Barack Obama's economy speech indicates the government will play a bigger role in the US economy, says the BBC's Richard Lister.

Kate Moss sculpted in gold, a £50m price tag for a painting and a dead pianist makes his Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) debut - what happened in the arts world in 2008.

Monday's papers carry a warning that 15 retail chains will disappear from the High Street in the new year.

Seventy-five years before the Spice Girls coined the term girl power, Betty Boop struck a blow for just such a cause. Ever since, cartoons and animations have challenged our traditional perceptions of femininity.

Why the world needs a global carbon permit scheme, in which polluters must be forced to pay.

It is too late to panic about the state of the markets, so instead it might be time to start looking for investment opportunities, says portfolio managers during a seminar in London.

A new television adaptation is being made of The Day of the Triffids, but why are we still prepared to believe in a post-apocalyptic world roamed by flesh-eating semi-sentient plants? And do we have a love affair with fictionalised destruction?

For the first time since it began compiling figures, measurement firm find online spending is down.

Paterson Joseph plays a lead role in the BBC's forthcoming post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, Survivors.

Paterson Joseph - hotly tipped to replace David Tennant in Doctor Who - has suggested he would relish the role.

The BBC's Matthew Price looks at how the Republican Party picks itself up after a crushing electoral defeat.

What's the real impact of the economic slowdown? In a special day of coverage BBC News is taking the temperature across the UK. You can keep track of all the main developments as they happen on this page.

Some of the most striking images around the world

People in the vicinity of the wildfires in southern California describe their experiences.

Some of the most striking images from around the world on 13 October 2008.

Two hundred bunk bed frames form part of the latest art installation to fill the Turbine Hall in London's Tate Modern gallery.

Huw Williams speaks to pension fund managers and trustees about the potential effects of the global financial crisis.

Canine film Beverly Hills Chihuahua is best in show in the North American box office, according to early estimates.

A Colombian rights group says there has been a big jump in the number of displaced people, but the government disputes this.

The European premiere of a Hollywood science-fiction blockbuster will take place in Belfast