This week, all eyes are on Syria where the brutal civil war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Our foreign correspondent, David Blair, explains how the monstrous Bashar al-Assad has managed to cling onto power for so long – and Con Coughlin, the Telegraph's defence editor, unpicks Iran's conspiracy to dominate the region.

Also, we bid farewell to one of history's greatest conductors. Harry de Quetteville previews a new Obits podcast with a discussion about the life of Claudio Abbado – an enigmatic musician obsessed with death who offers an insight into the strange, lonely world of the conductor.