Our World

Nearly twenty years ago, the half-naked body of a Thai woman was found by walkers in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales in England. The autopsy proved inconclusive, and an inquest failed to reveal how she died. For over a decade, her identity remained unknown, her body buried in a grave marked "The Lady Of The Hills." The thirty-six-year-old was one of thousands of Thai women who marry foreign men every year. In 2016, after a review, her case was reopened as a homicide investigation. BBC Thai journalist Issariya Praithongyaem asks why no one in the UK reported this mother of three missing? And why hasn't anyone been brought to justice for her death?

The Florida Straits are home to an invisible border that divides two very different worlds. Under six decades of a trade embargo, Cubans have built a way of life largely cut off from the resources of their US neighbours, just 90km away. But in July 2021, the effects of the pandemic, combined with an economic crisis and food shortages, triggered mass protests across the island on an unprecedented scale. A few weeks later began what is reported to be the biggest exodus of Cubans since the 1959 Revolution.Featuring never-before-seen footage, this dramatic film traces the story of three Cubans who took extraordinary risks to leave their country to reach the US. From a windsurf to an inflatable kayak, the film follows as they make the dangerous journey by any means possible. With access to the US Coast Guard, the film also captures a privileged insight into the authorities trying to protect US waters during this mass migration wave and prevent loss of life.

In September 2023, Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy - trying to overthrow the US government. He was the leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that was at the forefront of the Capitol riots on 6 January 2021. So was Tarrio the puppet master behind the assault on US democracy, or simply a convenient scapegoat? With exclusive access to him in the years leading up to his arrest, Our World tells the extraordinary story of one of the most elusive and divisive characters in modern America.

The Ukrainian Army's 24th Brigade has been fighting non-stop since February 2022. The uniform has stayed constant, but only a handful of those fighting now have been there from the start. Mark Urban has secured unprecedented access to the brigade, meeting the drone operators on the front line, the wives whose husbands are missing, and those being called up now to fill in behind fallen comrades.

Zimbabwe is about to vote in its second national election following the end of Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule in 2017. There had been hopes that the country would enter an era of renewed prosperity, but runaway inflation has contributed to economic misery for millions of Zimbabweans. Through telling the story of ordinary Zimbabweans, Shingai Nyoka makes sense of life in Zimbabwe ahead of the upcoming vote.

Hong Kong is facing its biggest exodus since records began. Hundreds of thousands have left since Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the former British colony. Critics say that Hong Kong has become a police state. The majority of the political opposition have either been detained or are now living in exile. The BBC's Danny Vincent has been following Hong Kongers determined to start a new life in the UK and those determined to stay.

It is a year since millions of Americans were blocked from accessing an abortion. And the debate is as divisive as ever. Our World travelled across two neighbouring but very different states - Florida and Alabama - to see how restrictions are impacting essential healthcare.

For more than three years, North Korea has sealed its borders. People are banned from leaving or entering the country. Almost every foreigner who was inside has packed up and left. The world's most secretive and tyrannical state is now an information black hole. For months, three people inside North Korea have risked their lives to tell the BBC what is happening. What they reveal is shocking. Years of hard labour for those found watching foreign films and TV programmes, and execution for the ones who try to escape. Jean Mackenzie, the BBC's correspondent in South Korea, asks: is this a new dark age for North Korea?

Russia is supplying the Myanmar military with advanced fighter jets and training their pilots on how to use them in a war against their own people. More than two years on from the coup, the country's military is facing a countrywide armed uprising, and their troops are struggling to hold ground and recruit foot soldiers. So, the strategy is turning increasingly to the air with devastating consequences. BBC's Asia editor Rebecca Henschke follows those fighting back on the ground and in the air. And she meets defectors from the air force who give exclusive insight into the strategy and psychology behind those operating these deadly machines.

South Africa is struggling to keep the lights on. Its power system is crumbling, leading to regular and extensive blackouts - and it's the poorest who are hardest hit. Why is it in such bad shape, and what hope is there of South Africa kicking its addiction to coal and switching to greener sources of energy? Andrew Harding uncovers a story of corruption and vested interests at the heart of South Africa's power failure.

Once dubbed the 'murder capital' of the world, for nearly three decades, rival gangs ruled the streets of El Salvador through a regime of violence, extortion, and fear. That is, until now. For the last year, the country's young, media-savvy president has launched a full-scale war on gangs, imposing emergency constitutional measures and giving police sweeping new powers of arrest. As the State of Exception passes its one-year anniversary, more than 65,000 people have been arrested, and dramatic images of a new 'mega prison' hit headlines around the world. But as the country transforms before people's eyes, this newfound freedom hides a dark reality. The government is accused of locking up thousands of innocent people without trial and in flagrant abuse of their human rights. Will Grant meets families impacted by both sides of this controversial policy to uncover the hidden cost of peace on the streets.

