23 January 2014 Last updated at 04:12 GMT
Syria Geneva II: UN to hold talks with rival groups
UN mediator for Syrian peace talks Lakhdar Brahimi is to hold separate talks with rival delegations to assess their willingness to meet together.
The behind-the-scenes negotiations follow the first day of a major peace conference in Switzerland which ended in bitter divisions.
Mr Brahimi's initiative takes place before full talks resume on Friday.
It remains unclear whether the two sides will negotiate face-to-face - as planned by the UN - when talks restart.
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall in Montreux says that while the peace process may have got off to a rocky start - with heated disagreements on Wednesday - at least neither of the two rival delegations from the government and the opposition walked out.
Veteran Chinese dissident declares innocence amid flurry of political trials
Zhao Changqing is one of several members of the New Citizens' Movement to face trial in recent weeks and months
A veteran Chinese dissident who agitated for officials to disclose their assets argued his innocence on Thursday in the second trial of its kind in two days, underscoring the government's resolve to crush any challenge to its rule.
The trial of Zhao Changqing was adjourned earlier on Thursday after he dismissed his two lawyers, a decision that would help him delay his case, one of his lawyers, Zhang Xuezhong, said.
China's government has waged a 10-month drive against the New Citizens' Movement, of which Zhao was a member. The movement advocates working within the system to press for change, including urging officials to disclose their assets.
Ukraine protests: 'Give us an election or we'll attack', opposition leader Vitali Klitschko warns embattled President Yanukovych
UN expert warns Central African Republic at risk of genocide
A United Nations expert has warned the current unrest in the Central African Republic puts the country at a "high risk" of genocide. UN envoys, meanwhile, have urged a stronger military mission there.
Adama Dieng, the UN's chief special adviser on genocide prevention, told the Security Council on Wednesday the Central African Republic was at a "high risk of crimes against humanity and genocide."
More than half of the country's 4.6 million people are in need of assistance and almost 1 million have been forced to flee their homes since the mostly-Muslim rebels ousted President Francois Bozize in a March coup. The unrest has sparked a period of unprecedented religious violence between Muslims and Christians in one of the world's poorest nations.
"The level of hatred between these communities shocked me," Dieng said, adding there were reports of summary executions, mutilation and sexual violence among the "widespread and massive" human rights violations.
Why Pakistani air strikes on Taliban targets not a gamechanger (+video)
Pakistan's military has responded to Taliban attacks with air strikes in the tribal belt near the Afghan border. But it lacks a comprehensive strategy for combating the militant group.
Testing the assumptions behind the headlines
This week’s Pakistan air force strikes against Taliban strongholds near the Afghan border were the first such strikes since 2007. Does that mean they signal a shift in strategy?
Not so fast. Monday’s bombing raids came as a surprise because the government has not ordered strikes in North Waziristan since it signed a peace accord with a Taliban faction led by a local commander from the area.
But the latest attack doesn’t signal a full strategy shift just yet. Pakistan's government has denied that it is a full-fledged military operation. Moreover the government has long been unable to reach a consensus on the best way to deal with the Pakistan Taliban because of noisy opposition from mainstream parties and Islamist groups. This remains a stumbling block to any strategic rethink.
China pollution: How it affects travelers
January 23, 2014 -- Updated 0828 GMT
The southern Chinese city of Suzhou has been eulogized by artists since the Tang Dynasty.
The poet Bai Juyi wrote: "In front of storied buildings everywhere waft the melodies of flutes, And by the door of every house are moored ships and boats."
Today, Suzhou's classical gardens are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its canal network, bisected by gorgeous stone bridges, has earned the nickname, "The Venice of the East."
Yet when our small convoy of cyclists approached the city that so impressed Venetian traveler Marco Polo in the 12th century, there was little to wax lyrical about.
The whole of the Yangtze River Delta was enshrouded in headline-making smog.
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