Scots are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of their national poet Robert Burns this Sunday. To mark the occasion, BBC Scotland is launching an audio archive project which will include readings by many well known figures as well as recordings of his songs. One famous contributor is the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, who reads the poem "My Heart's in the Highlands."

Prince Charles

What to do if you would have liked to attend the presidential inauguration - but were stuck in London? For thousands of Americans the answer was clear: go see Barack Obama's waxwork at Madame Tussauds! London's famous waxwork museum offered free entry to those bearing a U.S. passport. Meanwhile Black Britons in North London gathered to celebrate, amidst hopes of inspiring a new generation of British Black and Asian politicians. The BBC's Anna-Louise Taylor kept up with UK events on 'Obama Day'.
The waxwork President, and admirers.

Since fighting began almost two weeks ago, Israel has banned foreign journalists from working inside Gaza. Most international media are therefore reporting on the conflict from the Israel-Gaza border. The situation underlines that the war in Gaza is being fought on the battlefield as well as in the media. BBC Radio Four's Media Show invited the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen and Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times to discuss whether journalists can do their job despite reporting restrictions.

The BBC's Paul Reynolds examines how Israel and Hamas are trying to win the propaganda war.

Russia was shocked when the snow didn't show two years ago: now it looks like the warmest winter ever wasn't a freak event but a sign of an unprecedented change in the climate. This year, Moscow had record high temperatures in the first half of December. And it's not just the human beings who don't understand what's happening as the BBC's Moscow correspondent James Rodgers reports.

The bomb blast at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September killed 58 people and sparked a crisis of confidence in Pakistan. It further weakened an already depressed economy as foreigners fled the country. Now the Marriott is being rebuilt and is set to open within a few days. But in a region where luxury hotels have been targeted, will guests return? BBC correspondent Barbara Plett went back to assess its chances of success.

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice played piano for Britain's Queen Elizabeth last night. As Her Majesty reigned in a wayward royal pooch, Buckingham Palace reverberated to the sound of Brahms' Op. 34. Ms Rice was accompanied on violin by the wife of the UK's Foreign Secretary - who himself accompanied the Queen to the recital.

Roosevelt in 1932: Associated PressPresident-elect Barack Obama faces a daunting set of economic challenges, including a banking crisis, failing businesses and rising unemployment. That's not unlike Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. And Obama has apparently been studying what lessons can be drawn from FDR's presidency in that regard. Jonathan Freedland and his guests compare past and present on BBC's 'The Long View'.

The guests are:
Tony Badger, Professor of American History at Cambridge University and author of ‘FDR The First Hundred Days.
DD Guttenplan, historian and London Correspondent of The Nation
Philip Booth, Economist from the Institute of Economic Affairs
Janet Daley, of The Daily Telegraph

Urban dwellers in China are three times more prosperous than their country cousins. Perhaps that's why 150 million farmers have moved to the cities. The Chinese leadership has now declared that it's essential to bring fast growth to the countryside however difficult. Since 2006, the BBC's Newsnight program has visited the village of White Horse charting its attempted transformation from rural outpost to city of opportunity. It's been a journey fraught with frustration and disappointment for both planners and residents.

The Peruvian government is threatening to sue Yale University over thousands of Incan relics from Machu Picchu that are being held at the University. Dan Collyns reports for the BBC from Lima.

The BBC collects comments from around the world on Barack Obama's presidency.