Background Briefing

Feral deer numbers have exploded in many parts of Australia, and they're chewing through farms and bushland. Farmers and environmentalists want them declared a pest and professionally culled. But in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania deer are protected for hunters wanting some sport. Tensions are rising. Reporter, Di Martin

From Africa and India to Indonesia, government leaders face the reality of a resurgent AIDS epidemic: Men do have sex with men and pass it on to women, and people do inject drugs. But there's cultural change in law and leadership - not about being nice, but because the treatment tap may turn off, and prevention is better than cure. Reporting from Bali, Stephen Crittenden.

In this BBC documentary, reporter Nick Rankin explores the impact of gold on people's lives. From brokers to miners and athletes the allure of gold has lasted throughout the millennia but the price of gold can be measured in many ways. Note that there will be no podcast or transcript of this program.

Searching for their own identity in a changing world, young Muslims in Australia face a plethora of backyard imams and internet sheikhs. Many are turning to simplistic and conservative interpretations. The emphasis can be on small rituals rather than the complex and subtle spirituality of Islam. It's a phenomenon known in many religions. Reporter: Hagar Cohen.

Suicide rates around the world are rising, and rising fastest in rural areas. India, England, Wales, Canada, America and Australia all have alarming statistics. In despairing India, farmers are drinking the pesticides the new monoculture crops are dependent on. Many strategies are being tried to mitigate the phenomenon, and most say help must be at the community level. Reporter Michael Condon.

Forty years ago an Australian shearer from Grenfell, gripped by religious mania, set fire to one of the most holy sites in Islam—the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Using new material and exclusive interviews, we show how Denis Rohan's actions started a global Islamic political movement. In the Middle East, Rohan's burning of the Mosque still sparks conspiracy theories and deep anger. Research, Anna...

Writer and traveller Christopher Hitchens gives, with both gravity and humour, his take on the 'Axis of Evil'. He talks about why he underwent waterboarding, about what the parrot in North Korea says, about the world's best whisky, and about the country he will next explore (Poland). The talk is from the Commonwealth Club, Silicon Valley.

Retired colonel in the US army and historian of international relations, Professor Andrew Bacevich argues that the US should get out of Afghanistan. Producer: Kirsten Garrett

There are debates and discussion about who should foot the bill if we get sick with something we could have prevented if we had lived a better lifestyle - smoking, drinking while driving, eating too much. It's tricky territory. Reporter Ian Townsend.

They have become both critic and chef in the big financial kitchens, but they say they're really journalists and take no responsibility for their advice. CRAs are probably beyond the law, yet governments have said their advice is mandatory. Weird. Reporter: Stanley Correy.

The parlous state of music in public schools means not only are our children missing an important dimension in life, but they miss out on something that promotes brain function and social skills. China and Venezuela understand the value of music very well, and so do Australian parents, but our politicians are tone deaf. Reporter: Stephen Crittenden

Over the decades psychiatrists are finding and re-defining more of the constellation of emotions, reactions, and ups and down of life as mental illness. No surprise, there are pills to make everyone fit the normal template, even some for shyness. Reporter Hagar Cohen.

The rich are deserting the old city of Cairo and moving to luxurious, Hollywood style, gated communities in the desert, with lush golf courses and artificial lakes. Water is a big issue, as old Cairo is left to the poor and the tourists. Reporter, Hagar Cohen. (This program was originally broadcast on 1st February 2009).

Our ocean territory is greater than our landmass, and one of the biggest in the world. Yet our capacity to explore the deep ocean is smaller than landlocked Bolivia; at a time when the oceans hold the key to climate change. Reporter, Di Martin.

Not only can we create new life forms, but our own genes are starting to show us all the diseases we're likely to get during our lives. Do we want to know and what are the costs? Reporter: Ian Townsend

Paul Gilding has been an activist for sustainability for 35 years, working for NGOs, business and government. He explains why physics and biology have determined that our current model for economic growth is finished, and how the human race will face its biggest challenge ever.

The Chancellor of Oxford, Lord Patten of Barnes, draws on his experience as a public official – including his time as the last governor of Hong Kong – to talk about politics, public health and the importance of pubs. Recorded at Oxford University. Photograph by Rob Judges.

Landmark Education is a global, for-profit personal training and development company with thousands of supporters. But it has its critics as well. Reporter Hagar Cohen The audio and transcript of this program are now available to download for Australian audiences only. Click on the story page to access the audio.

We know there are criminals using the net, and also that hackers can infiltrate anyone's computer. At the government level it's not only a murky worry, but has become a battle for who will monitor it all and how we will fight cyberwars. And not everything you hear is true. Reporter Stan Correy

There is a charity for every 437 people in Australia, all under the umbrella of the 700,000 not-for-profit organisations. The whole sector, which includes churches, is again debating its future. Reporter, Stephen Crittenden.

Many country towns are dying, but mining districts can still have a GDP that makes them the richest place on earth. One town has smoked hams that haven't sold in 40 years, in others the rents are $1000 a week. Reporter Ian Townsend.

Prizewinning historian, writer, essayist, and Massey lecturer, Ronald Wright, gives his latest analysis of where mankind is heading. His next book puts America in current context. Photo: Michael Creagen

The oldest collection of jokes in the world, Philogelos: The Laughter Lover, is examined for the light it throws on humour today. Professor in classics at Cambridge University, Mary Beard tells a lot of the jokes.

They look like banks, they walk like banks and they quack like banks, but they're really the undead. Shells filled with toxic assets. Killing these living dead is probably political suicide because of the collateral damage, but it's the way to go say leading economists. Reporter Stan Correy.

In the UK, conservative policies are like the nanny manifesto, in the USA Obama sounds like a modern Roosevelt. Here, Kevin Rudd is pragmatic and super cautious, and Abbott says the Liberals shouldn't have relied so much on magic pudding economics. Whither politics? Reporter Andrew West.