On air: The Crescent and the Cross

LISTEN TO OWEN’S PROGRAMME HERE.

The BBC is running a major documentary series called “The Crescent and the Cross”.

Here, the presenter, Owen Bennett Jones,  (who will co-host WHYS tonight) starts a conversation about some of the things he discovered while making the programmes.

Is the credit crunch reshaping our values?

Today in Newshour’s meeting we were chatting about how and if the credit crunch has changed our lives? Is having less money changing our values and our behaviour? Are we becoming less materialistic and is it possible that the credit crunch could actually be good for us?

Return to Gaza

Cast your mind back six months….to late December. That’s when Israeli fighter jets and attack helicopters began their fierce air assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel’s stated aim was to stop Hamas rocket attacks into southern Israel, and to – as it said – ‘change realities on the ground.’ The war lasted three weeks, and led to the deaths of more than a thousand Palestinians and 13 Israelis.

But what’s happened in the months since the conflict ended? How has it affected the people of Gaza? How much reconstruction has taken place? And has Israel achieved its war aims?

A right to know?

Pink for a girl – blue for a boy – are you pregnant and dying to know who’s inside? Now a new over-the counter kit can tell you, at just 10 weeks, the gender of your baby.  Makers say they won’t sell the kit in India or China, because of a national bias for boys

Has Gordon Brown lost the authority to lead Britain?

There’s fevered excitement around Westminster, the home of the UK parliament this morning. The talk is all about whether prime minister Gordon Brown can survive the latest barrage of criticism from within his own party.

An end to ethnic profiling ?

It doesn’t work, says this new report.

Police forces across Europe regularly use religious and ethnic stereotypes to target potential terrorists, but – according to the Open Society Justice Initiative –  it leaves the public “less safe”

Curse of the Class of 2009..?

It’s Saturday morning and the Newshour team is preparing for an in-depth look at university graduates struggling to find work.  We’ve received some interesting comments.  And we’re pleased that one of our distinguished guests today, the American entrepreneur Doug Hall, has joined the online discussion.  He writes: “There has never been a better time to be an innovator – no matter what your career, degree or passion. Industry has never had so many challenges, coming so fast.”  Are you a graduate still looking for work and do you agree with Mr Hall?  Is the recession an opportunity to be seized? 

On Your Bike…

I’ve just taken a Royal Enfield motorbike for a test drive at their factory in Chennai.  (writes Dan Isaacs of Newshour) -Fantastic. I’ve had a bit of a thing for them ever since I lived in India a year or two back. Nearly bought one but my wife put the khybosh on it. The ‘Bullet’ is a classic British bike from the 50s, still being produced in India today. Was it a Bullet Steve McQueen tried to make his get away on in the Great Escape?

How should Muslim countries deal with Islamic extremism?

DVDs on sale at a Jakarta bookstore

How to tackle Islamic extremism – a topic that many of you have debated here before. But this week Newshour is taking a close-up look at how two Muslim countries, Pakistan and Indonesia, are approaching the problem.

What do we do with the Olympic feel-good factor?

The Beijing Olympics end on Sunday and the final medal tally is nearly complete. China is the obvious winner – not just in terms of gold medals, but also given the huge boost to its national pride and prestige.