Background Briefing

Story update: The High Court has rejected the challenge made by tobacco companies to the plain packing laws.

It's 70 years since the death of Banjo Patterson, and tourists will drive the Banjo Route from Narrambla to Corryong armed with a book of his poems.

Because of extraordinary events in Cairo, Background Briefing this Sunday will be a live-to-air program,

Alleged leaker Bradley Manning is having his day in court and Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Julian Assange is “no concern of ours”.  In 2011 Wendy Carlisle investigated how this spy thriller all began.

January is the 10th anniversary of Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia to which anyone can contribute and which anyone can edit. But there are problems, and difficulties, such as systemic bias, vandalism, and misuse by some governments. Also, this week, stories from Afghanistan.

Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Robert Sutton of the Stanford School of Business is a prolific author and speaker on boss and employee relationships. Hear what he thinks makes a good boss, and how the psychology of how bad bosses and bad employees can be managed. From the Commonwealth Club of California.

A clinical psychiatry professor in San Francisco General Hospital discusses the dangers, ethics, frailties and very difficult, sensitive decisions a psychiatrist working on the front line of mental health must deal with. The speaker is Professor Paul R Linde, MD.

The law here is that cyclists must wear helmets, but in Europe it is not mandatory, and yet it's much safer to cycle. Some say helmets make cycling more dangerous and others that they actually cause brain injury and the law should be repealed. The debate makes climate change look like a walk in the park.

Megan Stack has won numerous prizes for her front line reporting on many wars, and her observations and experiences form the basis of a book and discussion. Here she concentrates on the hostilities between the West and the Muslim world, but also the complex dynamics within each of those worlds during war. From the Byron Bay Writers Festival. Photograph: Sergei L. Loiko

Transport, banking, food production, social networking, global supply chains, the world economy - would all grind to a halt if the satellite system failed. It's a fragile system, but also the best place from which to see how fragile the earth is. Australia lags behind. Reporter, Ian Townsend.

Primary school kitchen gardens, behavioural economics and frugal innovation, they're all important elements in a complex strategy to improve heart health and reduce the obesity epidemic. (From a public forum at the St Vincent's Institute in Melbourne.)

There are more islands for sale today than at any other time in recorded history. But the dream of an island paradise is often a myth. Rather than idyllic, they are frequently the settings for border conflict, prisons and broken dreams. The reality of island living is much more like hard work. Reporter, Ian Townsend.

It's what keeps aeronautical engineers awake at night - an engine explosion at 30,000 feet. They are rare but the Qantas A380 incident has triggered a fierce debate about the design, maintenance and safety of engines that power the new super jumbos. Reporter, Stan Correy.

A local fishing community is pitted against the mining giant, Anglo-American, in a battle for natural resources in Alaska. A mine at the headwaters of a king salmon spawning area could threaten the wild salmon run. Nick Rankin reports from Bristol Bay in Alaska as the fishing frenzy begins. A BBC World Service documentary.

Alcohol, gunja, payback killings and a refusal to go bush - Aboriginal elders in Central Australia are watching the erosion of their traditions and authority. Can customary laws deal with today's problems? Reporter, Chris Bullock. Photo: Michael Coggan

In Central Australia traditional payback law is corrupted, leading to grog fuelled killings. Suicide has become a payback issue too. For the first time Indigenous men are trying to stop these escalating cycles of violence. Reporter: Chris Bullock

The bizarre case of young couple Tegan Leach and Sergei Brennan, who faced jail for procuring an illegal abortion using RU486, ended with the jury returning a resounding 'not guilty'. Now no-one knows what the l9th century abortion law means -- not the church, and certainly not the state. Reporter Wendy Carlisle

The hacking scandal won't go away for the Murdoch family. This program looked at the issues getting James Murdoch angry including piracy and the British Library.

30% of Australia's water comes from underground, but we don't understand this huge national resource. We're draining some aquifers and overfilling others - with no agreement on what's sustainable - not even amongst the scientists. So what are we willing to sacrifice for fresh fruit and veg? Reporter Di Martin

Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Robert Sutton of the Stanford School of Business is a prolific author and speaker on boss and employee relationships. Hear what he thinks makes a good boss, and how the psychology of how bad bosses and bad employees can be managed. From the Commonwealth Club of California.

There have been thousands of cases of dengue fever in the Commonwealth Games city of Delhi and more than a dozen confirmed cases of dengue fever in Cairns in recent weeks. As outbreaks are becoming more common is there anything we can do to stop the spread of dengue fever and its favourite carrier, the aedes aegypti mosquito? Or should we be more concerned with other nasty mozzies and the viruses...

All political parties agree that trains do it better, but who will make it happen? Meanwhile, thousands of trucks are about to churn up the roads trying to get a huge wheat harvest to city ports, and two million tourists choke Byron Bay with cars. The rest of the world - even France - is joining its regional areas with high speed trains, and it works. Reporter Ian Townsend.

Megan Stack has won numerous prizes for her front line reporting on many wars, and her observations and experiences form the basis of a book and discussion. Here she concentrates on the hostilities between the West and the Muslim world, but also the complex dynamics within each of those worlds during war. From the Byron Bay Writers Festival. Photograph: Sergei L. Loiko

The law here is that cyclists must wear helmets, but in Europe it is not mandatory, and yet it's much safer to cycle. Some say helmets make cycling more dangerous and others that they actually cause brain injury and the law should be repealed. The debate makes climate change look like a walk in the park.

As the intellectual crucible of middle eastern thought, Egypt remains enormously influential. What happens in Egypt when Hosni Mubarak dies will have global ramifications. The Muslim Brotherhood, the chief of intelligence, high up military men, and Gamal Mubarak, Hosni's son, are all jostling for power. BBC and Al Jazeera reports. Photo: Andrea Comas, Reuters