From Cape Town and London
While my colleagues are ending their triumphant tour of South Africa with a farewell broadcast from the Zula Bar
in Cape Town, we're manning the fort back in London.
One story that caught my eye was the by the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, that if he is re-elected he will hold a referendum on changing the constitution to recognise indigenous Australians.
Mr Howard, who has admitted struggling with the issue of indigenous reconciliation during his 11 years in power, now says the distinctiveness of their identity and their rights to preserve their heritage should be acknowledged.
Many Aboriginal leaders have already criticised the announcement, saying that changing the constitution means nothing and that only a formal apology regarding their people's suffering will suffice.
But Mr Howard says a collective national apology for past injustices would reinforce what he described as a culture of victimhood.
Should the descendants of settlers apologise for the wrongs committed centuries ago by their forefathers, or is Mr Howard right to refuse such a request?
MATERNAL MORTALITY
There are two out today about childbirth. One condemns the "appalling" lack of progress made in reducing the number of women worldwide dying during pregnancy and childbirth.
Analysis in The Lancet medical journal shows half a million women die every year - little change from 20 years ago.
The other, also published in the Lancet, found that while the rates of abortion fell globally by 17% between 1995 and 2003, the number of abortions taking place in "unsafe" conditions remained the same - about half of all abortions carried out.
The vast majority of unsafe abortions are done in developing countries, the figures show. Dr Iqbal Shah of the World Health Organisation said reducing the number of unsafe abortions was "imperative" in order to reduce maternal deaths.
Would legalising abortion in places where they are currently banned improve the conditions in which they are carried out and reduce maternal mortality rates?
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been won by the former US vice-president Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The award comes just two days after a High Court judge in Britain said that Mr Gore's Oscar-winning climate change film, An Inconvenient Truth, contained "nine scientific errors".
The judge, who was ruling on whether the film could be shown in British schools, said that nine statements in the film were not supported by mainstream scientific consensus. Although he did say that the film's main argument that climate change was mainly caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases and will have serious adverse consequences, was supported by the majority of scientific opinion.
What do you think about Mr Gore's Nobel prize award?
THE DEATH OF CDs
Madonna is her lifelong record label, Warner, and is poised to sign a contract with a concert promoter in a deal that has sparked fresh debate over the future of record labels.
Madonna is thought to be signing a multi-million dollar, 10-year deal with the US firm. It is the latest move by a big-sellling act to bypass traditional record companies.
Radiohead recently announced that their latest album would be available as a download and that fans could choose how much they wanted to pay for it, while The Charlatans are giving their new album away as a free download. Is this the beginning of the end of the record industry as we have known it?
SINGING BAN
A popular Spanish singer has been from performing in a Venezuelan stadium over remarks he made about the country's president, Hugo Chavez.
A government minister accused Alejandro Sanz of criticising Mr Chavez three years ago while touring Venezuela. The musician has been banned from staging a concert at a state-run stadium but the government says he can perform at any privately owned venue.
Forget the rights and wrongs of this case. Who would you ban from singing and why?
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WE'RE EXPERIENCING SOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AGAIN, I'M AFRAID. THAT'S WHY I'M PUBLISHING HERE SOME OF THE COMMENTS WE'VE RECEIVED VIA EMAIL AND TEXT MESSAGE:
Who do you think should win the nobel peace prize ? It is not doubt to monks in Burma ? frank italy
Nobel Peace Prize. If it were up to me. the brave Burmese monks would win the Prize. Ivy, kenya
The noble peace prize should be shared amongs the group of elders consisting of Nelson Mandela,Desmond Tutu and the rest.
Shuwary Barlatt,Freetown.
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