Today's show is part of a week of special programmes that are trying to reflect conversations occurring in five countries that have had a tumultuous year, today Greece is in the spotlight. We're asking what does the future look like for my country?

2011 was the third year in a row that Greece survived bankruptcy, but the salvation came with a very high social cost. After receiving the first six instalments of a 150 billion euro bailout package by the EU and the IMF - the biggest in these institutions' history- the country introduced a series of austerity measures that have brought millions to their knees. In my view, they have failed to tackle the problem. Recession is still deepening, unemployment is reaching 20% and the deficit remains high at around 10% contrary to all predictions, catching the economy in what some economists have called a "death spiral".

During 2011 all of the social institutions underwent through enormous changes. For the first time since World War II, meals returned to primary and secondary schools in order to resolve the problem of malnourished children in some areas of Athens, a shock to Greek society. Parts of the centre of the city were declared by the NGO 'Doctors of the World' as areas of humanitarian crisis. People turned massively to the weak public health system, abandoning the private sector and the media entered a cycle of accelerated shrinkproofing. Immigration, a dominant issue in the Greek press a few years ago remained high on the media agenda but in a reverse manner. From a country that needed immigrants, Greece has now become a country that exports its youth and is suffering a brain drain.

And the problem is far from over. Many analysts still think that default and the return to the drachma is an inevitable development since Greece fails to reduce the deficit or produce economic growth. So where are Greece and the Greeks heading from here?

We'd like to hear that from you. What did you make of the news about the Greek crisis during 2011 and if you're Greek how did it affect you? What do you think should happen in 2012? What are your wishes and hopes for the New Year? You can post your comments here or at facebook.com/worldhaveyoursay Do call us during the show at +44 20 70 83 72 72 or use the hashtag for this special programmes week #mywhys

Ayesha Tammy Haq will be today's WHYS 30 guest presenter

I am a corporate lawyer dabbling in the both electronic and print media with varied interests that include adventure travel. My media hat is exciting and gives me an opportunity to hear what thousands of ordinary Pakistanis have to say about whats happening in Pakistan and we'll drill down into those conversations today.

Today's show is part of a week of special programmes reflecting conversations happening in five countries that have had a tumultuous year and yes first up, it's Pakistan.

Its been another trying year for Pakistan, the war on terror has wrecked untold horror at home with over 40,000 Pakistani casualties, civilian and military. Add to that the raid on Abbottabad and the killing of OBL, and the recent NATO bombing which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the dynamics take a serious turn.

Most Pakistanis have expressed their outrage at what they see as an infringement of their territorial sovereignty. In all this we find Pakistan looking increasingly isolated and that makes me wonder that going forward how will Pakistan interact with the rest of the world?

So what do you think Pakistan should do? You can post here or at facebook.com/worldhaveyoursay and do call during the show country code plus 44 20 70 83 72 72 and we have set up a special hashtag for this week #mywhys
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And....this is just day 1, tomorrow will be from Athens with Matthaios Tsimitakis and later in the week, we'll visit Egypt, Japan and Libya.

Dozens of people have been injured in clashes that broke out in Buenos Aires after Argentina's legendary football club River Plate were relegated to the second division.

The violence erupted inside the stadium. Street battles between angry fans and police continued outside.

River needed to win by two clear goals against Belgrano de Cordoba, but only managed a 1-1 draw.

The match, held in River's Monumental stadium, had to be abandoned in the final minute, amid chaotic scenes.

River Plate's fate seemed sealed after Mariano Pavone missed a penalty. Police fired water cannon up into the stands, following a pitch invasion by furious River fans.

It is certainly not the first time by any means that sports fans have become violent in reaction to their team's performance.

Earlier this month in Vancouver, Canada, police fired teargas and stun grenades as Vancouver Canucks ice hockey fans torched cars and smashed shop windows after defeat to the Boston Bruins.

But there are many more examples of such violence, be it in football, boxing, ice hockey or other sports.

See listeners' comments about this programme

So, why is that some men can't control their behavour when it comes to sport?

Is occassional violence an acceptable price to pay for watching sport? Is sport society's way of letting off steam?

We also plan to talk about the Australian government's plan to introduce brand-less packaging for cigarettes.

The tobacco firm, Philip Morris, has launched legal action against the government, saying the plan breaches a treaty protecting the company's intellectual property.

