In the second of his articles from the Syrian capital Damascus, the BBC's Martin Asser looks at the role of the cultural life in a state which for years have rigorously controlled freedom of expression.

Hundreds of settlers are engaged in violence against Palestinians and soldiers, a senior Israeli commander says.

The BBC's Daniel Schweimler assesses the split between Bolivia's indigenous president and its ethnic Europeans in the opposition heartland of Santa Cruz.

Defeat in three more Democratic primaries to Barack Obama leaves Hillary Clinton with few choices, says the BBC's Jamie Coomarasamy.

Jim Fitzpatrick previews what's on this week's Politics Show.

People in Brixton, south London, share their thoughts on for more police freedom to stop and search suspects.

The deadline for secondary school applications is approaching. Parents are feeling the pressure. Sean Coughlan reports.

The army-backed interim government in Bangladesh detains ex-PM Khaleda Zia on corruption charges.

Venezuela bids a hostile farewell to the US ambassador, as he regrets not achieving greater dialogue.

Here is the full text of Tony Blair's speech on public life and the modern media.

Food entrepreneur Yooni Suh follows Korean firms into Slovakia and brings new tastes to Central European customers.

Australia beat New Zealand by a massive 215 runs in their Super 8 clash in Grenada.

Use of the language of catastrophe to describe climate change has got out of hand, one of Britain's top climate scientists argues.

Cristiano Ronaldo receives a hostile reception in Munich

The BBC's Nick Bryant looks at the dreams and aspirations of Tamil people in LTTE-controlled territory in Sri Lanka.

Watching Robert Kilroy-Silk launch his new political party, Veritas.

The Da Vinci Code is one of the greatest phenomena in the history of fiction publishing and the juggernaut rolls on with the arrival of the movie version. But why are we so profoundly obsessed with a thriller about the Church?

The BBC's security correspondent Gordon Corera assesses what motivated the latest audio tape attributed to Osama Bin Laden.

The traditional boozer will get a makeover when the smoking ban begins. What could be other unintended consequences? Sean Coughlan reports.

The BBC's Jonny Dymond describes the what it was like behind the scenes as the EU agreed on membership talks with Turkey.