Guardian Focus

Each week, Guardian correspondents and commentators take a detailed look at an issue in the news

Audio: the race to save Peter Kassig

The American aid worker was killed by his Isis captors on 16 November. Listen to the Guardian team tell, for the first time, of the daring and extraordinary effort to secure his release, which involved a radical New York lawyer, the US government and the world's most revered jihadi scholar Watch a video explainer on the secret talks to save Peter Kassig The long read: the race to save Peter Kassig

12-19
28:30

Guardian Focus podcast: reviewing the Arab spring

We're looking back at the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. With much of the region still in a state of ferment, what are the possibilities and dangers that lie ahead?

12-23
34:28

Guardian Focus podcast: are Britain's roads safe for cyclists?

With the toll of cycling casualties growing, Hugh Muir asks what needs to happen for roads to become a safer place for bikes

12-16
33:07

Guardian Focus podcast: England's riots and the prospect of a lost generation

Only half of those who took part in the summer riots said they felt a part of British society. We hear from five young Londoners on how they see their futures and their place in society

12-09
27:10

Guardian Focus podcast: public sector strike

Unite's Rachael Maskell, Matthew Sinclair of the Taxpayers Alliance and Tom Clark discuss this week's public sector strike over the reform of pensions. With Hugh Muir

12-01
42:47

Guardian Focus podcast: the housing crisis

Hugh Muir examines the government's new housing strategy. Will it make any difference?

11-25
37:25

Guardian Focus podcast: zero tolerance to gang culture

Analysis commissioned by the government suggests only 13% of those arrested in the UK's riots this summer could credibly be linked to gangs. So is a zero-tolerance approach to gangs missing the point?

11-18
39:26

Guardian Focus podcast: Should veterans of the armed forces get more support?

Hugh Muir examines whether ex-servicemen and women are given the help they need to adapt to civilian life

11-11
22:18

Guardian Focus podcast: Libya's future

Hugh Muir explores the political and business possibilities for post-Gaddafi Libya

11-04
27:30

Guardian Focus podcast: Rev Giles Fraser and the Occupy London camp

Reverend Giles Fraser tells Alan Rusbridger how a protest on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral led to his resignation as canon

10-27
14:57

Guardian Focus podcast: disability benefit cuts

Hugh Muir examines proposed cuts to disability benefits. Is this a sensible plan to get the finances under control, or an attack on the most vulnerable?

10-21
34:18

Guardian Focus podcast: Disunited Kingdom?

This week the SNP announced it will hold a referendum on full Scottish independence. Hugh Muir explores what devolution offers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

10-14
37:54

Guardian Focus podcast: squatters' rights

Hugh Muir examines whether home owners need more protection from squatters - and what effect criminalisation will have on the homeless

10-06
33:36

Guardian Focus podcast: David Cameron's war in Libya

Chief political correspondent Nicholas Watt, RUSI defence analyst Mark Phillips and the Independent's Bruce Anderson join Hugh Muir to discuss the PM's first war

10-03
29:48

Guardian Focus podcast: Dale Farm and sites for Travellers

In 2008 £97m was made available for providing sites for Travellers. In this podcast, we look at what happened to the money, and examine the coalition's policy on Travellers

09-26
30:06

Guardian Focus podcast: What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?

We discuss the implications of Palestinians asking for UN recognition of statehood, with views from the Middle East, the US and Britain

09-19
30:27

Guardian Focus podcast: Free schools

Will free schools drain funds and resources - or raise educational standards? Hugh Muir examines their likely impact

09-13
32:32

Guardian Focus podcast: Tottenham after the riots

Last month disturbances in north London triggered riots around England. Hugh Muir looks at prospects for Tottenham as it attempts to move on

09-05
31:01

Guardian Focus podcast: famine in Somalia

The Horn of Africa is experiencing a food crisis and the UN has declared famine in parts of Somalia. What does the relief effort look like? And what comes next? • Have your say on the podcast

08-18
24:54

Guardian Focus podcast: UK riots

Riots and looting that began in north London have spread to other English cities. Jonathan Freedland, Dave Hill and Stafford Scott discuss the causes of the worst civil unrest in a generation – and how it might be stopped

08-10
35:20

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