Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world, followed by comment and analysis from our newsroom. Monday to Friday at 7.45 am Paris time.
Right-wing parties hold steady lead ahead of Israeli polls
In just a week's time, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will find out if his gamble has paid off. He's called early elections and it looks like it will work for him, with very little doubt that he will remain in power. However, the race between the runner-ups is hotly contested; it is likely Netanyahu will not get enough seats to rule alone and will be forced to form a coalition once again.
On Friday, a 32-year-old woman became the 23rd France Telecom employee to commit suicide in the last 18 months. As her death sends shockwaves throughout the country, we ask what is so terribly wrong at France's main telephone operator.
On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, victims of the subprime crisis and excessive risk-taking. Exactly one year after the scandal, former employees reflect on the fall and its consequences.
As Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero presses ahead with plans to make abortion legal in Spain, the stage is set for another showdown between reformists and a conservative camp fired up by the Catholic Church.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled plans to levy a carbon tax on consumption of oil, gas and coal, set at 17 euros per tonne of CO2 emitted. But his call for urgent action to tackle global warming is yet to win over a sceptical public.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is nothing if not a controversial figure. Having just completed a world tour meeting allies of Venezuela, Chavez continues to stir up opposition at home and in the US, though popularity polls give him 57 percent.