Azdyne Amimour is looking for his granddaughter and trying to make amends for crimes he did not commit. Azdyne's son Samy was one of three gunmen who killed 90 people at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris in November 2015. He himself was also killed. Samy left behind a daughter, who was born in Syria shortly after the attacks. Now Azdyne is out to find her and give her the love and security she needs. Finding Alaa is the story of families struggling to live with the consequences of acts of terror and the story of one man's search for a child.

Facial recognition technology is at the cutting edge of fighting crime in the United States. Police forces across the country can upload your image and search databases containing millions of photos scoured from the internet. Whether you've uploaded the photo yourself or someone else has without your knowledge, you can be identified and tracked down. James Clayton investigates the accuracy of this controversial technology and asks whether it is invading your privacy and should be a part of law and order in America.

In February 2022, a video emerged of a young Afghan woman, Tamana Paryani, screaming for help while the Taliban kicked in her door. Little is known about what took place after - where was she taken, and for what reason? Yalda Hakim travels to Afghanistan after gaining access to the woman and her family after being released from prison and as they plan and escape from Afghanistan to Europe.

Puppies are a multi-billion Euro industry in Europe; 8 million puppies are purchased every year. But where are all these puppies coming from? For the first time, Our World unveils a criminal underworld of puppy traders trafficking dogs across Europe. From the illegal puppy mills in Hungary, the dogs are sold into a vast pet trade network in Western Europe. We follow a team of undercover vets and the charity Four Paws busting online puppy sales in Germany. We discover how pregnant dogs are being trafficked, and ultimately we see how the puppy mills are sending dogs to huge pet shops in Belgium, where they are bought by British gangs. The documentary is narrated by Stacey Dooley.

Native Americans have the highest rate of substance abuse of any group in the US. The MHA Nation, which lives on the plains of North Dakota, knows that only too well – alcohol and fentanyl are claiming young lives, shattering families, and threatening their way of life. The MHA Nation comprises the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. Our World follows the work of the tribe's recovery clinic and their own drug enforcement team as they try to turn a rising tide of addiction.

Since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine a year ago, many British nationals have travelled there to fight. Some have prior military experience, others have none, but the idea that they are making a difference inspires them all. With exclusive access to months of extraordinary footage filmed on the frontline, Emma Vardy meets the soldiers drawn to this conflict and the family members of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

In June 2020, three friends filmed themselves finding bodies in a suitcase. As their videos went viral, the lives of the victims, Jessica and Austin, were lost to rumour and speculation as people online combed through their story. Throughout the two-year trial, Our World follows the families as they try to get justice for their children lost in a social media storm.

In 1972, Idi Amin publicly condemned Ugandan Asians as the enemy, enforcing a brutal policy that ordered them to leave the country within 90 days. Estimates of up to 70,000 South Asians left Uganda in fear for their lives. On the 50th anniversary of the expulsion, BBC reporter Reha Kansara follows her mum and aunt as they return to Uganda together for the first time. Setting off from the English suburbs, they journey to the sugar plantations of Kakira and the home in Jinja they were forced to leave in a hurry. They reunite with old friends and discover how the expulsion changed the country they left behind.

In recent weeks, tens of millions of people in China have again been confined to their homes in coronavirus lockdowns. This is not without political risk, especially in the run up to the twice a decade Communist Party Congress. BBC China Correspondent Stephen McDonell travels across the country and meets people struggling to stay afloat with their country showing no signs of abandoning its "zero-covid" policy.

When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, they assured citizens that they had changed since their regime in the 1990s and said they would protect women's rights. Eight months ago, Alia Azizi, a 45-year-old policewoman from Herat, disappeared. Her family has not heard from her since. Yalda Hakim travels to Afghanistan to investigate the case. She speaks with female activists and protestors who have been scared into silence, asking the Taliban why they are not doing more to investigate the disappearance of women like Alia.

In March this year, the town of Bucha was occupied by a shock invasion of Russian troops trying to reach Kyiv. What followed was a massacre that shocked the world.But what happens when - against all odds - somebody survives to tell the story? In this compelling film, the sole survivor of a terrible crime in Ukraine joins the wives and mothers of his dead comrades to tell an extraordinary story. While the executions were meant to dehumanise and wipe the victims' presence from the world, this is a powerful account of love in the face of terror.

Our World has spent the last year with journalists and protestors as they live through the most turbulent period in Hong Kong's recent history. When the British government transferred sovereignty to China 25 years ago, it promised to protect freedom of speech, but new laws have silenced all criticism. Street protests have all but stopped, pro-democracy lawmakers have been replaced by Beijing loyalists, and Hong Kong's new Chief Executive is its former Security Chief, who led the crackdown. Reporter Danny Vincent has been following those who have lived through the street protest movement, both as activists and reporters, many of whom are now imprisoned.

