Sweden is home to one of the world's oldest and yet most modernised courts. But why is it that a growing number of people here are opposed to keeping the king as head of state?

Lucy Williamson reports on why Mexico, a developing Catholic nation, is the latest country to turn away from marriage.

A two-part documentary investigating the decline of the extended family and the rise of the nuclear household. Lucy Williamson reports from Nepal and Mexico.

Why has the insurgency in India's north-east lasted so long?

Rita Ray traces the history of the 'clave', a deceptively simple but hypnotic beat which became the foundation of Cuban music and deeply influenced soul and rock and roll.

"Mosquito one, mosquito two, mosquito jump in a hot callaloo." What are the world's most popular number rhymes and how do they overlap between different cultures? Kim Normanton looks at the approaches to counting around the world.

Mukul Devichand tells the story of Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Laureate and former Chief Weapons Inspector who some want to see as the next president of Egypt.

Can't think who to have as your best man? Lost your job and need a bogus boss to fool your family that you're still in work? The BBC's Tokyo correspondent Roland Buerk investigates Japan's growing "rent a friend" service sector.

The BBC's War correspondent Jonathan Charles collects poetry from Afghan civilians reflecting on decades of conflict.

Sheila Dillon looks at disappearing food tribes and finds out why efforts are underway to preserve indigenous food cultures.

Peter White is blind, but travels all over the world for his job. By listening to the sounds of his surroundings, he gets to know a place. What does he discover about the cities of Istanbul and San Francisco?

As President Lula leaves office, Paulo Cabral assesses the economic record of one of the most popular politicians in Brazilian history.

Steve Edwards takes to the mean streets of his hometown Chicago, asking why the Windy City is such a hotbed of corruption.

"We took the decision to build a new city ten years ago - we had four objectives civilised, hygienic and scenic - with a focus on eco-tourism." Carrie Gracie returns to White Horse Village to see how the urbanisation of China is progressing.

In this two-part documentary Nick Rankin reports from Alaska during the greatest wild salmon run in the world and joins commercial and subsistence fishermen who live off this natural resource.

In this two-part documentary, Alan Dein asks if oral history can challenge or alter the official past of a nation still coming to terms with its history?

In this exclusive two-part documentary, Mike Costello travels to the Philippines to meet boxing legend, record-breaking eight times world champion, politician and national hero, Manny Pacquiao.

In this two-part documentary, Michael Goldfarb examines the protest march as a force for change.

Barry Smith looks at the mysteries of human consciousness.

Zainab Bangura, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister tells her own remarkable story, revealing her personal motivations and how she represents one of the world’s poorest countries.

An insider's view of legal battles being fought around the world.

The BBC's Security Correspondent Gordon Corera talks to the world's most feared and fabled security services.

Listening Post lets people tell their personal stories in their own words. Belfast-born Philip McTaggart is a man who lives in the shadow of his son's suicide. Mary Thida Lun tells a family story from the killing fields of Cambodia.

Despite an official ban and regular crackdowns the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has gone from strength to strength. The BBC investigates the secret of its endurance and its global reach.

John Sweeney takes a look at the intellectuals - or Lenin's ‘useful idiots’ - who have praised tyrants, and rewritten history.

Ben E King says of his song Stand By Me "It tends to fall in place for someone who needs it." What are the other factors that come into play for a song to endure across boundaries and generations?

How does one's family history alter one's sense of self? Nihal Arthanayake - a successful London DJ - travels to Sri Lanka to find out more about his maternal grandfather, a lawyer and politician who was murdered in 1940.

India and China will dominate the 21st century. Will the Asian giants co-operate or clash?

Aung San Suu Kyi leads the pro-democracy movement in Burma. She has been under house arrest for 17 years. Who is the woman behind the political icon?

Wole Soyinka explores the past and present of the rainbow nation through the eyes of its finest writers.

In 1951, a black man named Willie McGee was executed in Mississippi's travelling electric chair - the only one of its kind in the US. His granddaughter explores this lost episode in civil rights history.

What is the mood of South Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup?

How has the Persian passion for poetry has shaped Iranian identity?

Wedge Island is located in a secluded spot on the rugged, windswept Indian Ocean coastline off Australia. It is occupied by squatters who will be evicted when a new highway arrives. How are the people there dealing with this change in fortune?

An ancient Chinese treatise on military and intelligence strategy that is as influential today to both traditional armies and guerrilla fighters as it was 2,500 years ago.

A civil servant and a poet come together in their shared determination that those who die without people to mourn them have a respectful and personal funeral.

Michael Robinson examines the political, economic and cultural mechanisms of China's growing global influence.

"A good photograph has an emotional component, the iconic photos hit you right away and they stay with you, and you just can't forget it." Razia Iqbal investigates the power of modern images and their ability to appeal to our imagination.

A year-long transition from woman to man, chronicled by Tristan Whiston through the change in his singing voice.

In the UK, failed asylum seekers like Collen have no rights to accommodation or benefits. They cannot work. And yet it could be dangerous for him to return to Zimbabwe. What is it like for him and others like him to be living in limbo?

Apostle Asafo guides us around his remarkable workshops in Accra, where teenagers can learn trades. Is it really sustainable?

The ability to get what you want by attracting and persuading others to adopt your goals is known as soft power. Philip Dodd examines the areas where this art of persuasion is being used.

The BBC's Security Correspondent Gordon Corera gains exclusive access to Britain’s ultra secret listening station where super computers monitor the world's communications traffic.

Unemployment in Soweto is well above the national average for South Africa. How are young people like Anza, Freddy and Sibusiso coping with long-term unemployment and the daily temptations to make a fast - rather than an honest - buck?

In 1923 hundreds of thousands of Christian and Muslims moved moved between what is now modern Greece and Turkey. What do these communities share after years of political division?

Ros Atkins looks at attitudes to tourism in Cornwall, England and the Caribbean nations of Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas.

Frances Fyfield discovers how the ancient legal principle of habeas corpus is one of our most fundamental rights.

Joe Queenan's passion for crime fiction sees him heading to two different locations to find out about the nature of the crime.

Australian men are typically defined as confident and unassailable characters, but this stereotype is outdated, and has made it difficult for today's generation to open up when times are tough. How can community sheds help?

Najieh Ghulami looks at bloggers in Afghanistan and how increased internet penetration will help the country's development.