The company could seek billions of dollars in compensation for loss of business. The government says taking the brand name off packets will help reduce smoking rates. Australia's Prime Minster, Julia Gillard, said her government would not be intimidated.

We hope to get someone from the tobacco industry to take your calls on this issue.

This topic was discussed on 17 June 2011. Listen to the podcast.

Women in Saudi Arabia defied a decades old ban by driving through the streets of their country today. The protest was triggered by an online campaign; you may have seen the hashtag #Women2Drive on Twitter. We will hear from people in Saudi Arabia for their opinions on this issue. What do you make of this? Do you support the women? Will defying a ban like this help or hinder their campaign? We spoke to some women this morning. Here's a link to Chloe's post where you can read more on this story.

Cyclophile tweets

‎Ummm I am *NOT* ok with this.. ... We're in our own crisis and we're bailing out greece?

Glendon in Jamaica says on Facebook

Greece can't continue to live above their means while teetering on the edge of a recession that doesn't make economic sense. They need to cut their budgets on spending and have a more tighter fiscal policy, they need to tighten their belts and come up with some meaningful ways of getting the country out of the economic stagnation.

Should Greece receive another bail-out? What does this mean for the Eurozone?

Also on the programme... Police in Russia faked a car accident to see how the public reacted - no one stopped, and no one called the police. In your country, would people stop at the scene of an accident? Ros has just written about this. Here's a link to his blog post.

See listeners' comments about this programme

There has been some strong reaction in the US to President Obama's speech on the Middle East on Thursday, particularly regarding his call for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians based on the 1967 borders.

Leading Republican Mike Huckabee, who was a candidate in the 2008 presidential primaries, said the president had "betrayed Israel and made a grievous mistake" in promoting a policy that's an "outrage to peace, sovereignty of Israel, and a stable Middle East."

Mitt Romney, who was also a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008, said Mr Obama "has thrown Israel under the bus".

Several other figures on the right have made similar comments.

Mr Netanyahu has already said the pre-1967 borders are "indefensible".

An estimated 500,000 Israelis live in settlements built in the West Bank, which lies outside those borders.

What do you think, has President Obama betrayed Israel or has he found a way of breaking the deadlock in the Middle East peace process?

See listeners' comments about this programme

This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 10 May 2011. Listen to the programme.

A new protest movement sparked by policeman Michael Sanguinetti's advice to women students to "avoid dressing like sluts" to stay safe on the streets has taken off in the US and Canada.

Thousands of people are taking part in marches, or 'SlutWalks', whose aim, organisers say, is to highlight a culture in which the victim rather than rapist or abuser is blamed.

Some 3,000 people took part in the first "SlutWalk" in Toronto last month. The SlutWalk Toronto website said the aim of the movement is to "re-appropriate" the world slut.

A march took place in Boston on Saturday, whilst other cities in the States and in Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden have hosted the protests.

A march is planned for London next month, and 'SlutWalks' a growing movement online.

From patman023.wordpress.comWhat matters is that every woman, from a street sex worker to a Member of Parliament, has the right to safe public space and the right to withdraw consent at any point without fear of violence, no matter how she dressed, no matter her history, no matter her reputation. Every woman has the right to say no. Even "sluts". And I think that Edmonton SlutWalk will be a positive contribution toward this conversation.

But Gail Dines and Wendy J Murphy write that SlutWalk is not sexual liberation. Women need to take to the streets to condemn violence, but not for the right to be called 'slut'.

Does the Toronto police officer have a point, or should women have the right to wear whatever they want? And are 'SlutWalks' the right way to go about sending out the message that victims of sexual asault should never be blamed for what happens to them? What do you think?

See listeners' comments about this programme

UPDATE: Hi Nuala here, last night, Pascale discussed the match with some of you and there was pre-game excitement and nerves. Well it happened and the the result we are looking at is not only a win for Barcelona but also got allegations of corruption, racism and violence.

We'll be discussing this again at 1100GMT. Please do get in touch. in the meantime..here's what the Spanish press has to say about it.

Hi there, Pascale here, looking forward to hear from you Barcelona and Real Madrid fans in anticipation of the big match at the Bernabeu tonight.

