The Documentary Podcast: Archive 2010

"There are no words to describe when you lose your child, especially one who was full of life a talented girl that liked dancing." Sheena McDonald travels to Costa Rica to find out if new legislation to tackle drink-driving is working and reducing the number of road deaths.

Pioneering French marine explorer Jacques Cousteau brought marine life to cinema and television screens for the first time. Bridget Nicholls speaks to Costeau's friends, family and colleagues as they look back on the life of this difficult but inspiring man in the centennial of his birth.

Almost every day in the Russian republic of Dagestan there are reports of Islamist insurgents assassinating police officers and local officials. And there are regular clashes between extremists and the security forces across the republic. It's causing Moscow deep concern and they blame 'outside forces' for orchestrating the violence; but human rights groups say it's a combination of poverty and police brutality which is fuelling the insurgency. For Assignment Steve Rosenberg reports from Dagestan.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character." Michael Goldfarb traces the history of the march through the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Mao Zedong.

"It's a woman with a tiny baby and luggage on the back of a motorbike with no helmet." Sheena McDonald travels to Kenya to find out what the government is doing to improve on road safety and reduce the number of traffic accidents.

Completed by the poet Ferdowsi in 1010 AD, the Shahnameh is widely regarded as a masterpiece of world literature. It is of central importance to Iranian culture and self-identity and has inspired some of the world's most exquisite manuscripts. Narguess Farzad dives into the text to explore the stories and themes contained within and to revel in the language.

For Assignment Thomas Fessy investigates allegations that a senior Congolese general profited from the illegal takeover of a gold mine.

Ali Abbas became an icon of the Iraq War when images of him with his arms amputated were beamed around the world. Seven years after an American rocket attack destroyed his home and killed 16 members of his family, Ali returns to Baghdad. Will he give in to the pressure of getting married?

"With the city being built here on our doorstep, I can look after the children and earn some money." Carrie Gracie returns to China to see how locals are embracing and benefiting from city life.

“If you say bye bye to that fountain of life you may as well say bye bye to my heritage.” How will a proposed copper mine affect Alaska’s main industry of salmon? The BBC’s Nick Rankin reports on the development opportunities – as well as environmental and social concerns – of this controversial proposal.