Last year anti-government protests took place across Iran. They were triggered by a severe water shortage in the south of the country, in a province called Khuzestan. Once lush and green, now rivers are running dry, crops are failing, and tap water is scarce. So, where has the water gone? BBC Persian's Siavash Ardalan investigates what is behind the shortage.

On the 24th of February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, triggering the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Almost 6 million Ukrainians have fled the country, half of whom have fled to next door Poland. During a week in April, Our World follows Warsaw's Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski - as well as refugees and volunteers living through the crisis. How have the people of Warsaw dealt with such a sudden increase in the city's population - and what is the long term plan for all the new arrivals?

With exclusive access to Ukraine's winning entry, Our World follows Kalush Orchestra from the war-torn outskirts of Kyiv to their triumph in Turin. Reporter Viktoriia Zhuhan tells the inside story of how the band's song Stefania struck a chord with viewers across Europe and brought the Eurovision trophy home.

For decades temples across Cambodia were looted and their treasures stolen, smuggled, and sold abroad. But now the Cambodian government wants them back. Celia Hatton has exclusive access to the Cambodian authorities' fight to trace and reclaim their precious antiquities. We visit rarely seen temples, track down former looters turned state witnesses, and unravel the tale of the controversial British art collector who many believe was at the heart of the trade. The statues aren't stone objects for many Cambodians - they're living Gods that need to return home.

Axie Infinity is a hugely popular online game in which players breed, battle, and trade fantasy creatures. But for many people around the world, it's now much more than that - it's a way of making a living. The game's phenomenal growth is part of a bigger trend, as workers realise that they can make more money in the virtual world than they can in the real one. Our World follows players in the Philippines and Venezuela who are trying to escape economic problems at home by working in the metaverse. Could this be a glimpse of the future?

During the first year of the pandemic, San Francisco had more deaths from drug overdoses than Covid. In December, the mayor declared a state of emergency in parts of the city - in a desperate attempt to tackle the problem. In a spectacular U-turn, she declared the city needed 'tough love' and reversed her policies on defunding the police.For Our World, James Clayton speaks to rough sleepers, addicts, and politicians and asks why one of the wealthiest cities in the world has had so many deaths from drugs. He looks at how the lethal drug fentanyl has ripped through the city and follows the story of a mother desperately trying to find her addicted son before it's too late. He also speaks to the two most important politicians in the city - the mayor and the district attorney - and explores why they disagree on how to fix San Francisco.

Myanmar is now in a state of civil war. What started in February 2021 as a mass protest movement against the military coup is now a nationwide armed uprising. The junta is under attack across the country from a network of civilian militias called the People's Defence Forces, fighting to restore democracy. The BBC gained rare access to the jungle training camps where young protesters are turned into soldiers. We follow a single mother and a student who have sacrificed everything to join the fight. They're up against a well-trained military willing to use brutal tactics to stay in power. As the death toll mounts and the world looks away, can they restore democracy? Narrator: two reporters in credits.

1974 Beirut: It's the height of the Cold War. Mohamed Noman, a prominent Yemeni politician, is shot dead in his car. Some say, had he lived, Yemen would be a different country today. The killer was never caught, and the assassination was never investigated. Almost 50 years later, his granddaughter Mai Noman, a BBC journalist, seeks answers.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, more than 2 million people have fled the country. Hundreds of thousands of them have passed through Lviv train station, heading for Platform 5. That's where trains take women and children to safety beyond Ukraine's borders and where many families have to part. Fergal Keane tells the stories of the people on the platform hoping to escape, the staff who bravely keep the station running, and those left behind.

With the seat of the Catholic Church in its backyard and the highest number of priests of any country, Italy is a bastion of global Catholicism. And yet, unlike many other countries, it has failed to tackle the scourge of clerical sex abuse. It keeps no official statistics on the issue, and the number of convictions remains shockingly low. Survivors of abuse have fallen foul of a combination of cover-up, complicity, and legal failings in their search for justice. Mark Lowen speaks to survivors, confronts those accused, and meets the officials working to uncover the dark secrets that the Italian authorities have been unwilling to investigate.

For centuries women have picked tea on the steep slopes of Turkey's Black Sea region. It is gruelling work, and much of what they earn has traditionally been handed to their husbands. But now, a new generation is turning their backs on tea picking, and the industry's survival is uncertain. Our World follows the young women who hope change is coming and the older ones who fear for their way of life.

Bitcoin is now big business and a major talking point around the world. Whilst some countries like China have banned cryptocurrencies, others have embraced them. Kazakhstan has grabbed the crytpo revolution with both hands. It has become a leader in cryptocurrency mining, with companies built from scratch to power the technology that underpins these digital coins. But as Our World discovered, Kazakhstan's Bitcoin rush has come at a cost with electricity supplies threatened and profound environmental impacts being felt.

With access to the new Taliban government, Yalda Hakim travels back to Afghanistan to find out what the country is like under their rule. The economy is close to collapse, millions face starvation, and the one-time terrorist group now faces a terror threat of its own. Can the Taliban form a government that can put their violent past behind them and help rebuild this broken country?

