Podcast appearances and mentions of Robin Lustig

Robin Lustig and Rainbow Murray look at Donald Trump’s moves to convince Iran to ditch its nuclear programme, how AP got back in the White House, whether a new coalition could make Germany a leader in Europe again and why residents of San Sebastián are rejecting the Fifa World Cup. Plus: our On This Day series considers the moment that Confederate general Robert E Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tessa Szyszkowitz and Robin Lustig join us in Midori House to assess the past 72 hours as Keir Starmer takes centre stage and Donald Trump continues his row with Volodymyr Zelensky. What happens next? Plus, Austria’s three-party government takes office and we ask: are shorter books a boon? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leader of Germany’s conservative opposition, Friedrich Merz, sides with the far-right AfD party, breaking political taboo. But will the move prove to be a mistake? Monocle’s Andrew Mueller is joined by panellists Marta Lorimer and Robin Lustig to unpack this and the day’s other top stories, including Portugal and Spain’s defence commitments, when fact-checking gets muddled with politics and how one London institution refuses to break with tradition and allow female membership. Plus: Chiara Rimella sends us a ‘Letter from Sifnos’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Macron finally names a new PM, Nina Dos Santos and Robin Lustig join Andrew Mueller to discuss how Michel Barnier will be received. Plus: what does Maduro's early Christmas really mean for Venezuela? And can you guess what (or who) is Turkey's highest-rated-tourist attraction?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last week of May 2024 in Anglo-American politics saw a verdict in the trial of Donald J Trump and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have his electoral parade rained on. In these surreal times FRDH turns to Robin Lustig to calmly, rationally analyze the verdict in the Trump Trial and the curious local disinterest in the UK's elections.

Caroline Frost and Robin Lustig dissect the UK elections and Donald Trump as a jury deliberates in New York. Plus: China's revived panda diplomacy and a music session with Sean O'Hagan.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emma Nelson is joined by panellists Lisette Reymer and Robin Lustig. They discuss the view from abroad on the UK's Post Office scandal; why the Italian city of Modena cancelled a Russian event on the future of Mariupol; the environmental impact of the modern space race; and the importance of handwriting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, what are the prospects of the conflict spreading to Lebanon, Iran and the entire Middle East region? A special FRDH podcast with Kim Ghattas in Beirut and Robin Lustig, who has reported from the region for forty years. Give us an hour to explore how Hamas's October 7th sneak attack has changed the calculus in Lebanon and Iran and where the crisis might be headed.

The Brics summit kicks off in South Africa and expansion is at the top of the agenda. Also in the programme: former Ukrainian regional MP Aliona Hlivco and journalist Robin Lustig discuss the Russian strikes on Ukrainian ships. Plus, Tel Aviv finally gets a metro and why Paris's outdoor café culture is upsetting the city's residents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

France evacuates its citizens from Niger as regional neighbours back the military coup. Plus: China purges its military leadership, Donald Trump is under financial strain and a touring disco that helps visitors to process grief through dancing. With panellists Robin Lustig and Elodie Goulesque.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karl Marx was wrong when he wrote History repeats itself, first as tragedy then as farce. The second time around it is still tragic as the events of midsummer 2023 show. In this podcast with BBC great Robin Lustig we look at how from riots in Paris to Israeli incursions into the West Bank city of Jenin the conflicts we have covered 15/20/30 years ago keep blowing up again. Give us 50:56 to argue it out.

Alex von Tunzelmann and Robin Lustig look at the day's top stories, including the first state visit to the US by India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, companies hiring refugees in Europe and why an invitation to see the mayor of Tehran led to the resignation of a Brussels minister. Plus: Josh Rudolph of the German Marshall Fund on rebuilding Ukraine and part two of our Quality of Life series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weekend's biggest discussion topics with Georgina Godwin. Robin Lustig reviews the papers, Andrew Mueller recaps the week and Monocle's Washington correspondent, Christopher Cermak, brings us stories from the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago. Plus: a look ahead at this year's Hay Festival.

