Guardian Focus

The American aid worker was killed by his Isis captors on 16 November. Listen to the Guardian team tell, for the first time, of the daring and extraordinary effort to secure his release, which involved a radical New York lawyer, the US government and the world's most revered jihadi scholar Watch a video explainer on the secret talks to save Peter Kassig The long read: the race to save Peter Kassig

We're looking back at the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. With much of the region still in a state of ferment, what are the possibilities and dangers that lie ahead?

With the toll of cycling casualties growing, Hugh Muir asks what needs to happen for roads to become a safer place for bikes

Only half of those who took part in the summer riots said they felt a part of British society. We hear from five young Londoners on how they see their futures and their place in society

Unite's Rachael Maskell, Matthew Sinclair of the Taxpayers Alliance and Tom Clark discuss this week's public sector strike over the reform of pensions. With Hugh Muir

Hugh Muir examines the government's new housing strategy. Will it make any difference?

Analysis commissioned by the government suggests only 13% of those arrested in the UK's riots this summer could credibly be linked to gangs. So is a zero-tolerance approach to gangs missing the point?

Hugh Muir examines whether ex-servicemen and women are given the help they need to adapt to civilian life

Hugh Muir explores the political and business possibilities for post-Gaddafi Libya

Reverend Giles Fraser tells Alan Rusbridger how a protest on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral led to his resignation as canon

Hugh Muir examines proposed cuts to disability benefits. Is this a sensible plan to get the finances under control, or an attack on the most vulnerable?

This week the SNP announced it will hold a referendum on full Scottish independence. Hugh Muir explores what devolution offers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Hugh Muir examines whether home owners need more protection from squatters - and what effect criminalisation will have on the homeless

Chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt, RUSI defence analyst Mark Phillips and the Independent's Bruce Anderson join Hugh Muir to discuss the PM's first war

In 2008 £97m was made available for providing sites for Travellers. In this podcast, we look at what happened to the money, and examine the coalition's policy on Travellers

We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain

Will free schools drain funds and resources - or raise educational standards? Hugh Muir examines their likely impact

Last month disturbances in north London triggered riots around England. Hugh Muir looks at prospects for Tottenham as it attempts to move on

The Horn of Africa is experiencing a food crisis and the UN has declared famine in parts of Somalia. What does the relief effort look like? And what comes next? • Have your say on the podcast

Riots and looting that began in north London have spread to other English cities. Jonathan Freedland, Dave Hill and Stafford Scott discuss the causes of the worst civil unrest in a generation – and how it might be stopped

Should the government be forcing people to speak English?

With the far right making political gains in France, Denmark and the Netherlands, and now the terrorist atrocity in Norway, what's the state of the far right in the UK?

Soon the world's population will reach 7 billion. But do more people necessarily mean more problems? Have your say on the podcast

After another resignation at the top of the Metropolitan police, we ask what's going wrong and how to ensure the mistakes of the phone hacking scandal are not repeated

This week's podcast explores what recent clashes in Belfast means for the province

Alan Rusbridger, Nick Davies, Roy Greenslade and Janine Gibson discuss the closure of the News of the World and the impact of the phone-hacking scandal on News International and the British newspaper industry

The Dilnot commission report attempted to determine who should pay for elderly care. We talk to some elderly people and their carers and ask why our older citizens are getting such a raw deal

On 9 July, southern Sudan will become an independent state. What are the development challenges and opportunities facing the new country?

As the spending cuts start to bite, trade unions are planning strike action. We ask if there are more effective negotiation techniques

We give millions to the Lawn Tennis Association every year to get more people playing and to improve elite performance. Hugh Muir asks if it's working

Hugh Muir talks to health experts to find out how the changes to the way the NHS is financed will affect its service and where the necessary savings can be made

The World Bank says soaring food prices have already pushed millions more people into extreme poverty this year. We examine what is being done to combat the problem• Post your comments on the podcast on talk point• View our interactive on the global food crisis

Hugh Muir explores the reasons for the apparent upsurge in religious hatred in Scotland. How much deeper than the football matches between Celtic and Rangers does this go?

Thousands of women in Canada and the US have already marched in a movement provocatively called SlutWalk. But are they advancing feminism or harming it? An expert panel assembled by the Observer debates the issue before a series of marches in the UK

On the first anniversary of the coalition government, Hugh Muir and Martin Wainwright visit David Cameron and Nick Clegg's constituencies of Witney and Sheffield

Hugh Muir asks whether the target of getting 70,000 unemployed Londoners into work through London 2012 is being achieved

The World Tourism Organisation argues that responsible tourism can play a significant role in eradicating poverty and meeting the millennium development goals. But is it right? Post your comments on the podcast on talk point

George Monbiot, Helen Caldicott and Laurence Williams join host James Randerson to debate the future of the UK's nuclear programme following Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant disaster

Jon Snow chairs a Guardian debate at the British Museum in London under the title Afghanistan: What makes a Nation?

Michael White talks to MPs, voters, campaigners and experts prior to the referendum on the alternative vote system on 5 May

London won the 2012 Olympics with a promise to turn the UK into a sporting nation the world would envy. So why aren't more people taking up sport?

Concluding the Guardian's New Europe series, Chris Bobinski, Andrzej Swidlicki and Matteo Napolitano join Jon Henley to discuss how Poland sailed through the economic crash

Jonathan Wilson visits Poland to examine efforts to drag football into the 21st century in time for next year's European Championships

Many people like the sound of microfinance because it isn't charity. But are all poor people budding entrepreneurs? And what happens when people cannot repay their loans?Post your comments on the podcast on talk point

Continuing the Guardian's New Europe series, Jill Treanor, Eduardo Suarez and Giles Tremlett join Jon Henley to consider Spain's economic prospects

How are the Metropolitan police preparing for this weekend's mass demonstrations against public spending cuts? Hugh Muir investigates

As part of the Guardian's New Europe series, Jon Henley is joined by Angelique Chrisafis, Eric Albert and Phillip Inman to discuss France's faltering economic recovery

In the first in a series of podcasts focusing on Europe, Martin Kettle, Sebastian Borger and Fiona Harvey join Jon Henley to discuss the success of the German economy

On the centenary of International Women's Day, we explore why feminism still matters in 2011 and debate the Guardian's list of 100 inspirational women

As councils across Britain meet to pass their much reduced budgets, are Labour councils taking their constituents with them?

Hundreds of foreign prisoners are held indefinitely after they have served their criminal sentences. Harriet Grant investigates