Pick of the Week

13-19 August 2001

BBC News Online presents a round-up of some of the week's more remarkable stories covered by BBC correspondents.

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Animal smuggling

Saved from a life in captivity in Somaliland

Animal welfare groups are trying to stop a major smuggling operation in the Horn of Africa but rare live animals continue to be sold to buyers in the Middle East. Cheetahs - protected under international convention - are openly on sale in the republic of Somaliland, a breakaway corner of Somalia.

 The BBC's Andrew Harding reports

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Living with the aftermath of Omagh

Twenty-nine people died in the explosion

Esther Gibson was shopping in Omagh on 15 August 1998 when the Real IRA bomb ripped through the town's main street. Esther, who had been preparing for her forthcoming wedding, died instantly. Her sister Elizabeth tells BBC News Online how the family have coped with life since the bomb and how she feels about the situation in Northern Ireland.

 BBC News Online's Anita Rice speaks with Elizabeth Gibson

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Baby boom

Panda mothers are expecting bundles of joy

One of the world's most endangered species is expecting a baby boom later in the year. Thirteen giant Chinese pandas, who have been artificially inseminated, are due to give birth. Nine of the pregnant mothers are at the Giant Panda Research centre in China which helps the notoriously infertile animals to breed.

 The BBC's Kim Barnes reports

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Flying pig

Miss Piggy takes flight

Miss Piggy wows the crowds at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane, Australia with her amazing high-dive act.

 BBC News Online's Tory Blair reports