Russian spy ships in the North Sea, India's population boom and the UN's potential departure from Afghanistan. With Lynne O'Donnell and Robin Lustig. Plus: we hear from the head of British lighting brand Tom Dixon at Salone del Mobile.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As details emerge from a school shooting in Nashville, Nina dos Santos and Robin Lustig discuss how journalists should cover incidents like it. Plus: more Western weapons arrive in Ukraine, the waning importance of religion and patriotism to Americans, and an interview with the CEO and president of Porter Airlines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been 20 years since the start of the Iraq War. In March 2003, the United States launched its invasion, dropping bombs on Iraq's capital Baghdad. For Iraqis it marked the beginning of three weeks of helplessness as the US and its allies overwhelmed Saddam Hussein's forces. In this programme, first broadcast in 2012, Robin Lustig speaks to Lubna Naji who was a schoolgirl in Baghdad when the war broke out. (Photo: Bombs fall on Baghdad. Credit: Getty Images)

The latest from Pennsylvania's knife-edge Senate race. Stefanie Bolzen and Robin Lustig discuss climate reparations and whether Washington was right to hold talks with the Kremlin. Plus: lessons learnt from asking the public for its opinion.

As Russian strikes hit Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, we get the latest from the capital. Plus: Barbara Serra and Robin Lustig join us in the studio to discuss the European far-right and its effect on the continent, journalistic ethics and standards, and Elon Musk's take on the tensions between China and Taiwan.

Queen Elizabeth II and the world. Today's special programme features contributions from Monocle 24's Andrew Mueller, broadcaster Robin Lustig, Ukranian politician Lesia Vasylenko, former UN diplomat Mark Lyall Grant and Karen Middleton from ‘The Saturday Paper'.

Daniella Peled and Robin Lustig discuss new UK PM Liz Truss's foreign policy approach, Ukraine's bid to retake Kherson and Europe's summer of transport strikes. Plus: Marie Le Conte on her new book, ‘Escape: How a Generation Shaped, Destroyed and Survived the Internet'.

Baria Alamuddin and Robin Lustig ask whether the Ukraine grain deal will hold. Also: Nancy Pelosi begins her closely watched Asia tour, the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion approaches and Spain tells workers to ditch their ties. Plus: an interview with Lea Ypi, author of ‘Free: Coming of Age at the End of History'.

Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest on Brown's disqualification from the leadership race. Plus, former BBC presenter Robin Lustig on Boris Johnson's resignation and Defence Minister Anita Anand on Canada's plan to send Ukraine light armoured vehicles.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Robin Lustig discuss the opening day of the G7 summit as Russian missiles hit Kyiv. Also: Jens Stoltenberg's plan for a major Nato overhaul, the fallout from the overturning of Roe vs Wade and Seville launches a new system for naming heatwaves. Plus: the Royal College of Art in London unveils its new premises.

Sarah Churchwell and Robin Lustig on Ukraine's perceptions of Germany and the UK, how to debate a (French) populist, Alex Jones's bankruptcy and the International Antiquarian Book Fair. Plus: Henry Rees-Sheridan's Letter from New York.

Rebecca Tinsley and Robin Lustig on the West's reaction to the latest moves by Russia over Ukraine, and Anastacia Galouchka talks about sanctions. Plus: why Pakistan's Imran Khan wants a TV debate with India's Narendra Modi.

Robin Lustig, award-winning journalist and broadcaster, leads this discussion on the future of Israel. He is joined by Mira Awad, singer, songwriter, actress, and activista; Amnon Be'eri-Sulitzeanu, co-CEO of The Abraham Initiatives; Alistair Burt, Pro-Chancellor of Lancaster University; and Ohad Zemet, spokesperson of the Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom. The panel come together to discuss the future of Israel, focusing on what the country, and the communities living within it, will look like ten years from now; share their thoughts on the future of Israel's relationships with neighbours in the region, including Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and predict the future of Israeli relations with Iran, the United States, other Western powers.

How a young West German student helped East Berliners escape communism at the height of the Cold War. Volker Heinz told Robin Lustig how he worked with a Syrian diplomat to smuggle people across the Berlin Wall in the boot of the diplomat's car. From March to September 1966 the pair managed to help more than 60 people to make the crossing. This programme is a rebroadcast (Photo: East German border guards in 1966 scanning the Berlin Wall. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Callers share personal stories of meeting the Duke of Edinburgh with veteran UK journalist and BBC presenter Robin Lustig.

As 2020 comes to an end veteran BBC journalist Robin Lustig talks about how reality was obscured by twitter as we all tried to understand what was happening in the pandemic. In this FRDH podcast, host Michael Goldfarb and Robin Lustig, who have been front line journalists for a combined 75 years, go through a year like no other and its effect on them. You think you know how the world works and then suddenly you find out you haven't a clue. But it's not all doom and gloom, promise. Give us 18 minutes to prove it.

In this episode, Robin Lustig, journalist and broadcaster, and Kalypso Nicolaidis, professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford explore the topic of sacrifice in ancient mythology. Together, they discuss what the lens of history and ancient mythology can teach us about the unprecedented times that we are currently living in, and describe how the story of this pandemic should be told in years to come.  

