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| Today's Briefing Hour: Catch up on the days news, sport and business.
0600 - 0630
0630 - 0700 | | | |  |
0709 | More than eighty-three per cent of voters in Italy have turned out to cast their ballots, and they are still waiting for the definitive result. Professor James Walston, Head of the International Relations department at the American University of Rome, talks about the elections. | | |
0714 | The government is being asked to consider war crimes charges against the soldiers involved in the death of Tom Hurndall, the young British peace activist who died after being shot in Gaza in 2003. A jury in London found yesterday that Mr Hurndall had been unlawfully killed. We are joined by the Labour MPs Sir Gerald Kaufman, and Andrew Dismore, Vice Chair of Labour friends of Israel. | | |
0717 | The business news with Greg Wood. | | |
0721 | The BBC has learned that more than 200 weapons belonging to the British military have been lost or stolen since 1997. Though some were obsolete or antique, the figure includes handguns and assault rifles. The army says it's recovered about one in four. | | |
0726 | The sports news with Steve May. | | |
0732 | After all the anxiety about bird flu it seems we may not have had our first case here after all. This programme has learnt that the "working hypothesis" in Whitehall is that the dead swan found last week may actually have died in another country and just happened to be washed up on the Scottish coast. | | |
0740 | It is our nearest planetary neighbour, but it has still taken a spacecraft known as the Venus Express five months to get there. In about half an hour's time, the Express will attempt to swing into orbit around the planet. | | |
0745 | Thought for the day with Sir Jonathan Sachs. | | |
0751 | The new list of working peers does not include the four millionaires who loaned money to the Labour party and then were blocked by the Lords Appointments Commission. Nor does it include a lender to the Conservatives, the Midlands businessman Robert Edmiston. But among the 23 new members of the House of Lords is the name of Sir Bill Morris, the former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union. | | | | |
0810 | There is still no clear outcome to the Italian General Election. We speak to Mr Berlusconi's Culture minister, Rocco Buttiglione, and the former Europe Minister and keen observer of European politics Denis Macshane. | | |
0825 | Who is the most important musician of the past 50 years? Jimi Hendrix or John Lennon perhaps. How about Paul McCartney or Miles Davis? According to Brian Eno, the musician and producer, the title should go to a 65 year old Nigerian drummer called Tony Allen who has been playing drums for almost half a century. | | |
0827 | The sports news with Steve May. | | |
0833 | A 91 year-old WWII heroine will today be honoured by the Royal Air Force, 63 years after she first complained about not being given her operational "Parachute Wings". Pearl Witherington, a Paris-born expatriate who had escaped to England early in the war, joined the Special Operations Executive in 1943, and was soon airdropped into France to conduct covert operations aiding the resistance. | | |
0841 | Longleat Safari Park is forty years old. The master of the revels at its birthday party today will be the Marquis of Bath, son of the park's founder, and he joins us on the programme. | | |
0844 | The European Union has approved plans to suspend financial aid to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government. This follow's Hamas's refusal to renounce violence and recognise Israel. The EU is the biggest donor to the Palestinian Authority and the ending of its support, coupled with Israeli imposed sanctions, threatens to bankrupt the government. | | |
0847 | The business news with Greg Wood. | | |
0851 | The 2006 edition of the Wisden Cricketer's Almanack is published today - the first edition since England's Ashes win last Summer. Matthew Engel is its Editor and he speaks to us this morning. | | |
0854 | Israel's cabinet has declared that Ariel Sharon is permanently incapacitated. | | |
0856 | Should the phrase "Parent Power" be banned? One of the resolutions being discussed today at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' - the ATL - Conference in Gateshead "deplores the use by politicians of the term". One of the proposers of that resolution is Phil Baker, a teacher and ATL member. We are also joined by Chris Woodhead, former chief inspector of schools who now heads a private education firm Cognita. | | |
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We don’t always have time to play the whole interview on air. Listen to the extended interview here, exclusive to the Today website.
| |  | Don De Lillo Interview
The American writer Don de Lillo who wrote Underworld and is one of the biggest figures in modern American literature - has become a classic. A Penguin classic. A great accolade, but usually one reserved for the dead. John interviewed him and asked what it's like to be thought of as a "classic"?
| | | | Mouloud Sihali Interview
Mouloud Sihali from Algeria, North Africa, is one of the suspected terrorists that the Home Secretary wants to deport back to Algeria. Based on secret intelligence and police investigations, the Home Secretary has deemed Sihali a threat to the Nation's security. Last year Mouloud Sihali was found not guilty of being a part of a so called released Ricin plot. | | | | The nominations for the Oscars were announced yesterday, and The Constant Gardener is tipped for a place on the shortlist. It stars Ralph Fiennes who picked up an Evening Standard Film Award this week for his role in the film. Polly Billington spoke him and to the author, John le Carre, about the film and its chances at the Oscars. (31/01/06) | | | | Edward Stourton interviews the President of Mexico, Vincente Fox, and Tom Shannon, the United States Under Secretary of State with responsibility for the Americas, on the Summit of the Americas in Argentina and the prospect of a free trade agreement for the region.
President Vincente Fox.
Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon. | | | | 50th anniversary of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett.
The uncut interview with Sir Peter Hall, the first director to stage the play in 1955, with the last surviving member of the original main cast, Timothy Bateson who played 'lucky', and playwright Ronald Harwood. | | | | Jim Naughtie speaks to the Archbishop of Kaduna, Josiah Idowu Fearon, about the Anglican Church in Africa and tensions between Christians and Muslims. (25/05/05) | | | | Edward Stourton interviews Monsignor Charles Burns, a retired head of the Vatican's Secret Archives, in Rome about the funeral of the Pope John Paul II.
(08/04/05)
Part 1
Part 2 | | | | First BBC interview of Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo Bay detainee. Mr Begg speaks to our reporter Zubeida Malik about his ordeal and how he continues to campaign for five Britons still there to be freed. | | | | Justin Webb interviews Walter Cronkite who pays tribute to Dan Rather, a 73 year old news presenter in America who is retiring after 24 years.
(10/03/05) | | | | Tony Blair speaks to Jim at the British Embassy in Washington, following his controversial Rose Garden press conference with Bush. The Iraq war, the Middle East and the first hints of an EU constitution referendum u-turn. (17/04/04). | | | | Jim Naughtie interviews the Nigerian High Commissioner in Britain, Dr Christopher Kolade, about the recent increase of religious violence in Nigeria.
(19/05/04) | | | | John Humphrys interviews Prince Hassan of Jordan on the critical situation in Iraq.
(03/05/04). | | | | Jim Naughtie interviews Bob Woodward. First Watergate, now a controversial book into events in the White House pre-Iraq war.
(20/04/04).
| | | | Sarah Montague interviews Paul Burrell.
The former royal butler denies betraying Diana, Princess of Wales, insisting his controversial new book was "a loving tribute".
| | | | General James L. Jones
During his visit to London - the Supreme Commander of Nato talks to James Naughtie about the threat posed to NATO by a stronger EU military force. | | |
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