Today - 05/01/2009

Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. Fikr Shalltoot, of Medical Aid for Palestinians, describes the situation on the ground in Gaza. David Blunkett describes the liberating power of the Braille writing system. Dr Ben Goldacre and Nas Amir Ahmadi, managing director of Detox in a Box, discuss whether detox diets make medical sense. Robert Peston explains how the banks' lending binge has turned into a lending bust. ITV Chairman Michael Grade explains what happened to 'the death of the schedule'. Thought for the day with John Cornwell of Jesus College, Cambridge. Conservative leader David Cameron discusses economic policy and attacks Gordon Brown for 'burning money' in the VAT cut. Edward Stourton speaks to Danny Gillerman, Israel's former ambassador to the UN. Anthony Julius discusses what happened when seven senior lawyers met to reconsider the case against Shakespeare's money lender, Shylock. US Ambassador Ryan Crocker says that the opening of the US embassy in Baghdad is an important step in the 'normalisation' of US-Iraq relations. Dominic Raab, Chief of Staff to the Shadow Home Secretary, debates whether a systematic erosion of liberty has taken place under the Labour government with former Home Secretary Charles Clarke. Former Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller analyses the likely response if Israel had launched its aerial and ground offensive of Gaza with Barack Obama in the White House. Author and historian Nechama Tec describes the life of Tuvia Bielski, subject of the film Defiance, who set up a community in a forest in Belorussia during WWII which smuggled fellow Jews out of the heavily armed ghettos.