Times.

As an estimated 400 million viewers watch the match worldwide, Barcelona football fans are planning to recreate an enormous Catalan flag, holding up red or yellow cards to form the stripes of the flag.

After that display, at 17 minues and 14 seconds in the match, a time which marks the year that Catalonia was conquered by Spain, the fans are planning to simultaneously hold up the Catalan flag of independence which carries a white star for independence.

Fans intend to carrying posters reading, "Catalonia: the new European state".

Ferran Civit of the Catalan National Assembly said: “We want to use this occasion with so many people watching around the world to get home to people that Catalans want independence.”