Robin Lustig begins his journey in Washington DC where the first amendment is housed in the National Archive and serves as an almost sacred document. In this programme he asks how Courts around the world make decisions on Free speech. Can they find a line in the sand that shouldn't be crossed? How do they decide what is, in the modern parlance, ‘hate speech' and what is merely strongly expressed personal opinion? And can they ever be more than extensions of the political environment they inhabit? (Photo: The US Supreme Court, 5 February, 2009, Washington, DC. Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Host Andrew Mueller is joined by Holly Dagres and Robin Lustig to discuss Italy's lockdown, why the spotlight is once again on Iran's nuclear programme and whether there is a way to argue against conspiracy theories.

With Parliament out of session following a week of crisis this is a good time to assess Brexit's impact on British society with Robin Lustig, the most judicious journalist, I know.

His measured tones became synonymous with late night Radio 4 as presenter of 'The World Tonight'. In this hour of 'Conversations', Robin Lustig tells of his early days in journalism at Reuters and the Observer before serving for decades at home and abroad with the BBC World Service and Radio 4. He shares how the BBC prepares its staff for working in hostile environments; and some of the secrets of commentary on major events. He reflects too on the times where he feels the BBC may have got it wrong; his thoughts on the future for radio and journalism; and how he felt about interviewing some thoroughly unpalatable world figures. In his own words, this is the Robin Lustig story. (Robin's book 'Is Anything Happening' - 'My life as a newsman' is out now from Biteback publishing) The whole 'Conversations' series can be enjoyed [here](https://audioboom.com/playlists/1307245-conversations). Music by[Larry Bryant](http://www.larrybryant.com)

Adam Boulton hosts the Sky News podcast on the week's big political talking points.There are mutinous mutterings on the Conservative backbenches but it's the Prime Minister's Chequers compromise rather than the PM herself which is causing consternation as the UK heads towards a possible 'No Deal Brexit.' That's despite a leading group of Brexiteers apparently talking openly about ousting Theresa May. And Brighton is the first stop on the party conference season tour as the Liberal Democrats gather on the south coast. What next for the party after Sir Vince Cable mooted plans for new rules in the race to succeed him? Joining Adam this week are the deputy political editor of The Sunday Times Caroline Wheeler, journalist and broadcaster Robin Lustig and the Head of Sky Data Harry Carr. #Brexit #Chequers #LibDems #skynews

The series ends with Robin Lustig asking if you can have too much English. From India he hears how English can divide people as powerfully as it brings them together. In the US he meets speakers of Native American languages who want to keep their linguistic traditions alive. And in East Africa Robin asks whether a requirement to speak good English prevents millions from accessing the best jobs and universities. Some see English as a 'killer language' which threatens the existence of less widely-spoken languages. But not everyone sees English as a linguistic thug. To a Shanghai entrepreneur, it is the glue in the global economy, for others a ladder of opportunity, while some claim English may soon be in retreat. In an age of linguistic giants including Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic, Robin concludes by looking to the future to ask whether English will continue to dominate or decline, diminish lives and cultures or enrich them. Producer: Mohini Patel (Photo: Navajo family attend the Denver March Powwow 2017. Credit: Joe Amon/Getty Images)

Robin Lustig explores language change and diversity, as he asks whether English is fragmenting into multiple dialects or becoming increasingly uniform. In Kampala Robin polishes up his Uglish and he finds out how Hinglish, Tamglish and Spanglish are evolving in India and the US. And everywhere he goes, Robin seeks out new words and phrases as he tracks linguistic change from social media and the streets through a California campus to the corridors of the Oxford English Dictionary. Sorting his memes from his muggles, spotting milkshake ducks and phubbing, Robin explores the future of English in the virtual world and the real one. (Photo: A Spanglish sign which reads Vote Aqui Hoy. Credit: Getty Images)

Whether you learnt it at your mother's knee, at school or from a smartphone app, more than one and a half billion of us are speakers or students of English. It is the world's most widely used language but in the 21st Century English is being transformed. To investigate its diversity, vitality and future direction, Robin Lustig travels the world to find out if English is set to dominate or decline. Robin begins his journey in the speech artificial intelligence labs of Silicon Valley and in conversation with tech entrepreneurs in Shanghai as he asks how computer scientists are engineering new ways of using and learning English. On campus at Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, Robin asks whether advances in neural machine translation might one day replace English as a global lingua franca. However, although technology is making English more accessible, it could one day break its grip on the globe. As Robin discovers, the future of English may be very different in an era when AI-powered ‘hearables' can simultaneously translate between multiple languages. (Photo: Woman with a smart phone selecting an English dictionary app on screen, while resting at home. Credit: Getty Images)

