Today - 11/11/2009

Presented by James Naughtie and Sarah Montague. Youth unemployment in the UK could pass one million, becoming the highest in Europe, according to new figures out today. Correspondent Luke Walton spoke to unemployed youths in Sunderland, and Paul Fletcher, director of charity Youth Engagement at Rathbone, discusses why so many youths are unemployed. Legislation to build a coastal path around the entire coast of England and Wales and to set up marine conservation zones could be passed today. The Marine and Coastal Access Bill is the first of its kind, but fishermen say it will damage their livelihoods. Environment correspondent Sarah Mukherjee reports from Studland Bay in Dorset. Bosnian leaders are meeting tomorrow to try and resolve long-standing divisions which many fear could lead to a new civil war. Correspondent Edward Stourton reports from the Bosnian Serb town of Banja Luka. Three more scientists who sit on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) have resigned. Scientists met home secretary Alan Johnson yesterday seeking reassurance that their independence would not be compromised, following the sacking of the chief drugs adviser, Professor David Nutt. One of those who resigned, Dr Simon Campbell, comments on the breakdown in the discussions. Armistice Day is an opportunity for the country to remember and honour the dead of the First World War. The two-minute silence has been part of the tradition for 90 years, but continued British deaths in Afghanistan will make today's occasion more poignant. Today presenter Justin Webb examines whether the mood of Armistice Day has changed. Thought for the Day with the Right Rev Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark. The number of unemployed youths could exceed one million, with thousands of unemployed graduates joining the growing number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training ('NEETS'). The government will today set out its plans to tackle the problem in its white paper, Skills for Growth. Skills secretary Lord Mandelson discusses the proposals. The DNA profiles of innocent people arrested in England and Wales will be kept for six years and not indefinitely under new government proposals. The changes will be put before the European Court of Human Rights, which had ruled the current policy unlawful. Police have defended the system, which it says has led to the solving of crimes, but human rights groups are unhappy with the compromise. Julie Bindel from the campaign group Justice for Women and the shadow home secretary Chris Grayling debate the DNA policy. The recording of a telephone conversation between the prime minister and the mother of a dead soldier has generated much media comment. Mr Brown contacted Jacqui Janes to apologise for a mis-spelt letter of condolence. Sheila Gunn, former press secretary to John Major, and former Downing Street press officer Lance Price examine whether the continuing criticisms of Gordon Brown and his actions are reminiscent of the last days of the Major government. Economists are warning that the growing number of 'NEETS' could lead to a whole generation being lost to mass unemployment. Today presenter Sarah Montague visited a youth project in Salford which tries to engage and reform the lives of unemployed youths. A growing dispute between Venezuela and its neighbour Colombia is threatening trade and stability in the region. Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez has ordered his army to prepare for war after the Colombian president granted US troops access to its military bases. Todd Landman, Professor of Government at Essex University, examines the dispute. Between five and ten per cent of the prison population in England and Wales are former servicemen. The Howard League for Penal Reform is setting up an inquiry to investigate the issue. Wing Commander Dr Hugh Milroy, chief executive of Veterans Aid, comments on the high proportion of ex-serviceman in prison. The goalkeeper of the German national football team Robert Enke has died after being hit by a train in what is believed to have been suicide. The BBC's Berlin correspondent Steve Rosenberg has the latest. Author Catherine Millet, renowned for her account of the many sexual adventures she had outside her marriage, has published a new book. Jealousy examines how she felt when she had proof that her husband was also being unfaithful. Ms Millet discusses how the revelations in her books affected her life.