Events in the Middle East again dominated the news agenda this week. Our coverage is very much "on the ground", with accounts from the survivors from the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour who've escaped to Turkey revealing the degree of carnage in their home. In the Libyan town of Misrata, meanwhile, Chris Stephens for the Observer sees first-hand the military limitations of the rebel forces, as well as their fierce determination.
On the good news side, we look at the bold bid for reconciliation in Colombia that is the Victims' and Land Restitution Law, and at the highly successful conference this week in London of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), which produced significantly more funds than had been asked for.
Away from the news agenda, we enjoy a rare glimpse inside the girls' madrasas of Dhaka - the story is more complex than you might expect - and take stock of the figures behind the Brazilian government, which have quite a tale to tell.
And there's a short account of a very, very long labour - the 90-year effort to produce the 21-volume definitive Chicago Assyrian Dictionary, which covers cuneiform script used between 2500BC and AD100. As our account explains, it is the door to what are very recognisably human stories about fear and anger, love and loss.
I hope that you enjoy this edition.
Quote of the week: "The gunfire was from everywhere. So many people fell. It was a massacre." Samir, 27, an injured survivor from the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour, which was attacked by the Syrian army.
Fact of the week: Tunisia, which used to be a one-party state, now has 82 registered political parties. Planned elections have been postponed until October to allow the updating of the electoral register.
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