Abortion has long been a fault line in American politics. Now those who want to ban it scent a famous victory, with implications for millions. Will the US Supreme Court effectively overturn the well-known Roe v Wade judgement of 1973 - and if so, what will that mean for an already divided nation? Sophie Long travels to Mississippi and Texas, two states trying to change the law to restrict access to abortion, and meets those on both sides of the argument.

The number of murders in the US rose nearly 30 percent last year, the vast majority of them committed with guns. One company called ShotSpotter believes its technology can help tackle America's growing gun crime problem by alerting police the moment shots are fired, but it has become increasingly controversial. James Clayton goes behind the scenes at ShotSpotter and on patrol with Fresno police to see how it works - and meets the campaigners in Chicago who say the technology cannot be trusted.

Not for the first time in its troubled history, Lebanon finds itself facing a crisis. A collapsing currency, severe shortages of basic goods, and a fragmented political system have all led the Lebanese people down a dark and uncertain path. Nowhere are the day-to-day consequences of these challenges felt more acutely than in the nation's hospitals. Our World follows the director of Lebanon's largest public hospital as he tries to stave off disaster and a junior doctor forced to decide between her patients and her own future.

Over 17000 migrants have arrived in the UK this year by crossing the English Channel in small boats - that is more than double last year's total. Both the UK and French authorities are talking tough, but the numbers keep rising. So why do two of the richest nations in the world find it so hard to control who crosses such a busy shipping lane? Lucy Williamson goes on patrol with the police tasked with turning the tide - and meets the migrants who are determined to outwit them.

Nine-year-old Rodwell Nkomazana was attacked by a hyena earlier this year while sleeping outside his church in Zimbabwe. He suffered life-threatening injuries. Now, a team of volunteer doctors in South Africa is battling to help Rodwell by rebuilding his face. Our World follows their groundbreaking work and Rodwell's remarkable recovery.

This autumn Angela Merkel bows out after 16 years as German Chancellor. In that time, she has been a key player on the world stage, but how has she changed her own country? Jenny Hill travels across Germany - from school proms in Berlin to forests in the Harz Mountains - to discover how Angela Merkel has shaped it.

In the second part of this two-part series, Yalda Hakim travels to the country of her birth, Afghanistan, where she gets unprecedented access to the Taliban. She meets with a frontline commander from Helmand Province as well as the Taliban leadership in Doha, learning about their plans for ruling the country after the Americans leave. They claim they have changed and want to work with the Government, but who are the Taliban in 2021, and are they planning a return to the brutal regime of the 90s?

Afghanistan is at a critical juncture in its history. As American and allied forces withdraw, the country is now at risk of falling to the Taliban. In episode one of this two-part series, Yalda Hakim returns to the country of her birth to meet people who have benefitted from the last twenty years and spends time with Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who says he would rather die than surrender to the Taliban. What does the future hold for the Afghan people?

There are an estimated 250 000 unsolved murders in the US, and in many of them, the victims are yet to be identified. But now, recent breakthroughs in DNA technology and the growth of genealogy websites are beginning to unlock the secrets of cold case murder investigations. James Clayton travels to Missouri to discover how cutting-edge science has finally identified a woman killed 30 years ago and who was simply known as Grace Doe for decades. The technique has brought her family a form of closure, and it looks set to solve thousands more cases. But does it also come at a cost to our privacy?

A storm is brewing in the South China Sea. China claims large swathes of it as its own, but President Biden has recently warned that it must be open for trade and navigation. Caught in the middle are Filipino fishermen, who increasingly find themselves shadowed by the Chinese coastguard and militia boats as they try to earn a living. Howard Johnson sails to Scarborough Shoal, a large coral reef 120 nautical miles off the coast of the Philippines, to discover how far China is prepared to go to assert its power and influence in the region.

In March this year, Islamist militants attacked the busy town of Palma in the northern tip of Mozambique. In the hours and days that followed, chaos and bloodshed ensued. Many Mozambicans and overseas contractors tried to flee on foot and by boat, while others sought refuge in a hotel compound, awaiting rescue. With compelling eyewitness testimony and mobile phone footage, Catherine Byaruhanga tells the extraordinary stories of those caught up in the attack who were left fighting for survival as the insurgents closed in.

Kidnappers have seized more than a thousand students and staff from schools in a series of raids across northern Nigeria. The wave of abductions has devastating consequences for the country, which already has the highest number of children out of education anywhere in the world. Parents face extortionate demands in exchange for the freedom of their sons and daughters, and many families in Africa's most populous nation are now too afraid to send their children to class. Mayeni Jones travels across north-western Nigeria to meet those affected and find out what's fuelling Nigeria's kidnap crisis.

