ascetics

Country profile: Nepal

Key facts, figures and dates.

Thailand PM vows not to use force

The Thai PM says he will not use violent means against thousands of protesters besieging Government House.

Rifts behind Thailand's political crisis

The BBC's Jonathan Head looks at what is behind Thailand's political crisis - and why ending it could be very hard.

Jerusalem Diary: Monday 9 June

BBC Middle East correspondent Tim Franks sends the latest edition of his diary from Jerusalem.

Raikkonen the playboy king

F1's new champion is a maverick off the track and formidable on it

Call of the wild

When tired of lattes and rush-hour gridlock, urbanites like to get back to nature. But it's not the recreational backyard many take it for, Tim Egan writes.

Washington diary: 9/11's legacy

BBC Washington correspondent Matt Frei on the continuing consequences of 9/11

Sixty bitter years after Partition

The BBC's Andrew Whitehead looks back at how and why the British partitioned India 60 years ago to form Pakistan.

Japan cash windfall creates dilemmas

In recent weeks, a mystery donor has been leaving money in various locations around Japan. But some Japanese are distinctly uncomfortable with taking the cash.

'Brownie points from God'

The BBC's Geeta Pandey meets the 'real' Hindu pilgrims at the Ardh Kumbh Mela, one of India's biggest festivals.

Profile: Rwanda's strongman

Rwanda's president has fought in two liberation wars, and has long been the most influential figure in Rwandan politics.

Re-inventing yoga for the masses

Yoga guru Swami Ramdev talks to the BBC's Sanjeev Srivastava.

Day in pictures

Some of the most striking images from around the world on 13 Dec 2006

Dervish devotees hit by grenade

A grenade explosion in Indian-administered Kashmir kills two people and injures more than 12, police say.

Day in pictures

Some of the most striking images from around the world on 21 June 2006.

Counting down to 'monster' run

BBC Scotland news website editor Mark Coyle's first Loch Ness Marathon training diary.

Magazine targets the 'Indian lad'

Nick Bryant looks at the Indian version of the British "lad mag" Maxim, which has just made its sub-continental debut.

Scientists to check Nepal Buddha boy

Scientists in Nepal are to examine a meditating teenager who is said to take no food or liquid, writes Navin Singh Khadka.

Time up for cross-dressing cop?

Authorities in India's Uttar Pradesh state are trying to work out what to do with a senior police officer who likes dressing up in drag, reports the BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi.

How do you want to go?

Few go out with as big a bang as Hunter S Thompson, whose ashes were scattered by fireworks on Saturday, but cremations and "eco" options are superseding the traditional funeral.