Newsline 8 December 2009: Concerns mount over a Western Saharan activist on hunger strike; is Bin Laden still alive – and, if so, where? Plus: the first steps towards solar-powered flight.

Listen to today’s edition:

Aminou Haidar, the "Gandhi of Sahara":

Concern is mounting for a Western Saharan activist who's on hunger strike at an airport in Spain's Canary Islands. Aminou Haidar has been drinking nothing but sugared water since 16 November, when Moroccan authorities denied her entry to the disputed Western Sahara region.

Listen to Spanish actor Guillermo Toledo, who has taken up her cause

Is Osama Bin Laden dead or alive?

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates recently admitted that the US has had no reliable information on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden for some years. The news raises obvious questions about the justification for the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Listen to Abdul Barri Atwan of Al Quds al Arabi

Solar-powered plane takes to the skies:

Around the world in 25 days by solar power. That's the goal of the Solar Impulse Project, which carried out its maiden flight earlier this month in Switzerland.

Fiona Campbell interviews Betrand Piccard of the Solar Impulse Project