The first programme will show how rapidly the shock wave of the credit crunch is spreading and why it is now moving far beyond the sub-prime homeowners where it began.

There are now as many private security contractors in Iraq as there are US soldiers. To whom are they accountable when things go wrong? Steve Evans reports on the most controversial contractor, Blackwater, which has been criticised by the Iraqi government, American politicians and its own employees.

Peter Day reports on whether the US Food and Drug Administration will licence the HIV/AIDS drug Maraviroc.

Allan Urry investigates links between the Pentagon, politicians and weapons manufacturers.

Since the Uzbek government put down an uprising in Andijan in 2005, the country has become more and more isolated from the west. But ahead of the country’s first Presidential election since 2000, our Central Asia correspondent Natalia Antelava made a secret trip across the state, recording her impressions.

Building democracy: What is the role of radio in building democracy? In Papua, a new radio station is being installed as part of Indonesia's 68H network. 68H has introduced electricity by building a dam to power the station in the village. How did 68H get around censorship under Suharto? And why is radio such a key player in building civil society?

Freedom of the internet:How do the motives of mainstream news websites compare with the agendas of blogs? In part two of 'Press for Freedom', we talk to Iraqi blogger Salam Pax and others who have delivered on-the-ground viewpoints in regions where the government would have otherwise silenced them. In Kuala Lumpur, we hear from the government-owned Bernama press, who also fund Nam News Network, supposedly the only unfiltered news wire in a non-aligned world.

What is the future of news, when the internet may undermine the old-fashioned paternalistic precepts? BBC's Alan Little investigates.

BBC's Roy Greenslade looks at how far reporting 'the truth' can be endangered by governments, corporations and the new wave of internet publishing.

The BBC and other international broadcasters boast "objective" news and impartial window onto the world, but is such a thing really possible? Alan Little investigates.

Leila is a young woman in Iran, sold into prostitution by her family at the age of 9, later forced into a temporary marriage, and then sentenced to hang at the age of 18. She was finally reprieved, but what does her story tell us about Iran's ability to legally protect its own children.

Africa's Cocaine Coast - Guinea-Bissau is awash with cocaine and is ranked by the United Nations as the fifth poorest country in the world. Grant Ferrett investigates.

Jonathan Marcus explores the impact of these two conflicts on the american political psyche.

Angus Stickler travels into the disputed "Red Zone" of Southern Thailand to discover the victims of a brutal and under-reported war.

Six months ago, the radical Palestinian faction Hamas took total control of the Gaza Strip. Israel and Egypt responded by closing their borders with Gaza. Magdi Abdelhadi travelled to the Gaza Strip to see how the 1.5 million Palestinians living there are coping.

Correspondent Jonathan Marcus compares the impact of the two conflicts on American society and politics.

Roger Hardy follows the money trail and looks at the case of two prominent Saudi charities.

This week on Assignment, a story of lust, deception and betrayal on the internet. It tells the extraordinary story of a middle-aged factory worker who undergoes a virtual and very real transformation after he goes online - a transformation which ends in murder.

The final part of a four part series in which Maurice Walsh discovers why globalisation and the black market have drastically undermined governments' ability to generate revenue in the form of tax.

In the third of a four part series Maurice Walsh discovers why globalisation and the black market have drastically undermined governments' ability to generate revenue in the form of tax.

The BBC's UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan explores how the US could retreat from its role as the planet's biggest polluter. In the final part of the series, Laura explores the degree to which Americans are speaking out and altering their lifestyles in the face of global warming.

In the second of a four part series Maurice Walsh discovers why globalisation and the black market have drastically undermined governments' ability to generate revenue in the form of tax. Maurice visits Zambia to examine what has happened to the money generated by the country's booming copper industry.

Has Saudi Arabia fanned the flames of Muslim militancy by exporting its own puritanical form of Islam to every corner of the globe?