Join me for the 1800gmt, for my first time presenting the programme. And I better declare an allegiance straight off...I carry a picture of Lionel Messi in my wallet, and it's not for his looks. I am a Barca fan, since the days of Stoichkov, and I want to know -- whether you'll be watching in Ghana or New York -- do you feel the rivalry? Is the enmity between La Liga's giants about more than football? And who's won the pre-match psyche-out, Guardiola or Morinho?

We'll be getting the atmosphere straight from the streets of Madrid and Barcelona.

There's been speculation for days now that the besieged Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo might surrender - and yet he's still there, deep in his bunker in his residency as the siege goes on.

We want to find out more about how he's managing to put up resistance and why this whole standoff is taking so long to resolve.

We'll hear too from locals trapped in Abidjan. As many of you know, we've been hearing on a daily basis from people in the city who are struggling to cope with the curfew, the violence, the looting and, on top of everything else, dwindling supplies of food and water. As the days pass, how are they coping?

And at the same time, refugees are continuing to pour over the borders into neighbouring countries, including Liberia. Some have walked for days to escape. Oxfam has shared some of their dramatic stories with the BBC. We hope to have more.

Hi folks, Robyn Bresnahan here.

The one year anniversary of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is just around the corner. I've come back to Louisiana to catch up with many of the fishing families I met just after it happened.

Just the other day, I reconnected with fifth-generation shrimper Charles Robin. When we first met, he broke down in tears and told me he felt useless without being able to fish.

A year later, I asked him what had changed.

He and many others are still fighting to get compensation from BP.

On Friday's World Have Your Say, I'll be speaking to fishermen live from the banks of a fishing bayou.

Do you have questions for them? If so, post them here.

I'll also speak to a crisis counsellor who is seeing an increase in the number of fishermen who are depressed, have high blood pressure and have developed eating disorders.

I hope you'll be able to tune in.

It looks increasingly unlikely that the opposition fighters will be able to force Gaddafi out without being given better weaponry. But should the coalition go a stage further and if so would the alliance hold?

There's talk of the legal concerns surrounding such a move and even the need for another UN resolution. There are clear fault lines emerging among the allies over how far they should go.

So as the future of Libya remains unclear -- Is it time for the coalition to arm the rebels? ]]> WHYS Team WHYS Team https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2011/03/should_the_coalition_arm_the_r.html#287653 https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2011/03/should_the_coalition_arm_the_r.html#287653 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:07:50 +0000

I've been at the BBC for almost 20 years, mostly reporting from the field. I was the Hong Kong Correspondent just after its handover to China (a return to old stomping grounds for me: I started in journalism at the South China Morning Post there.)

I've also been based in Delhi as the BBC's South Asia Correspondent and at the State Department in Washington, travelling around in the press corps with then Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Since 2005, I've been based in London but still focused on Asia and reporting there on assignment as much as possible.

Jill spent much time in Helmand Province, Afghanistan

I'd been told the WHYS team was a friendly, welcoming lot - and, so far, I can confirm it's all true.

As for my non-BBC life, I write fiction whenever I can. My first novel, The Last Kestrel, came out in August 2010 and is set in Afghanistan. My second, Far From My Father's House, is out in August 2011, based in North-West Pakistan - and I'm now on the third, set in India.

 

This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 23 March 2011. Listen to the programme.

Lots of you have been getting in touch to compare the situation in Libya with what's happening in other countries, like Cote D'Ivoire, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria.

That steered our conversation through Wednesday talking about why - if foreign intervention is justified in Libya - there hasn't been the same action in those other countries by the international community so far?

The situation in Libya is evolving with Muammar Gaddafi telling his supporters that they will win the fight against rebel forces. He also said they would defeat a military alliance led by the United States, Britain and France.

In other developments, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has told ABC News that Gaddafi allies have been reaching out to other nations to explore options for the future.

French, US, Turkish and British officials have been speaking to thrash out a new command structure for the coalition, with the US keen to hand over control.

Three journalists - two AFP reporters and a Getty Images photographer - detained by Gaddafi forces have been set free in Tripoli.

Muslim scholars from Cairo's al-Azhar institution have condemned Western military "aggression" in Libya, though they say they support the demands of the Libyan people

Making his first public appearance since international air-strikes began on Saturday, he said his opponents were fascists who would end up in the dustbin of history.

You can read more about this here.

