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Panorama have returned to West Africa to once again pick up the trail of migrants who are willing to risk everything for the chance of a new life in Europe.

Following on from my work in Destination Europe in September 2007 and Destination UK in January 2008, I have kept a travel log of the team's experiences.

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about everything from the palpable emotion of a cave that was once used to process slaves being shipped to America, to the intrigue of introducing a group of small children to the myriad intricacies of satellite links, to the need to forego air conditioning for the sake of the camera.

Effiakuma, Ghana.

We're going to attempt something of a first. We've brought with us some fairly sophisticated satellite gear, and we are going to attempt a link up between Justice Amin in Naples, and his old friends in Ghana.

Normally these links throw a signal from the field into a studio, and there's nothing unusual in that. But this time it is to connect two points separated by 3,000 miles and without any studio involvement.

The gear takes a while to set up and we are followed around by crowds of children.
We warn them politely not to stand in front of the dish. The elders of the town warn them again, only with more force. It was striking how obedient they are.

If you shouted at a group of teenagers in the UK not to interfere with a ´óÏó´«Ã½ crew, it'd probably just make them worse, and in some cases, we'd receive a faceful of unsavoury language. Here, they listen, and sit quietly where they are told.

The producer, Howard Bradburn, and cameraman Joe Taylor, spend a lot of time unpacking wires and hi-tech gadgets out of sleek black cases. The chickens peck around in the nearby open sewers.

Being a techno-phobe, my job is largely to stay out of the way. I'm told to twist the equipment a few millimetres at a time, first east and then west to try to hook onto a satellite somewhere in the heavens.

A crowd has gathered on old wooden benches around our television set. We're situated in a dusty square with a small pavilion where the men pray and drink tea. Eventually, the fizzy screen is replaced with a fairly clear shot of Naples, and sitting in front of the camera is Justice Amin.

"Hello," he says, "some of you will remember me. I left Effiakuma three years ago to find a better life in Europe." The crowd waves and chatters excitedly.

Justice goes on to warn them not to make the journey.

I won't tell you just yet what they decide to do in the end. But I will write next week to update you on the other twists and turns on our journey as we once again pick up the path of those attempting to risk it all for the promise of a better life in Europe.

Was a crime committed by members of the Bush administration when they authorised interrogation techniques including against terrorist suspects held in US custody?
That is the question Licence to Torture set out to answer and it has got people talking on US blogs. There the discussion has mainly focussed on whether the use of torture against terrorist suspects is justified and it is a question that bothered some Panorama viewers when they contacted us with .

Alex Hartley emailed to say,"Do you think the terrorists believe in the Geneva convention? No. This is not a conventional war so extreme measures must be taken to protect our soldiers and country."

Others agreed with our reporter Hilary Andersson's assertion that the focus of the programme should not be on whether torture works but whether it is legal. As Guy put in his email:
"Journalists have a vitally important role to play when the first instinct of a government is to cover up. The more light that is shed on this episode in American history, the better for all of us who care about the rule of law."

Writing on , William Pfaff thinks so too. He argues that by focusing on the legality of the methods used by the US, prosecutors could cut through any partisan politics which has led some to argue against prosecution.

The likelihood that anyone will be put in the dock is slim for whisperwolf. Blogging on he remains sceptical that our interview with former CIA agent John Kiriakou will have an impact.

For Griper Blade, the green light given for the use of certain interrogation methods raises a fundamental question about the relationship between the law and the American Constitution. In his interview with Panorama, John Kiriakou claimed waterboarding was used against Abu Zubaydah before any legal okay was given. It is an accusation the but for it begs the wider question, who makes the law?

"In the United States, we elect our kings. The entire US government sits behind one desk in one building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Courts and legislatures are pretty much ceremonial," he says.

This is by no means the end of the road. , but he has not closed the door on legal action against the lawyers who drew them up.

Steelmaking in Britain in the 1960s was a useful barometer for testing the political mood of the nation.

The Conservatives' desire for the industry to be opened up to market forces and privatised regularly clashed with the Labour party's desire that it be nationalised.

- the main parties hung their political allegiances from it.

But that was then. What used to be British Steel - under various private and nationalised banners - is now known as Corus, a subsidiary of India's and just one of a number of industries in Britain suffering during this recession.

Albeit in a large way - Corus recently (and 4,500 jobs in total since January) across its UK production base.

This importance of steel-making in the post-war years was evident in a 1961 Panorama report from Scunthorpe. Modern, post-war Scunthorpe had been built on the growth of the steel industry. It was a town experiencing its own goldrush - steel-making built the town and put money in pockets. You can watch an abridged version here:

The politicking over the steel industry continued until 1967 when the UK's 14 main companies were - bringing over 250,000 employees and 90% of British steelmaking into public ownership. It was hoped that this would streamline the industry and allow for focussed investment.

