At a rare meeting in Damascus, Syrian opposition parties inside the country have urged the overthrow of President al-Assad through peaceful struggle. The parties under the umbrella of the national body for democratic change have largely been sidelined by the opposition outside Syria for supporting a negotiated settlement to the conflict.

A former Chinese police chief at the center of a major political scandal is due to be sentenced in the next few hours. Wang Lijun was charged with attempting to defect to the United States and cover up the murder of a British businessman. From Beijing, here is John Sudworth.

Wang Lijun was once one of China's most senior and high-profile policeman, but he's almost certainly now facing a long time in jail. In February, he fled to a US consulate and gave American officials details of a case involving the family of Bo Xilai, one of the country's top-ranked politicians. He alleged that Mr Bo's wife Gu Kailai had poisoned her British business partner in a dispute over money. Gu Kailai was convicted of murder and her husband was suspended from his position on China's powerful Politburo.

World news from the BBC.

At least nine climbers have been killed in an avalanche on the Mount Manaslu in northern Nepal. The French union of mountain guide said four of those who died were French. Earlier report said seven French were killed. The bodies of a Nepalese guide and a German man had been recovered. Rescue efforts have now been called off because of poor weather. The climbers were inside a camp when the avalanche hit earlier on Sunday. Mount Manaslu is the world's 8th highest peak.