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Air traffic controllers have scaled back their plans to reopen British airspace as a new cloud of volcanic ash spreads towards the UK. The SNP launch their election manifesto, pledging to protect Scotland's public services. And would people be more willing to allow organ donations from loved ones if their funeral costs were paid for?

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0709
A number of flights from airports in Scotland and the north of England are expected to take off today amid warnings that another plume of ash is heading towards the British Isles. Newcastle Airport's Graeme Mason explains the latest concerns and Met Office scientist Derrick Ryall analyses whether we should have stopped flying in the first place.

0712
Goldman Sachs reports first-quarter results today and with it reported bonuses of $5 billion. The US Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges Friday against the investment bank, claiming it misled investors about the risks surrounding securities backed by subprime mortgages that it managed, charges which it strenuously denies. The BBC's business editor Robert Peston examines the implications of the legal action.

0716
Business news with Nick Cosgrove.

0720
Just how far should we go to encourage people with rewards for agreeing to donate an organ for transplant? The Nuffield Council on Biothethics is beginning a three-month public discussion about the options. Prof Dame Marilyn Strathern, who chairs the council's working party, analyses the problem.

0723
People are still scrambling to make it home from Europe. All the talk of potential flights is irrelevant for them as they try to get across the Channel. Today reporter Nicola Stanbridge is in Calais where she has been hearing travellers', often epic, stories of crossing the continent.

0727
Sports news with Garry Richardson.

0735
As individuals, we are deeper in debt today than we have ever been before. On average, we owe about half our annual income - and that does not include mortgages. As part of his election campaign series on how Britain has changed since Labour came to power, John Humphrys has been looking at how we got into this, and what it says about whether we are more materialistic than previous generations.

0743
The paper review.

0745
The latest clutch of opinion polls back up indications that the election campaign has tightened. The three biggest parties are grouped around 30 per cent, with the Conservatives slightly ahead suggesting that the Liberal Democrat "bounce" is still there. The party's elder stateswoman Baroness Williams outlines if the figures are just a mere flash in the pan.

0749
Thought for the day with Abdal Hakim Murad.

0752
Following the ash cloud, is it going to be safe to run anything like a normal air service in Europe in longer term? Some flights may take off from UK airports. David Henderson, of the Association of European Airlines and Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers discuss the long-term safety outlook.

0810
James Naughtie examines the effect of the surge in Liberal Democrat support on the traditional Labour heartland of north-east England and Lord Mandelson and Liam Fox examine what the unexpected boost for the Lib Dems means for their parties' electoral prospects.

0822
There is a new cloud of volcanic ash heading for Britain. There is also a huge desire to get at least some flights in the air today. Jonathan Astill, head of airspace management at Nats, National Air Traffic Services, explains how the situation may develop in the next few days.

0825
Sports news with Garry Richardson.

0834
The Scottish National Party launches its manifesto in Glasgow with the party leader Alex Salmond, telling his troops that the election offers the greatest opportunity in a generation for Scotland. Mr Salmond outlines his view that only the SNP can protect Scotland's public services.

0840
Business news with Nick Cosgrove.

0844
How is the political landscape changing? The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson examines whether the election campaign is 'in flux', as Lord Mandelson suggested earlier in the programme.

0847
Just five days after the banning of mephedrone, there are reports that that suppliers are preparing other 'legal highs' to take its place. BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw explains the situation while Dr Les King, a former member of the Advisory Council on the misuse of drugs, who resigned last year, analyses the dangers of similar products.

0853
Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats want to replace the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). In north-east England, the RDA has been more popular than some of its counterparts elsewhere. Professor John Tomaney, director for the Centre for urban and regional development at Newcastle University, and Ed Cox, director of the northern office of the think tank The Institute for Public policy Research, debate the impact of RDAs on local economies.

0858
HMS Albion is in northern Spain, supposedly to pick up Britons stranded by the volcanic ash. The BBC's Europe reporter Paul Henley is among confused Britons who are receiving conflicting information.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to offer transcripts for our programme interviews. Today is broadcast live and the running order is subject to change.

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