Roger Hardy worked for more than 20 years as a Middle East analyst with the BBC World Service. In his new book, The Poisoned Well: Empire and its Legacy in the Middle East, he argues that the causes of the region’s troubled present are rooted in the era of Western colonial domination. Hardy discussed his book with Jonathan Steele of the Guardian, Hazem Kandil, lecturer in political sociology at Cambridge, and BBC broadcast journalist Robin Lustig. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

2016 was by any measure an historic year. A different America revealed itself to its own people and to the rest of the world. Donald Trump was unlike any Presidential candidate in history and now is set to be President. This FRDH podcast special explores How America Got This Way. FRDH stands for First Rough Draft of History, which is what journalists like to say they are writing and in this FRDH special four London-based journalists with a cumulative century of reporting on America and the way America effects the world talk about their own rough drafts of American history. Robin Lustig, former presenter of Newshour on the BBC World Service, Mina al-Oraibi Iraqi-British journalist formerly of pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, and Ned Temko, former political editor of The Observer, join Michael Goldfarb to talk about America, isolationism, Iraq, Syria, Putin. They ask can American institutions - especially Congress - stand up to the surprising changes in American society and is 2016 as historic in comparison with other years when modern history changed: 1968 and 1989.

  PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau   SITREP TRAIL THURS, 28th July   In this week's Sitrep….   The US and Russia aim for closer military co-operation over Syria air-strikes -but will it work?   It's official - Clinton's going head to head with Trump for the White House.   Is the Army falling short on recruitment?   And the language of terrorism, how should the media report it?       PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    28th July   US RUSSIA SYRIA Michael Stathis - Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Southern Utah University & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   US ELEX Michael Stathis - Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Southern Utah University & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   REPORTING TERROR writer and broadcaster Robin Lustig.   RECRUITING AND RESERVES BFBS Reporter James Hirst speaking to Retired Lieutenant General Robin Brims.   CGS General Sir Nick Carter, interview with Charlotte Banks.   Baltic Fleet BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

  PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau   SITREP TRAIL THURS, 28th July   In this week’s Sitrep….   The US and Russia aim for closer military co-operation over Syria air-strikes -but will it work?   It’s official - Clinton's going head to head with Trump for the White House.   Is the Army falling short on recruitment?   And the language of terrorism, how should the media report it?       PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    28th July   US RUSSIA SYRIA Michael Stathis - Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Southern Utah University & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   US ELEX Michael Stathis - Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Southern Utah University & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   REPORTING TERROR writer and broadcaster Robin Lustig.   RECRUITING AND RESERVES BFBS Reporter James Hirst speaking to Retired Lieutenant General Robin Brims.   CGS General Sir Nick Carter, interview with Charlotte Banks.   Baltic Fleet BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

Corruption – is it a reason to go to war? Why the threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in the UK has been raised? Why the New First Sea Lord has an in-tray full of problems The Invictus Games - who wins when no one loses? And what does Putin think of Trump? PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS: CORRUPTION Broadcaster and journalist Robin Lustig & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee Northern Ireland Terror Northern Ireland commentator Chris Ryder BURUNDI BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee Royal Navy 1st Sea Lord Military analyst and Naval historian Eric Grove. Missile Defence Shield BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee DONALD TRUMP Simon Marks from Feature Story News in Washington. THE INVICTUS GAMES BFBS reporter Richard Hutchinson and former Royal Marine, Cassidy Little THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

Corruption – is it a reason to go to war? Why the threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism in the UK has been raised? Why the New First Sea Lord has an in-tray full of problems The Invictus Games - who wins when no one loses? And what does Putin think of Trump? PRESENTER THIS WEEK: Kate Gerbeau Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee OTHER INTERVIEWS: CORRUPTION Broadcaster and journalist Robin Lustig & BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee Northern Ireland Terror Northern Ireland commentator Chris Ryder BURUNDI BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee Royal Navy 1st Sea Lord Military analyst and Naval historian Eric Grove. Missile Defence Shield BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee DONALD TRUMP Simon Marks from Feature Story News in Washington. THE INVICTUS GAMES BFBS reporter Richard Hutchinson and former Royal Marine, Cassidy Little THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

