Lyse Doucet

Hungary has declared a state of emergency in two southern counties and has imposed new anti-migration laws on the refugees desperate to cross from Serbia into the country. 

After years of war and violence, a generation of children grow up with scars and trauma in Gaza and Israel.

Plans for the troop drawdown in Afghanistan are underway. The Defense Department announced that the first regiments to head home will be finishing their tours of duty this month, and won’t be replaced. But after nearly a decade of combat there, how much do we really know about Afghanistan and what this will mean for the country? 

A coordinated bombing in Shabquadar Fort, north of Peshawar Pakistan has killed at least 80 people. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a revenge killing for Osama bin Laden's death. However, the government denies that this attack was linked to Osama bin Laden. Declan Walsh, Pakistan correspondent for The Guardian describes the scene, saying "he entire town has become a ghost town." BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet says that it almost doesn't matter if the bombing was in retaliation for bin Laden's death as Pakistanis know they are "living in a volatile and increasingly violent country."

The mood in Tahrir Square has changed drastically over the last week as jubiliation turned to violence. Reporters and demonstrators have been attacked. However, people continue to fill the square. The BBC's Lyse Doucet was in Tahrir Square, where one pro-Mubarak brought her child to the scene. There are reports that the Egyptian army has stepped in to keep the peace and to protect those who continue to protest President Mubarak.

Protesters are witnessing a historic moment in Egypt. We go into the crowd in Tahrir Square where hundreds of thousands have gathered. BBC correspondent Lyse Dousset describes the scene, where Egyptians are jubiliant as they continue to call for the resignation of President Mubarak.

As the monsoons keep coming, flooding continues to destroy infrastructure and cause panic in Pakistan. Lyse Doucet, BBC correspondent in Islamabad describes the scene. She says that people have been walking for days in "oceans of water" looking for shelter from the rain and that conditions are miserable and unsanitary. 

Western countries celebrated the liberation of women in Afghanistan from the Taliban-controlled government when the U.S. invaded in 2001. However, as the war in the country continues in the post-Taliban era, women's rights are not secure. Badam Bagh, Kabul's only prison for women is filled with stories about the violation of women's rights.

In one instance, a 16-year-old girl was sentenced to 18 months in prison after a boy came to her home to propose without sending his parents first; another was arrested when her husband accused her of adultery. The women's prison is an improvement of sorts, before it existed, female prisoners were incarcerated alongside men, and there were reports of rape. But even at Badam Bagh, "The Almond Garden," it becomes clear that Afghan women are still struggling without rights.

President Obama had dinner with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai when he was in the country last week. He reportedly called on the Afghan leader to crack down on corruption and the rule of law. But the relationship between the two leaders has been on shaky ground since allegations of fraud in Afghanistan's elections as well as corruption in the Afghan government.

Earlier this week we made a comparison between the Vietnam War and the current U.S. war in Afghanistan. One of our listeners responded with a rebuttal. Jonaid Sharif said we were "co...

BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet speaks with us from Kabul, Afghanistan, where the city is preparing for only the second presidential election since the overthrow of the Taliban. Afghans...