It was during this period that BSC found itself under greater competition from international competitors churning out steel cheaper than seemed possible in the UK. Competition that only intensified over the years.

In the early 1970s the government announced that British steelmaking was to be concentrated in five areas in the UK - Sheffield, Scunthorpe, Teesside, Scotland and South Wales.

It was to this decision that Port Talbot in South Wales owes its continued steel-making existence. The government decided, following a review by the Industry Minister Lord Beswick, that the Shotton plant in North Wales was to close.

Panorama visited both Shotton and Port Talbot in 1975 and saw the hopes and fears of both communities which rested on Beswick's imminent decision. You can watch an abridged version here:

But steelmaking in Shotton was doomed. Beswick made the decision to close most of its operations and growth of production in Wales was consolidated at Port Talbot.

Interesting to note that in the film a future government trade and industry secretary, Michael Heseltine, saw these moves as vital for preserving the industry's competitive edge. However, even the Conservative government's privatisation of the industry as British Steel in 1988 couldn't safeguard it from the harsh realities of global competition for long.

Thirty or so further years on from Port Talbot's reprieve and Panorama's story turns full-circle with news that Corus' stated aim is to make £250 million savings annually in its UK production, which puts hundreds of jobs in both and under the gravest threat and leaves a once proud industry ailing again.

Panorama have returned to West Africa to once again pick up the trail of migrants who are willing to risk everything for the chance of a new life in Europe.

Following on from my work in Destination Europe in September 2007 and Destination UK in January 2008, I have kept a travel log of the team's experiences.

In the coming weeks, I will be blogging about everything from the palpable emotion of a cave that was once used to process slaves being shipped to America, to the intrigue of introducing a group of small children to the myriad intricacies of satellite links, to the need to forego air conditioning for the sake of the camera.

The village that Justice calls home

Ghana, Cape Coast - I've just entered an ancient brick tunnel, humming with mosquitoes and plunging steeply into the earth, slippery cobblestones underfoot. Outside the ocean slams into harbour walls, and fishermen bring in the daily catch.

The temperature out there is hovering around 40 degrees. Directly above me is an old fort, dating back to the 17th century. It's called . It was run by the British and was, for a time, at the heart of the slave trade, shipping West Africans from here to the Americas.

These tunnels are the dungeons where our ancestors processed them before they were chained to one another, led down the beach and crammed into wooden slave ships.

It's so dark, so thick with spirits, that I can't wait to get back to the surface.

In the afternoon we arrive at the small town of Effiakuma. It's a place I've been to before. In fact, there's a story here which has led me to make two films for Panorama and to write a book about the experience. I am back again to do a third Panorama programme.

Regular viewers might recall that two years ago I reported on a group of
determined to get to Europe. They travelled across the Sahara, and then attempted to sail the Mediterranean. It was then they were hit by tragedy - their boat capsized and they ended up clinging to a fishing net for three nights and three days. Some drank sea water to stay alive. They were close to death when they were finally rescued by the Italian Navy.

One of their number was a man called Justice Amin. He was brought up in Ghana by a medicine man and had the most extraordinary tale to tell. It was he I wrote the book about. It's called

Now, I find myself driving through his home town of Effiakuma, meeting his brother and sister and several of his friends. I hand out copies of the book and they sit on dusty walls or beneath trees and begin devouring the text, examining each page for a mention of their names.

The idea is to find a fresh group of men who plan to make the same journey to Europe this summer. We intend to follow them, as we track this ongoing story of the risks that desperation can drive people to take.

Here, we are introduced to a group of four. One of them is just 15-years-old. They say they have been planning the journey for years. They say there is nothing for them here, and their only hope of prosperity and fulfilment lies in Europe.

I point out that Europe is going through an economic downturn and that the country they are likely to end up in, Italy, will not be welcoming. Berlusconi recently called illegal immigrants "an army of evil." They are undeterred.

Check back next week as we attempt to put Justice in touch with the young men contemplating the journey to Europe.

Researching involved diving head first into a myriad of lengthy government reports and a detailed examination of the text and footnotes of a small library of books and other on the subject.

I chose to focus on a very specific storyline - not the question that dominates in America, which is whether torture works or not, which has emerged as the major debate in America, and not what should happen now to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay, not even the question of whether there will be prosecutions.

Instead I chose to ask whether a by members of the Bush administration in authorising the interrogation techniques in question. It seemed a central question to ask of the world's most powerful democracy.

To get those answers involved months of off-the-record discussions with former members of the Bush administration, former CIA insiders - some at a very senior level - members of the FBI, a large number of former detainees who had been through the American detention centres, several authors and a wide range of lawyers who specialise in the subject.