Fifty years ago, the drug thalidomide was introduced as a treatment for pregnancy sickness. The results for unborn children were devastating. Many of those affected have been compensated - but not thalidomiders in Spain. Geoff Adams-Spink investigates why.

The first part of a four part series in which Maurice Walsh discovers why globalisation and the black market have drastically undermined governments' ability to generate revenue in the form of tax.

The BBC's UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan explores how the US could retreat from its role as the planet's biggest polluter. In this episode: Laura reports on General Electric. Once pilloried as a polluter (and taken to court for dumping waste in the Hudson River), the industry giant, under the leadership of Jeffrey Immelt, has gone green and sees its future prosperity tied to developing green technologies.

In a special BBC WS One Planet debate, we bring together four people at the heart of their governments' response to climate change – from the USA, Indonesia, Brazil and the UK.

The final part in a three part series in which Mike Williams explores the complex web of negotiations to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

The second part in a three part series in which Mike Williams explores the complex web of negotiations to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

The first part in a three part series in which Mike Williams explores the complex web of negotiations to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

The BBC's UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan explores how the US could retreat from its role as the planet's biggest polluter. In this episode: Laura finds out how the US could retreat from its role as the biggest polluter on the planet.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world. There are more than 54,000 reported rapes every year - and most rapes go unreported. David Goldblatt investigates what's behind this violence.

In this part, Wole Soyinka travels back on a route he first took in 1967 at the beginning of the Biafran War, and speaks to two of the main protagonists.

In Pakistan President Musharraf and the former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto did a deal this month. She told her suppprters to support his bid for the Presidency. He in return dropped corrpution charges bought by his government against her. This paved the way to her return to Pakistan after almost a decade of self-imposed exile. In "Benazir Bhutto - The Investigation", Owen Bennett-Jones looks at the claims against her and whether she could still face corruption charges.

We investigate the substance of the allegations against Benazir Bhutto and ask whether she could still face charges, despite the deal she has just struck with President Musharraf.

Nigeria's Nobel Prize-winning author, Wole Sayinka travels back to Biafra and comes face to face with the military leader who imprisoned him 40 years ago.

In the final part of this series Robin White visits Georgetown the capital of Guyana where he experiences the transport system and learns about the demise of the Amerindian culture.

Robin White visits Maputo the capital city of Mozambique. After sixteen years of civil war how well is the city functioning?

Robin White finds out about the disappearing Kweyol culture in St Lucia. Why is it too difficult to make Kweyol the island's official language?

China has turned its attention to the US in its search for natural resources, even enabling the re-opening of an abandoned iron mine in Minnesota.

Lucy Ash assesses the wider impact of China's insatiable appetite for natural resources, and focuses on the special relation with Angola and its oil.

Maurice Walsh considers whether China might use its growing military power to reclaim Taiwan, possibly provoking a confrontation with the US.

Maurice Walsh examines whether US government concerns about rising defence spending in China will fuel a new arms race in the Pacific.

Local broadcaster Eunis Taumomoa guides us through Papua New Guinea, a country that has more than 700 different languages and ethnic groups.

Afghanistan's recent history has been a long list of human rights abuses and war crimes - yet many of those accused are now beyond the reach of prosecutors because of an amnesty the warlords themselves voted in. What impact is this having on the survivors?

Meet the doctors who are trying to introduce regulation of stem cell therapies in India, so that those vulnerable patients who can least afford to spend money on unproven therapies can have genuine grounds for hope.

Matthew Sweet presents the extraordinary story of Finland's Nokia Millionaires, and how the mobile phone industry prevented a severe recession in the country.

Lance Corporal Baronowski's personal recordings, made in Vietnam shortly before he was killed in 1966, paint a vivid picture of the young soldier’s life. How do his experiences compare with soldiers in today's conflicts?

Assignment reports on the fate of thousands of migrants from eastern Europe, who come to Britain to find work. Even though they are in the UK legally, they're often exploited by gangmasters who ignore employment laws, and sometimes don't even pay their employees.

