What's the beef?

French fast food chain Quick has come under fire for only selling halal meat in certain restaurants. The mayor of Roubaix, a town in northern France with a large Muslim community, has said the decision is discriminatory - though others are more concerned about the fast food phenomenon itself.

FOCUS

03/05/2013 - MEDIA

North Korea, Russia, Syria and Iran named worst countries for press freedom

Reporters Without Borders has published its press freedom index, ranking 179 countries. The NGO singled out Kim Jong-Un, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad as the world's worst press freedom predators. Ninety professional journalists were killed in 2012, a record since the press freedom group started its reports. Syria was the world's most dangerous country, with 18 professional reporters killed.

03/05/2013 - MALAYSIA

Malaysian opposition optimistic ahead of general election

Malaysians head to the polls this Sunday, and for the first time since independence in 1957, an opposition party could clinch victory. The ruling party, Barisan Nasional, is the world's longest continually elected governing coalition. Yet it has become increasingly unpopular over the past five years. Malaysians are now voicing disapproval at widespread allegations of corruption.

02/05/2013 - SYRIA

Refugees seek a better life in France

More than 1.4 million Syrians have now fled the war-torn country as fighting continues to rage. Most refugees have settled in neighbouring Middle Eastern states where many cram into overcrowded camps, but a number have made their way to European countries like France. Our reporters caught up with some Syrian refugees who are now living in Paris.

02/05/2013 - DAGESTAN

Quelling the insurgency in Dagestan

The Russian republic of Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, has hit the headlines recently because of its connections with Boston marathon bombing suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Their parents live there and both brothers spent time there. The region has seen increasing Islamic radicalisation and a fierce struggle by the authorities to quell the insurgency.

01/05/2013 - LIBYA

Libya militiamen step up pressure on government

Powerful militiamen are once again showing their muscle to press their demands on how Libya should be run. The gunmen are still surrounding the justice and foreign ministries in Tripoli. They are calling for an "isolation law" to pass, which would bar any former member of the Gaddafi regime from political life. But some believe they are using the law as a pretext to try to bring down Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.