How did the residents of one street make it through the last year? Oxford Gardens runs through the heart of Notting Hill in London. It's an unusual street - multi-millionaires living next door to housing association tenants - but they have one thing in common: all of them spent much of the last year at home. Filmed from the start of the first lockdown, this is an intimate and heartwarming portrait of how the residents of one street coped with the pandemic.

In 2019-20, Australia suffered its most intense bushfire season on record. Millions of hectares of land burned and up to three billion animals were killed or displaced. Eighteen months on, Nick Lazaredes travels to some of the areas hardest hit to discover how the wildlife is faring now and to meet the experts who are still assessing the scale of the damage.

Six years ago, Amsha escaped from captivity in Northern Iraq. Like many Yazidi women, she had been held by IS militants. Today she is risking her life to clear her homeland of unexploded mines. Our World follows her as she sets out to tackle the deadly legacy her captors left behind.

Afghanistan is in the grip of a new and sinister campaign of violence, in which young professionals - often women - are being deliberately singled out, targeted, and murdered. All the victims were working to build a country based on democratic values. The government blames the violence on insurgent groups like the Taliban, who have their own agenda ahead of the withdrawal of US troops later this year. Speaking to families who have lost loved ones, those who have chosen to leave, and those living in fear, Our World asks what impact this tactic will have on the future of Afghanistan.

Nigeria's pensions system is in a mess. It leaves some elderly people penniless after decades of hard work, but it grants some politicians generous retirement packages. Pension payments are held up by corruption and inefficiency, and it is the elderly who pay the price. Reporter Yemisi Adegoke meets the retired Nigerians struggling to survive and travels to Cross River State to meet the Ghost Pensioners, who the state declared dead and deprived of their pensions.

The Myanmar military has killed more than 700 people since they seized power in a coup three months ago. Mass protests demanding a return to democracy and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi have been met with brutal force. Borders are closed, and the internet is effectively blocked. This is a story the military does not want the world to see. But some people are bravely resisting and are willing to tell their stories. Our World follows a brother and sister now fighting for their future. As their options narrow, can they - and others like them - win the fight?

Dr. Amira Cerimagic is fighting for her right to a homebirth. In Bosnia Herzegovina, the healthcare system only allows giving birth in hospitals, and eight months pregnant, Amira is preparing to deliver her baby at home in secret. Having experienced previous birth trauma, she's one of the thousands of women in the Balkan region speaking out about the violence and mistreatment that they have endured in hospitals during pregnancy and childbirth. A mother, doctor, and activist, Amira is determined for the arrival of her fourth child to be a life-enhancing experience for her whole family. Our World follows Amira as she prepares for one of the most important moments of her life.

Undercover of Covid, the Amazon rainforest is under attack. Deforestation is at levels not seen for more than a decade. Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, talks of opening up the forest to development while the environmental policy is under attack from loggers. Our World obtained a recording of the Environment minister talking about using the cover of Covid to "change all the rules" in the Amazon. For Our World, Justin Rowlatt is on a mission to find out how a tribe he visited a decade ago is faring the face of this assault.

Jimmy Lai is a billionaire newspaper proprietor and a self-proclaimed natural-born rebel. He owns Apple Daily, Hong Kong's last opposition newspaper and he is an outspoken critic of Beijing. As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong, that puts him in danger - in August he was arrested under the strict new national security law. Yet refusing to be intimidated, he continues to speak out. With remarkable access to Jimmy Lai, the BBC's Danny Vincent meets the man facing possible life in prison after being charged with violating Hong Kong's new law.

Late last year, a conflict that had lain almost dormant for more than 25 years flared up again. Armenia and Azerbaijan clashed over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, with Azerbaijan ultimately reclaiming much of the land they had lost in the conflict of the 1990s. More than 6000 people were killed, and thousands more were driven from their homes. So who really won? And what now for those whose lives were turned upside down during 44 days of fighting? With rare access inside Nagorno Karabakh, Jonah Fisher travels to both Azerbaijan and Armenia. He meets those who won their homes back and those who lost their loved ones - and discovers that a much bigger power is making a comeback.

In January this year, something very strange happened on the US stock market. The shares of GameStop, an unfashionable high street games store, suddenly went through the roof and kept rising. As a result, a group of hedge funds unexpectedly found themselves losing millions of dollars. The giant price spike turned out to be the work of a committed band of amateur online investors - many of whom were out to get their revenge on the titans of Wall Street for the financial crash. Mayhem on the markets ensued. So was this a David versus Goliath clash, as many claim? And if so, who really won? James Clayton meets the investors who made a fortune trading from their bedrooms, the tech supremos who were watching on astonished, and the hedge fund giants who are now nursing their losses. 

The Austrian resort of Ischgl has long been famous for its superb skiing and vibrant nightlife - some even called it 'Ibiza on Ice'. But in early 2020, skiers began to fall ill with coronavirus. The Austrian authorities were slow to react and then made a series of costly mistakes. Thousands of skiers flew home, inadvertently exporting the virus around the world. One year on, the resort is deserted, and some of the families of those who died are looking for justice. BBC Europe Editor Katya Adler explores what went so badly wrong in Ischgl and asks what the lessons learned for the next pandemic are.

