Today - 12/08/2009

Presented by Evan Davis and James Naughtie. Nick Davis, chief executive of the Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre, considers what could have happened to a merchant ship which disappeared off the coast of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean on 28 July 2009. Jonathan Beale reports on US President Barack Obama's fight to gain support for health insurance reform. Radio 4's Face the Facts presenter John Waite discusses the level of the service jobseekers are receiving. About 700 people missing in southern Taiwan after Typhoon Morakot have been found alive, say army officials. Alastair Leithead reports. Reporter Jack Izzard interviews people who have been made redundant about the impact it has had on their lives. Professor Danny Dorling and Lord Layard discuss the current jobless rate in the UK. Feral wildlife expert Tony Peacock discusses how the camel has come to be such a nuisance in the outback of Australia. Thought for the Day with the novelist and columnist Anne Atkins. The Iraqi government says it is in control and security is improving. Correspondent Natalia Antelava finds out whether the people of Baghdad share the government's optimism. The number of people unemployed in the UK could reach 2.5 million. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson considers the extent of damage the recession is doing to the government. Peter Bleksley, a former Scotland Yard detective who now writes on crime and policing, discusses the romanticism of robbers who stole jewellery worth 40 million pounds. Iraq expert Toby Dodge reflects on allegations that Saudi Arabia is responsible for a new wave of violence in Iraq. Steve Bundred, of the Audit Commission, says councils need to be planning for the social impact of recession. Bishop of Bradford David James says Christians in Pakistan are living in fear. Astronomer Dr Marek Kukula explains what to look for if you want to see the Perseid meteor shower. Biographer Justin Wintle and Mark Farmaner, director of human rights group the Burma Campaign UK, discuss the global reaction to the conviction of the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.