Here are some of the comments we got from you through the day ...

See listeners' comments about this programme

This post has been written by Mark Sandell, WHYS editor currently in Monserrat.

It took nearly two hours to snake around the roads from Salem but when it arrived it was impressive. Hundreds - and I mean hundreds -of cars formed a motorcade to begin the events leading up to today's funeral of Arrow, the Soca King, known to his friends here on Montserrat as "Phonsie".

The cars had their headlights on, some had hazards on, most were flying flags, but all were playing the music of this island's most famous son. It was an impressive sight with the bats wheeling overhead and the lights of Nevis twinkling in the Caribbean distance.

Even though this is the beginning of a period of sadness, it's also oddly and appropriately joyful. Many people watching the processions commented that "Arrow would have loved this".

Everyone talks about Alphonse "Arrow" Cassell MBE with affection. This quiet man who came alive on a stage. The former insurance salesman who produced one of the great summer hits. This successful entrepreneur perfectionist who seemed to have time for everyone.

One woman, a Jamaican, told me how she came to the island for work, and was dismayed by how quiet the place was. She considered leaving until she met a man on the street who urged her to stay, to enjoy the friendliness of the place. She decided to stick with it. Later, she was told the man who she'd spoken to was Arrow.

Above all, he was the man who could have left Montserrat when times were hard, but chose not to.

Yesterday, planes arrived throughout the day bringing friends of the family over from Antigua nine at a time. The ferries came too, 200 people at a time. It means that today, on an island of 5 thousand people, there will be 2 and a half thousand at the service alone- half a country- the rest outside or following it on the radio.

Many will be returning home for the first time in years - there are warnings on the radio for people not to be tempted to go into the Exclusion Zone- the volcano hasn't stopped grumbling just because it's a day of mourning.

There's the music fraternity here of course- calypsonians- and various dignitaries from Montserrat and across the Caribbean, but for many today's events will be deeply personal.

In the official order of service there are many tributes to Arrow, talking about his music, his business, his impact on Montserrat, but there's also this tribute from his daughter Arrdeema, the daughter everyone says Arrow doted on and who has the same eyes as her father.

She writes :
"A Legend. A Superstar and Icon are some of the words I hear people call you. But for me you are my DADDY. ".

It's a big, bold statement, but it's one that will be at the forefront of the minds of the bloggers and internet activists gathering in Budapest next week for a big conference on internet freedom.

On Monday World Have Your Say will be coming to you live from Budapest where we will be gathering together some of those activists to ask whether all the blogs, tweets, mobile-phone videos and discussion boards that promote dissent and democracy have ever achieved it.

In Burma bloggers managed to evade Burma's censors to post information about the true extent of the damage caused by 2008's Cyclone Nargis. Sure, they got the information out, but it still took three weeks and the intervention of the UN Secretary General to get the country's leaders to accept the scale of the devastation and allow in foreign aid workers.

China, Cuba and some former Soviet Union countries all have vibrant pro-democracy blogging communities. But last time I looked there was still rampant repression of dissent and no credible move towards democracy there.

It's something that respected and widely-read tech writer Evgeny Morozov has thought and written a lot about. In an edition of Wired last December he wrote:

While new media can make the lives of many traditional activists much easier (and safer), we simply do not know if the never-ending supply of funny videos of cats on YouTube would make Iranians or Chinese youngsters any more involved in politics (but it might be safer to assume that it wouldn't).

Evgeny will be joining us for Monday's show. So will Merve Alici from the Young Civilians, a Turkish pro-democracy group.

Merve has marched along with thousands of others in Turkey trying to get the ban on YouTube and other internet restrictions lifted. But despite the fact that the ban still exists, he is much more upbeat about the power of the internet to change politics.

We'll also have guests from Iran, Vietnam and hopefully China. A few other bloggers I have invited have said it's just not safe for them to appear on an international radio and online discussion show.

There are plenty of groups that exist to try to promote internet freedom. Access Now is one such group which promotes a 'global proxy cloud' to help people cut off behind restrictive firewalls get onto the internet through using other peoples' computers in countries which have free access. Kim from Access Now will be part of Monday's programme.

But is it enough just to give people access to information?

Do you think that all the blogs, website and forums about achieving democracy, or even just political change have worked? Or does it still take a lot more than just talk to bring about real change?