Palestinians nicknamed it "the battle of the empty stomachs". For weeks, 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails refused food and drink in what became the longest ever mass hunger strike. Israel finally capitulated and a deal was reached, allowing those in isolation back onto the general wards, and visas for those family members wishing to visit from Gaza. In exchange, prisoners agreed not to carry out "security activities" such as recruiting for terrorist missions.
France's new justice minister, Christiane Taubira, is the target of a negative Twitter campaign, as the opposition take to their keyboards to criticise the new cabinet. We also look at the upcoming parliamentary elections, and the challenges facing French voters who live abroad. Finally, we discover a hair-raising bet that saw one football managing sporting his team's colours - on his head.
The recent case of Chen Guangcheng has brought to the fore China's practise of detaining dissidents under illegal house arrest. Chen, who is blind, managed to escape from under the noses of his guards. But few others are able to do the same. Often, these prisoners are held in apartments, hotel rooms, or out in the country - and some are never heard of again.
The case of blind dissident Chen Guangcheng once again throws light on Beijing's human rights record. We have a special report from China on the issue of illegal detention. Meanwhile, the Philippines say they won't be bullied by Beijing as tension rises over a natural-gas rich rocky outcrop. Finally, we head to Japan, a nation traumatised by the Fukushima disaster, and ask what kind of future awaits the country's nuclear industry.
The tax evasion trial of Ukraine's former PM Yulia Tymoshenko, imprisoned on separate charges critics say were politically motivated, was postponed on Saturday until May 21. Tymoshenko had asked for a trial delay due to health reasons.
Almost 400 detainees escaped from a prison in northwest Pakistan early on Sunday after it came under attack by Islamist militants armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades, according to a senior police official.
French authorities are looking to detect what may be a new phenomenon in prisons, the rise of the enigmatic “lone wolf” Islamist militant, following a March killing spree in southwestern France by a self-proclaimed Islamist.
Hundreds of Afghan women are in prison for "moral crimes", including fleeing domestic violence or adultery for having been raped, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, adding that Afghan authorities have failed to uphold international human rights laws.
A French inmate is suspected of posting fifteen racist videos on the internet from his prison cell. Youssouf Fofana was convicted for kidnapping, torturing and killing a young Jewish man in 2009 in a high-profile case that shocked France.
Central America’s violent and overcrowded prisons came under the spotlight this week. Mexico's notorious prison was overrun by members of the Zetas drug cartel where they murdered dozens of inmates from a rival gang. Meanwhile in the United States, President Obama hoped to balance the budget by slashing spending on defence and Rick Santorum, the clean cut Christian candidate, has been giving Mitt Romney a run for his money.