The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest and one of the most biodiverse places on earth. But now, vast chunks of it are being sold off – on social media. Reporter João Fellet travels deep into the Amazon to investigate the murky online world where the rainforest is for sale. Who is out to profit from deforestation. And what can be done to stop it?

Over the last few years, Moroccan migrants who are trying to reach the EU have become YouTube celebrities by blogging about the journey online. They are getting millions of views, but are their tales of adventure glamourising a route that is often really dangerous? BBC's Our World has travelled across Europe to meet these influencers and find out what's behind this latest trend. 

Human rights activist Azimjan Askarov was imprisoned in Kyrgyzstan in 2010 for a crime he says he did not commit. Ever since then, his wife Khadicha has campaigned tirelessly for his release. Now she sees one last chance for justice in an appeal hearing at the Supreme Court. But as she prepares for the verdict, coronavirus is spreading across Kyrgyzstan, stopping Khadicha's prison visits and putting 69-year-old Azimjan at risk. Our World follows an extraordinary story of love, courage - and never giving up.

Jane Mugo is Kenya's most famous - and controversial - private investigator. She says she's solved hundreds of crimes, but some accuse her of playing by her own rules. Reporter Sharon Machira meets the woman they call Kenya's Spy Queen.

From civil war to the pandemic, 2020 was a deadly year for the Syrian province of Idlib. As doctors, Mohammed al-Sharif and Zeina Hallak were on the frontline of the humanitarian crisis, but as parents, they had to protect a growing family from the dual threat of war and disease. For nine months, BBC Our World followed the couple as coronavirus brought them face-to-face with life and death.

New Orleans was getting ready to celebrate Mardi Gras, but among the crowds was a virus that before long would stop the music and kill thousands in the state of Louisiana.

Our World tells the extraordinary story of the holidaymakers who found themselves trapped by an almighty wildfire at Mammoth Pools in California's Sierra National Forest. 

Evangelical Christian voters were a key part of the coalition, which swept Donald Trump to power in 2016. Many were prepared to overlook his turbulent private life to elect a president who they believed would defend their values.Four years on, Trump is relying on them again, but this time the Christian vote is more divided and looks increasingly up for grabs. His opponent Joe Biden is a Catholic who says his faith is his guiding light. Lebo Diseko meets Christian voters in the swing state of North Carolina and explores how important faith will be in a contest that Biden has billed as a battle for America's soul.

Over a billion euros have been invested in cycling across Europe since the start of the pandemic. Some of the continent's biggest cities are transforming as people seek alternative, safer, greener ways to move around. Anna Holligan travels across Europe to see how people are getting on their bikes and asks if the surge in cycling is the start of a much more significant change in the way we travel.

The killing of George Floyd, caught on camera by eye-witnesses, has led to an outpouring of anger in America. But what happens when the cameras are turned off - or if there are no cameras at all? Our World tells the stories of witnesses to police brutality who say they've been intimidated and even threatened with incarceration. What chance is there of lasting change if witnesses are scared to speak out?

Iran has been hit hard by coronavirus but its government has gone to great lengths to keep the true extent of the outbreak hidden from view. Now, with the help of videos posted by Iranians on social media, Our World reveals what life is really like inside the country during the pandemic. From illicit lockdown parties to hospitals which are struggling to cope - this is Iran as you've never seen it before.

Brazil has been devastated by coronavirus: more than 1.4 million people have been infected and the numbers are rising fast. Yet President Bolsonaro has dismissed the virus as a little flu, leaving the country deeply divided as the death toll mounts. Amid the chaos, it is Brazil's poorest who are being hardest hit - in particular the country's millions of domestic workers. Many have had to keep working despite the risks, commuting from favelas to richer suburbs. Others have lost their jobs and now face a choice between eating and paying the rent. Our World travels through the deserted streets of Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo to meet them and their employers, and discover how the virus has changed their lives.

More than 25 million people go on cruises each year. As coronavirus spread throughout the world, cruise ships suffered devastating outbreaks that resulted in thousands being infected and dozens dying. Our World tells the story of three ships and the passengers on them and asks the question: how can cruises be made safe again?

East Africa has seen the worst invasion of desert locusts for decades, and there are warnings of even larger swarms to come. Millions of people across the region who are already feeling the impact of coronavirus and floods will now face increased hunger and poverty. Just an average swarm can eat the same in a day as 2500 people for a year.We join Albert, the Samburu herdsman turned locust hunter, as he struggles to track the pests who have been decimating crops and pastures across his native northern Kenya. It is a race against time to exterminate this generation before they breed another, larger, more voracious generation.

