Inside Story

As Egypt votes on a new constitution, we ask if the referendum will help resolve the country's political crisis. Inside Story with presenter Ghida Fakhry speaks to guests: Sondos Asem of the Freedom and Justice party. She is a member of the party's foreign relations committee; Ahmed Naguib. He is a member of the Egyptian Current Party, and of the "No to the militarisation of the constitution" campaign; and Mohamed Elewa Badar. He is a senior lecturer in International and Islamic Law at Brunel University. Previously he served as a Chief Judge for the Egyptian Ministry of Justice.

Scientists have seen further back in time than ever before, with astronomers gazing at galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang, over 13 billion years ago. Is space exploration costing the earth? Guests: Kamal Chenoy, Max Raskin, Francisco Diego.

North Korea has launched a long-range rocket it says is designed to put a weather satellite into orbit but the move has sparked an international outcry. What is Kim Jong-un trying to tell the world? Guests: Don Kirk, Joseph Cheng, Paul Chamberlin.

The Asia Pacific region suffers more from natural disasters than any other place on earth. In the last few days yet another typhoon devastated much of the southern Philippines. But just what are the economic implications of all this destruction? And what can be done to better protect people from these recurrent disasters?

It has been described as the most prestigious award in the world - the Nobel Peace Prize, whose past winners include Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. But this year's award to the European Union is adding to growing criticism over the choice of winners - and the politics behind the decisions. So, is the Nobel Peace Prize losing its prestige? And is the Nobel Peace Prize still contributing to world peace in the way Alfred Nobel envisioned?

Technocrat prime ministers are supposed to rise above the political bickering and drive through unpopular policies. Has Italy's government improved the economy or was it merely a quick-fix? Guests: Vincenzo Scarpetta, Ettore Greco, Andrea Teti.

As warnings escalate over the perils the planet faces, we ask what the COP18 summit has achieved. Inside Story, with presenter Nick Clark, from the summit are guests: Kumi Naidoo, from Greenpeace International; Wael Hmaidan, from Climate Action Network International; and environment specialist Mohammed Jassim Almaslamani.

Ghana's model democracy is being tested again as voters head to the presidential and parliamentary elections on Friday. What will it mean for a region that is still struggling toward democracy? Guests: Aly-Khan Satchu, Gamal Nkrumah, Sylvain Touati.

As the Indian government moves to allow more foreign direct investment, how will the highly-protected domestic market, in particular farmers and small shop owners, cope with global giants? Guests: Dharmendra Kumar, Rajesh Menon, Arvind Panagariya.

We look at the political struggles of an economic giant facing an uncertain future as elections draw near. Inside Story, with presenter , Kamahl Santamaria, is joined by guests: Michael Penn, president of the independent Shingetsu News Agency; Seijiro Takeshita, director of Mizuho International, the investment banking arm of Japan's Mizuho Financial Group; and Gerhard Fasol, CEO of Eurotechnology Japan, dealing with business in the country's technology sector.

We ask if the governments of the world are in danger of over regulating the use of the internet. Inside Story with presenter James Bays discusses with Paul Conneally, head of communication for the International Telecommunication Union, the ITU; Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist. He was arrested last year on charges of running a website that the UAE government clamped down on; and Richard Rogers, professor of new media and digital culture at the University of Amsterdam. Richard is also author of an upcoming book called "Digital Methods".

As the UN marks World AIDS Day we ask if prejudice and ignorance is still rife regarding those living with HIV and AIDS. Inside Story, with presenter James Bays, discusses with guests: Bernhard Schwartländer, director for evidence, strategy and results at UNAIDS; Lynette Mabote, the regional advocacy team leader for the Rights Alliance for Southern Africa; and Ju Wei Chen, the founding director of the AIDS Institute at the University of Hong Kong.

There was a great show of support for the Palestinians as they bid to upgrade their status at the United Nations. But the move was also strongly opposed by Israel and the United States. After years of long, inconclusive negotiations, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, asked the UN General Assembly to recognise the non-member state of Palestine in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Abbas has been leading the campaign to win support for the resolution, and over a dozen European governments have offered him their support. But both Israel and the US have rejected the most recent bid to be recognised as a non-member observer state. Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister, said the bid is a "virtual move without any substance", while Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said it would serve no purpose. . So, how would a new status at the UN help the Palestinians? How would they use their newfound status? And how would it affect future peace efforts?

A scandal has cost Afghanistan's Kabul bank hundreds of millions of dollars. and a new report now says political meddling is preventing efforts to find out why it happened. The scandal began nearly three years ago. And now, thanks to an independent audit, Kabul Bank is once again in the spotlight. The report says the bank funneled $900 million into the pockets of the country's political elite.

Hurricanes, heatwaves, fires, floods and famine. Evidence is growing linking extreme weather to global warming. As yet another round of United Nations climate talks begin, this time in Qatar. But where is all the hot air getting us in dealing with all the hot air?