The BBC's Piers Edwards reports on the cut-throat competition of the 2008 World Petanque Championships, hosted by Senegal - the first time the event has been held in Africa.

A chronology of key events

John Prescott's rise from working class lad and 11-plus failure to deputy prime minister means his is quite a journey through the British class system.

A chronology of key events

South Africa coach Joel Santana says his team are back on track after a third consecutive victory - a 2-1 win over Ghana in Bloemfontein.

Criminologist and film-maker Roger Graef's grandfather killed himself after the Wall Street crash of 1929. Here he describes the tragic event's effects on his father and himself, as well as the lessons he feels can be drawn from the crashes current and past.

A second inquest into the deaths of a father and his young son records verdicts of suicide and unlawful death.

World leaders are gathering at the UN against a backdrop of global financial turbulence, and high tension between Russia and the West in the wake of the Georgian crisis

A Law Lords ruling making anonymous witnesses in court illegal has left ministers urgently seeking to change the law. Until then, those who have committed serious crimes could walk free.

Councils are being discouraged from littering their bumf with cliches and jargon. But where did this lingo come from?

With his distinctive rhythm, and eccentric format, Bo Diddley was a major influence on the history of rhythm and blues.

Paraguay holds its final campaign rally before Sunday's presidential election, with the governing Colorado Party facing a strong challenge after 61 years in power.

The woman who inspired one of Sir John Betjeman's most famous poems, A Subaltern's Love Song, dies aged 92.

BBC reporters assess how much Europe's MPs are paid to represent their voters and the perks they receive.

A man is convicted of battering his former girlfriend and her two children to death with a hammer.

Poor teachers should be sacked and the unions' hold on schools broken, a think-tank argues.

Pierre Royson told the BBC News website of the hazards of life amid the waste piles of Naples.

The BBC's Chris Hogg explains why Japan is struggling to meet its Kyoto targets to reduce emissions.

The Russian parliament now has no friends of the West, writes the BBC's Andrei Ostalski - not even one.