From Sarah Palin to Cheryl Cole, Georgina Baillie to Christine Ohuruogu, some of the women who have made the headlines in 2008.

A council wins its appeal against a ruling it discriminated against a Christian registrar who refused to conduct same-sex ceremonies.

Barack Obama has turned to the web to help him prepare for the job of US president.

A romantic novel telling the story of one of the wives of Islam's prophet has caused controversy among Muslims - and its publication has been indefinitely postponed in the UK. But is The Jewel of Medina actually any good?

A new vehicle with cells and fingerprint machines to catch smuggled illegal immigrants is being tested.

Three senior employees at a Scottish engineering firm are cleared of neglect over the death of an electrician.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivers a scathing report to the UN on an Israeli shelling in Gaza in 2006.

An electrician tells a court he clearly labelled a cable "not in use" before a colleague was electrocuted.

An electrician who died while working at a fitness centre was touching a cable marked "not in use", a court is told.

Sierra Leone's education minister says he has discovered dozens of non-existent "ghost teachers" invented by officials to embezzle money.

The UK government has promised to train the Nigerian military to stop the trade in 'blood oil', but what are they getting into?

Economist Kaushik Basu on whether Indian economy faces an uncertain future

The BBC's Jonathan Head recalls the tension-filled days that led up to the fall of Indonesian President Suharto.

Italians in Naples are furious that piles of stinking refuse are still clogging the city, the BBC's David Willey reports.

After a suspected Calabrian mafia boss is arrested, the BBC's David Willey shines a spotlight on the shadowy network.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw is facing fresh demands to give details of alleged regular bugging operations in prisons.

All sides agree the EU single market is a good thing in Day 4 of the EU treaty debate - but there are fears its importance has been downgraded.

A pensioner is sentenced to five years in prison for masterminding a £2.4m benefits scam.

The legal team of acquitted jockey Kieren Fallon calls for an inquiry into why a £10m race-fixing trial was brought to court.

Former champion jockey Kieren Fallon, two other riders and three other people are cleared of race-fixing.