The debate is very polemic. Some talked to us because they wanted to clear their own names, some because they wanted to set the record straight about the Bush administration's programmes, others out of pure good will.

The majority of the information gleaned from these conversations is not reported in Licence to Torture, but they were key in providing the backdrop for the film. To make this film we needed an understanding of what motivated the interrogation programmes, who played the key roles, and what the implications are for decisions taken under American and international law.

While there is still much to be said on all these subjects, Licence to Torture breaks in key areas and begins to answer some of these vital questions about America's decision to adopt torture techniques.

You could be forgiven for not celebrating today's report that the . It is not the first time experts have said we are through the worst, but it comes amid headlines of and hot on the heels of the again to help ease the credit crunch. With people still nervous about splashing out, despite cuts in the Bank rate, a change in our mood towards spending is a key driver in boosting the economy as the financial sector thrives on us feeling ready to part with our money.

It is a far cry from where we were not so long ago when debt seemed all the rage. In name alone sums up the attitude bemoaned by many as the root cause of the current crisis.

Unconstrained debt, as opposed to healthy debt that a growing economy depends on, has become a cultural norm. Our economy has relied on the right amount of borrowing balanced with the right amount of spending -as Declan Curry explained aboard a hot air balloon:

agrees that debt has been too readily accepted but also blames a general ignorance about personal finance and a media ramming consumerism down our throats.

Basil and Amanda Rankine found a way out, albeit one that many found morally questionable. Panorama interviewed the couple who seemed to have or, as critics see it, dodge their responsibility. But what is beyond doubt is the spend, spend, spend attitude Can't Pay, Won't Pay highlighted, an attitude now catching up with people across the world.

This week sees the World Service launch a global look at the economy in a series called . With reports from around the world it promises to be a comprehensive look at how the pinch is being felt internationally. An lets you add your story to chart the global financial crisis.

But if your worries are closer to home you may find the a useful tool complete with tips and links to places you can get advice.

The Panorama inbox has been host to a lively debate following Monday's programme

Raphael Rowe's investigation into the policing of protests following the controversy over tactics at the G20 demonstrations certainly split opinion.

Tran wrote in to say "I feel infuriated having just watched this programme. I don't understand what society we live in when protestors break the law by squatting, breaking windows, damaging property, provoking the police and more and then feel they have any right to claim that their human rights have been violated. The police are there to protect the general public and I dread to think what would have happened had they not been there yet I feel their sense of frustration in the vast amounts of criticism they have received in simply doing their job. I think we take for granted what rights we have in this country and need to be more grateful to those who are employed to protect us. Let's put more faith in people who put their neck on the line and give them the respect that they deserve. The police should feel empowered and respected for the authority they should rightfully hold instead of being criticised from every angle."

Lin McAlinden disagrees. "Through there own misguided importance, the police have now developed a 'them and us' society. Years ago the British public had a good relationship with the police, but now it is run and operated in the whole, by what can only be described as jumped up illiterate thugs. Orwell was right," she emailed.

The right to protest is a democratic right and draws people from all walks of life with a whole host of issues they want addressed as Panorama discovered when it interviewed a climate change protestor and a pensioner campaigning to safeguard a cemetery where her husband was buried:

The programme was also discussed in the blogosphere where once again opinions differed. For Panorama didn't go far enough in defending the right to protest but also felt the police were made to "squirm".

The debate on was more heated and peppered with strong language with some worried by the extent of police powers and others feeling officers were goaded by protestors to lash out.

Today's headlines that a report has called the Met's planning for the G20 demonstrations "inadequate" is sure to keep the debate going.

Twitter played a big role in reporting the G20 demonstrations as they were happening and had been keeping up with .

Facebook hasrepresenting the many opinions in the debate.

Deemed too big a risk, Sir Allen Stanford has been which has ruled he should stay in jail until his fraud case is heard.

Panorama's John Sweeney was on Stanford's trail just one month before his arrest for swindling $7bn from investors in a scheme which Sir Allen vigorously denies was .

The decision to bail him for $500,000 was overturned after the US government argued Sir Allen could flee the US using his network of wealthy friends and dual citizenship with Antigua.

Panorama's investigation in The Six Billion Dollar Man traces the history of the man once hailed as the saviour of English Twenty20 cricket. Here's a taste of what the programme was about

Britain's historically tense is under ever increasing strain. Latest headlines report that some of the arrested staff members from the after confessing their involvement in anti-government demonstrations following the disputed re-election of President Ahmadinejad.

Britain has long been called "Little Satan" by Iranians, next to the "Great Satan America", a tag that has historic roots.

We've delved back into the to chart the key moments in the Anglo-Iranian relationship now under the spotlight.

And for more detailed analysis the Iran and the West series is currently being repeated on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Four or you can watch it online.