Best of Today

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  Daily
• Average duration:
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Show all episodes (12)

Recent episodes (10)

• Will the US keep boldly going?

  Fri, 17 Jul 09

  Duration:
  6 mins

  As the US celebrates the 40th anniversary of the moon landings, space enthusiasts are worried that there is too little else to celebrate in the country's space programme. John Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at the White House, discusses President Obama's plans for the space programme.

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• Troops need more, says Army head

  Fri, 17 Jul 09

  Duration:
  11 mins

  The head of the UK Army has said better equipment is needed to protect troops from roadside bombs in Afghanistan. General Sir Richard Dannatt explains what would be on his "shopping list" of what is required in the country.

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• Killed soldier 'came out a hero'

  Thu, 16 Jul 09

  Duration:
  8 mins

  Three of the eight soldiers who died in Afghanistan in a single 24 hours were just 18 years old. Reporter Mike Thomson visits Castleford in West Yorkshire, the hometown of Rifleman James Backhouse who was killed by a roadside bomb, to see how the death has affected the local community.

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• 'Impose limits on casino banking'

  Thu, 16 Jul 09

  Duration:
  10 mins

  Sweeping changes to the way that banks are run are likely to be recommended in a report into UK banking commissioned by the government. Business editor Robert Peston, FT columnist Gillian Tett and Sir George Mathewson, former chairman of RBS, consider how boardroom practices should be overhauled.

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• Rescued backpacker 'a tough kid'

  Wed, 15 Jul 09

  Duration:
  4 mins

  "The only teenager in the world who goes on a 10-mile hike and leaves his mobile phone behind" has been found alive after 12 days missing in Australia. The father of 19-year-old Jamie Neale explains how he felt when he heard the news his son was alive.

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• Education funding 'lacks flexibility'

  Wed, 15 Jul 09

  Duration:
  10 mins

  A fifth of English local authorities are reporting increased pressure on school places, the LGA says. Margaret Eaton, of the LGA, says ringfenced funding means schools have less ability to cope with surges in admissions.

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• Afghanistan withdrawal 'would be appalling'

  Tue, 14 Jul 09

  Duration:
  6 mins

  The bodies of eight British soldiers killed in Afghanistan in a single 24-hour period will be flown back to Britain. Head of the Army General Sir Richard Dannatt reflects on the memorial held by troops in Helmand province.

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• Full recovery for two hearts girl

  Tue, 14 Jul 09

  Duration:
  7 mins

  Hannah Clarke, a 16-year-old girl from Wales who made history when - as a baby - she had a donor heart grafted onto her own, has made a full recovery. Miss Clarke, her parents and Sir Magdi Yacoub, the pioneering surgeon who performed Hannah's original transplant, discuss the "magic" recovery.

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• 0845 Censorship

  Mon, 13 Jul 09

  Duration:
  6 mins

  Can any film be so shocking that it can be deemed unclassifiable? The release of Antichrist, which features genital self-mutilation among other shocking scenes, has been deemed suitable for 18-year-olds. David Cooke, director of the British Board of Film Classification, and Sunday Times journalist Bryan Appleyard, discuss what it would take for a film to be unclassifiable.

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• 0810 Afghanistan

  Mon, 13 Jul 09

  Duration:
  14 mins

  British troops in Afghanistan are to hold a private memorial service to remember the eight men who died last week in a single 24-hour period. Correspondent Martin Patience reports from Kabul on reaction to the deaths from those still fighting in the country. And is Britain pursuing the right strategy in Afghanistan? Counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen and Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, discuss whether the military and civilian goals can be achieved.

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