大象传媒

Does the burkini represent Muslim modesty or a menacing symbol? That's the question that's been raging in France over a ban on cover-all beachwear, which, according to local decrees, 'ostentatiously displays religious affiliation'. A picture of a woman being challenged by police officers on a beach in Nice has added fuel to the debate, and a court has suspended the ban in one town while it deliberates. We ask - is it right to ban the burkini?

Islamist militant Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi has pleaded guilty at the International Criminal Court to destroying historic shrines in Timbuktu in Mali. It's the first time the court in the Hague - more often the setting for genocide cases - has tried a case of cultural destruction. It's also the first time a person has pleaded guilty. We ask - should destroying monuments be a war crime?

Mother Teresa the nun, known as the Angel of Mercy, who rose to worldwide recognition for her work for the needy in Calcutta, will be canonised in Rome in a week. A movie about her life has been released to mark the moment. But some questions have been raised about the speed with which her sainthood has been created. We discuss - are there too many saints?

Also on the programme, 大象传媒 presenter Nick Robinson is used to be being in the thick of things as a political editor and Radio 4 Today Programme presenter. But when he was confronted with cancer, it was an altogether different challenge. Nick talks to Hardeep Singh Kohli about how he coped with that and the influences that have shaped his career.

And Natasha Jouhl, principle soprano with the London Festival Opera, pays tribute to the victims and survivors of this week's Italian earthquake with a rendition of Faur茅's Pie Jes煤.