Do stem cells really offer a miracle cure? Are the clinics offering genuine treatments at the cutting edge of science, or merely taking advantage of the vulnerable?

The two week uprising in Burma has been ruthlessly put down by the Burmese military. The protests appear to be over. What lay behind the uprising, and why is the Burmese junta so resistant to pressure to reform?

Darfur has diverted attention from Southern Sudan, now emerging from civil war. Mike Wooldridge investigates its hopes for peace.

Assignment reports on the persecution of Christians in Eritrea - home to one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, dating back 1,600 years. Thousands have fled torture and arrest to take refuge in neighbouring Ethiopia.

John McCarthy looks at how the Kaduna Declaration in Kaduna, Nigeria, has had some success in bringing Muslims and Christians together amidst violence.

Darfur has diverted attention from Southern Sudan, now emerging from civil war. Mike Wooldridge investigates its hopes for peace.

Karin Wells investigates controversial new laws in Poland that require over 35s to prove they never collaborated with Communists.

Owen Bennett-Jones visits two of the world's leading educational establishments - Harvard University and Westminster School - to ask how they get such good results.

Assignment reports on how a once model public housing project in Liverpool, has become terrorised by young criminal gangs - who are believed to be responsible for the murder of an 11 year old boy.

Gavin Esler tells the story of Bill Clinton's controversial and colourful presidency, from epic victories to personal turmoil. The final part addresses the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Many ordinary people in Iraq continue to live in extraordianry circumstances. World Affairs coresspondent, Mike Woolridge follows the story of a taxi driver whose life has been turned upside down.

We report on a miscarriage of justice in Japan - a case which has opened a debate about how the police question suspects, and why more than 99 per cent of those charged with a crime are then found guilty.

Education matters - Owen Bennett-Jones visits educational establishments which have been judged to be the bes. This week he visits Finland which has been judged to have the best educational system in the world.

Having won a second term, Clinton found new confidence when dealing with foreign policy. But then came revelations about Monica Lewinsky. How did events unfold?

Malcolm Billings explores the reconstruction projects slowly restoring the region's cultural legacy.

From authorising emergency bailout during the Mexican economic collapse to balancing the budget, Clinton's strategic use of the Presidential veto would enable his White House to start working again.

In August 1986 Julie Tullis became the first British woman climber to reach the summit of K2. The tapes she recorded reveal her adventure.

Malcolm Billings explores the reconstruction projects slowly restoring the region's cultural legacy.

When William Jefferson Clinton was elected President of the United States on 3 November 1992, hope was in the air. Though the honeymoon did not last long, it was at moments of great adversity that his political skills were at their greatest.

Jane Little follows one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" who goes back to be reunited with his mother and to marry a girl from his own Dinka tribe.

Malcolm Billings explores the reconstruction projects slowly restoring the region's cultural legacy.

In the second of these two programmes, Paul Bakibinga considers how Zimbabwe might become prosperous one more.

Jill McGivering follows the trail of fake drugs, from the marginalised communities at risk, to the country accused of being the main source.

Malcolm Billings explores the reconstruction projects slowly restoring the region's cultural legacy.

It reads like a soap opera, but this is not fiction: round-the-clock confinement, crippling illness, rape, escape, suicide and murder - women who go overseas to work as maids often encounter unforeseen terror and tragedy.

In the first of two programmes, Paul Bakibinga considers the causes behind the collapse of the once prosperous Zimbabwe.

Gabby O'Donnell goes to Ghana to meet some convicted drugs mules, and hears how they, as much as the users, can end up being the biggest victims in the multi-billion dollar drug trade.

In the second programme, Judith Kampfner looks at women who work as maids in their own countries. Children, sometimes as young as ten years old, are sent from villages to distant towns to be shut in as domestic servants.

In South Africa, equality - on the basis of race, language, culture and sexual orientation - are central to the country's constitution.

Owen Bennett-Jones chairs a unique debate with some of the most senior and influential military figures responsible for the planning and execution of the war in Iraq.