Wuhan was the city where the coronavirus outbreak began and the first to be locked down. Now the lockdown has been lifted, and it is trying to recover. But just how normal is daily life in Wuhan now - and how are its people adjusting to a new world?

In January, a woman passenger had her temperature checked at Incheon International Airport - and South Korea discovered its first case of coronavirus. In the hundred days that followed, the country would become a model for how to fight the virus. With unprecedented access from the first few hours of the outbreak, Laura Bicker tells the inside story of South Korea's virus hunters. How did they manage to keep the death toll so low, and what can the rest of the world learn from South Korea's story?

New York has been the epicentre of America's coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 30,000 deaths in the state so far. As the virus took hold in March, doctors and nurses from across the US answered New York's call for help. This is the story of four of those on the frontline - told through their video diaries as the crisis unfolds. It is about bravery, sacrifice and sadness: life in the eye of the storm.

Spain is one of the countries hardest hit by coronavirus. Ice rinks have been turned into morgues, and drive-through funerals have caused heartbreak for many families unable to say goodbye properly. Our World follows the lives of some of those at the heart of the crisis, among them a nurse who moved away from her children to play her part in the fight back.

Irish society has changed dramatically in recent years, but discrimination against Travellers remains widespread. In 2017, in a bid to change public attitudes, Travellers were formally recognised by Ireland's government as a distinct ethnic group, but many say they are still unfairly treated. Our World meets three young women fighting to bust the myths about their community and make their dreams a reality.

In India, a child goes missing every eight minutes. The children are often trafficked into domestic labour or the sex trade - many are never seen again. Yet despite the vast scale of the trade, there's very little outrage about it. Rajini Vaidyanathan meets the parents who have lost their children, the children who have lost their innocence, and the activists who are out to stop the traffickers.

Oil-rich Venezuela has been in an ever-growing state of crisis since Hugo Chavez died in 2013, and global oil prices crashed. By the end of 2020, it's predicted that around 6.5 million people will have left, creating one of the biggest refugee crises in modern history. Those who remain have had to adjust to a new normal - a world without modern healthcare, stable food supply, or reliable electricity. Our World travelled to Venezuela to meet the remarkable characters who use all their ingenuity to overcome these adversities.

Deforestation has skyrocketed in Colombia since the Peace Deal of 2016. Our World joins a team of scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as they go on a mission into virgin tropical rainforest. They hope to discover and save rare plant species before they are destroyed and vanish forever.

On Easter Sunday, 2019, eight co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks across Sri Lanka killed over 270 people and injured hundreds more. One year on, Jane Corbin returns to the island and meets three of those whose lives were changed that day and who have set out to help rebuild the Sri Lanka they love.

There are over 30 000 North Korean defectors currently living in South Korea. Most have fled the brutal regime of Kim Jong-un in the hope of a better life and some of them have become celebrities. Our World follows two North Koreans as they gain fame in front of the camera capitalising on their defector status yet struggle to move on from their past.

Rosewood is one of the most trafficked wild commodities on earth. When it's cut, it bleeds a blood-red sap. Having exhausted stocks elsewhere, Chinese traders have turned to West Africa. Illegal logging of the endangered rosewood tree is decimating forests in Casamance in Senegal. It's unlawful to fell or export these trees. And yet, we can reveal they are logged and smuggled at an alarming rate - from Senegalese forests, through to the port of neighbouring Gambia and all the way onto China. For Our World, Umaru Fofana investigates trade in trafficked rosewood worth hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Coronavirus is now spreading around the world as governments scramble to contain it. The outbreak began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has been locked down since late January. With exclusive access to two film-makers inside the city, Our World tells the story of life under lockdown. It is a film that takes you from the deserted streets to the homes of those battling the virus. How do you survive when daily life gets shut down?

Few events are more nerve-wracking than meeting the parents of someone you love. For black and Asian couples in South Africa, it's even more challenging. The country's painful past means interracial dating is still often frowned upon. Meet Ithra and Tumelo, a 'Blasian' couple about to introduce their parents to each other.

In 2002 a bomb on the island of Bali killed more than 200 people. 27-year-old Garil lost his dad that day. Four years later, Sarah lost her mother due to another bombing, the work of the same militant group with links to Al-Qaeda. To stop more attacks Indonesia's government is taking a radical approach. It facilitates meetings between those convicted of a terrorist attack and their victims. Our World gained unprecedented access to enter Indonesia's prison to witness both Garil and Sarah meeting the bombers who killed their parents.

Panzuto was a mafia boss and a hardened killer. For years he played a key role in Naples' Camorra, but now he has turned state witness and is helping put his former associates behind bars. Dominic Casciani gains exclusive access to an Italian anti-mafia prison to meet Panzuto and hear his story of love, murder, and betrayal. It's a tale which took him from the back streets of Naples to a caravan park in Blackpool. We hear from those at the sharp end of the ongoing battle against organised crime in Naples, and from those who believe the tide has finally turned. Above all we hear from the man himself: why did he decide to break with the Camorra, and what does the future hold for him?