On this week's New Statesman podcast, Caroline Crampton, Jonn Elledge and Lucy Fisher talk about the problems facing the Tory party at home and abroad, Ajit Niranjan, Helen Lewis and Ian Steadman wonder whether it's possible to wear Google Glass without becoming a Glasshole, and Philip Maughan talks to Robin Lustig about his German-Jewish grandfather's experiences during the First World War. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Global viewpoints. In this edition: Kevin Connolly visits the Baghdad book market and salutes the bravery of those who carry on with their daily lives amid a constant threat of violence; Jeremy Bowen considers the impact on the Middle East of the apparent coming together of the two rival Palestinian factions; Chris Terrill's on a perilous day out with the fishermen of Mauritania in west Africa; Katy Watson is in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo where housing's a serious problem - this is a place with the world's largest slum population. And fish and rice they are used to, but Robin Lustig was in the Burma's Irrawaddy Delta when the locals, for the first time, were invited to sample German sausages and tomato ketchup.

Robin Lustig investigates the claims of corruption and kickbacks that have dogged Sochi's Winter Olympic journey. Hear more in "The Road to Sochi" on Radio 4 this Friday at 11am, or on BBC World Service on Saturday.

As the London 2012 Games drew to a close, thousands lined the streets of London to cheer on the Athletes' Parade, including a very excited BBC reporter - Stephen Chittenden. Also present were triathlon superstars, the Brownlee Brothers, who told 5 Live about the impact of public support. David Smith revealed to Sportsweek how rowing saved his life. On Radio 2, Linda Roberts told Chris Evans how she couldn't wish for any more for her son, gold medallist Jonnie Peacock. Despite topping the Olympic Games league table with 46 gold medals, United States slipped to sixth place in the Paralympics; Ruth Alexander investigated the issue for BBC World Service's “More or Less”. What jokes can you make about the Paralympics? Robin Lustig debated where the line was drawn with Channel 4 presenter Alex Brooker and comedian Adams Hills for The World Tonight. Finally, 5 Live's Shelagh Fogarty hears from some of the extraordinary Games Makers about their experiences at the London Games.

The Greek austerity bill may have been passed by the Athens parliament, but Justin Rowlatt's wondering if anyone expects it to be fully implemented. It may be one of the most polluted cities in the world but Delhi, as Anu Anand has been finding out, is home to an astonishing collection of bird life. The Libyan Mediterranean city of Misrata is still coming under rocket fire from troops loyal to Colonel Gaddafi, but Andrew Harding's been seeing that families still enjoy an afternoon at the beach there. Thaksin Shinawatra may be living in self-imposed exile in Dubai but Rachel Harvey, who's been there to meet the former Thai prime minister, says he's still dominating discussion about the upcoming Thai election. And is the Amazon a resource to be exploited or one simply to be protected - questions Robin Lustig's had in mind during his travels in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.

The bloody events in Syria are making the government in neighbouring Turkey uneasy, as Hugh Sykes has been finding out on the eve of the Turkish general election there; Chris Hogg's in Taiwan where, amid a thawing in relations with mainland China, there are businessmen who are prospering in the new climate of detente; corruption in India is now so pervasive, it reaches even the smallest country village but, as Craig Jeffrey's been hearing, it can still be a joking matter; there's a ban on divorce in the Philippines, but Kate McGeown tells us, there are ways around the ban, particularly if you have money; one of our most seasoned travellers, the reporter and presenter Robin Lustig's visited 75 countries without losing his luggage. Surely his luck can't last ...?

The unrest sweeping north Africa and the Middle East reaches Bahrain and Bill Law explains some of the tension in this island kingdom. Paul Adams travels through Egypt to see if calm is returning after the recent disturbances. As a momentous election approaches in Ireland, Fergal Keane says there's a sense of betrayal among the electorate. Robin Lustig travels through Italy in the week its prime minister is told he's facing serious criminal charges and Martin Plaut is in Sudan as the country prepares to split in two. There's a large unresolved question: what will happen to the cattle?

The Colombian fighters who've given up the struggle, opting for education instead -- Robin Lustig has been to meet them; Gideon Long in Chile on what the rescue at the Copiapo mine tells us about the Chilean character; a flowering of democracy in Kyrgyzstan, but Rayhan Demytrie finds it's all too complicated for some; Chris Hogg's in Pyongyang as President Kim Jong Il annoints his son as successor and Jennifer Pak discovers even the heat can't melt the enthusiasm for ice hockey in Malaysia.

Robin Lustig travels to Phoenix, Arizona, the home of Senator John McCain, to ask two ordinary voters about their most pressing concerns in the forthcoming US presidential election.

We know the two US presidential candidates and what they would do in office, but what does the electorate itself want? Robin Lustig travels to the candidates' home states to meet four Americans to find out what issues have determined their choices.