BBC News with David Austin

The funeral of the American singer Whitney Houston has just ended in Newark, New Jersey. It took place in a Baptist church, where she first began her singing career as a child. After many tributes by friends and family, the service concluded with a recording of Whitney Houston's greatest hit I Will Always Love You. As part of the ceremony, Stevie Wonder performed his hit Love's in Need of Love Today.

There's been violence in the Syrian capital Damascus, where a Chinese diplomatic mission has met President Bashar al-Assad and called for

restraint

in the conflict between his forces and the opposition. A funeral in Damascus turned into one of the biggest demonstrations yet seen there. Opposition activists said at least one person was killed when security forces opened fire. Another 12 people were reported killed in other parts of the country.

Diplomats at the United Nations nuclear watchdog in Vienna say that Iran is

on the verge of

greatly expanding its nuclear programme at an

underground

site. They say it's preparing to install thousands of new machines for enriching uranium at the facility near the city of Qom. Bethany Bell reports.

New-generation

centrifuges

could greatly speed up the production of material that could be used for nuclear warheads. Western countries fear that Iran is secretly trying to develop a nuclear bomb, and they've increased international sanctions. But Tehran says its nuclear work is purely peaceful. This week, inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog will be holding talks in Tehran to address the concerns about Iran's controversial nuclear work.