Glaciologists have described Thwaites Glacier as the "most important" glacier in the world, the "riskiest" glacier, even the "doomsday" glacier. Scientists from the UK and the US are studying the glacier's changes as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration. The team wants to discover why it is melting so quickly - science with implications for us all. But during the trip the weather closes in, playing havoc with their plans. Will the expedition succeed in unlocking the secrets of the glacier? Antarctica is one of the most remote and inhospitable places on earth. Just how hard is it to live and work in such an extreme environment at the end of the world? The BBC's chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt visited the project.

In 2017 a group of fishermen found a hoard of precious coins on the sea bed off the coast of Gaza. They were decadrachms from the reign of Alexander the Great- and they were worth a fortune. Three years on, they have disappeared. So what happened to them, and why are rare coins so hard to trace? 

In October 2019, a rising star of Syrian democratic politics, 34-year-old Hevrin Khalaf, was brutally murdered in the Kurdish-governed northeast of the country. Yalda Hakim travels to Syria to investigate this young woman's killing, her battle for freedom and empowerment, and her colleagues' view that her death was the result of President Trump's withdrawal of support from the Kurds, who have been a key American ally in the defeat of so-called Islamic State. 

Colombia has long been the world's largest producer of cocaine. A historic peace deal in 2016 was meant to reduce the amount of cocaine being produced by offering farmers alternatives to growing coca. But last year the UN estimated that its output was the largest since records began. Our World travelled to the Cauca Valley to find that farmers are now being caught between new criminal gangs with devastating consequences.

The Great Barrier Reef is in danger - it is now officially declared to be in a very poor state. Yet the battle to save a national icon has sparked furious clashes and opened up deep divides in Australian society. As Australia wrestles with the effects of climate change, Nick Lazaredes meets those who are fighting to preserve the reef and those being blamed for its sudden decline.

Michael Buchanan meets people in Hartlepool in the North East of England to find out how government cuts have affected their lives.

Steve Rosenberg explores how Moscow views the tumultuous events of 1989 and how Vladimir Putin's Russia is trying to regain its influence.

In 2017, Anna Campbell travelled in secret from the UK to northern Syria. A month later she was killed by a Turkish air strike.

In northern Europe's Lapland, temperatures are rising faster than anywhere else in the world, threatening the livelihood of its indigenous Sami people. Central to Sami life is the ancient practice of reindeer herding, but climate change is putting the reindeer at risk of starvation. Many Sami also worry that plans to build a railway, to exploit Lapland's natural resources, will add to the pressure on their traditional way of life. For Our World, Erika Benke has been to Arctic Finland to hear from Sami women about their fears for the future.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded 33 years ago in Soviet Ukraine. The cause, and who was to blame, is still being debated.

In April this year a highly respected Norwegian child psychiatrist was convicted of downloading thousands of images of child pornography. The psychiatrist had been used as an expert, until his arrest, by Norway's controversial child protection system and was involved in decisions about whether children should be removed from their parents. Campaigners in Norway have long accused the system of removing children from their parents without justification and now, despite the serious nature of this man's offence, the authorities are refusing to review the child protection cases he gave evidence in. Tim Whewell has been to Norway to try to discover why child protection in one of the world's wealthiest countries appears to be in crisis.

When a fire at a children's home in Guatemala killed dozens of teenage girls, it exposed a terrifying culture of abuse. Linda Pressly investigates how the tragedy, in what was meant to be a place of safety, has revealed a child protection crisis of epic proportions.

Collaborating with Israel can mean prison or death in Gaza. So why do people do it? Some Palestinians say they're forced or blackmailed, others believe they're helping to prevent attacks on innocent people. Israel says recruiting Palestinian agents helps protect its citizens. For Our World, BBC Arabic's Murad Batal Shishani travels to Israel and Gaza to unravel a complex web of desperation and exploitation.

Ksenia Sobchak is young, wealthy and famous. Her father helped bring down the Soviet Union. Now she's challenging ex-KGB officer Vladimir Putin for the Russian presidency. A perfect pedigree perhaps. But some say she's a fake candidate, running a no-hope race to boost the Kremlin's democratic credentials. Gabriel Gatehouse travels to Russia to unravel a tale of family loyalties, a death in suspicious circumstances, and double dealings in the quest for power.

Leading challengers have been harassed out of the March 2018 presidential race in Egypt and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi looks guaranteed to be re-elected. Critics accuse him of an unprecedented assault on human rights. They say mass arrests, torture and 'disappearances' are hallmarks of his regime. With press freedom under attack much of the brutality goes unseen. The BBC's Cairo correspondent Orla Guerin meets victims and their families.

Compton in Los Angeles has long been renowned for gang violence. Thirty years ago local rappers NWA released the hugely influential album Straight Outta Compton which described drugs, guns and murder on thestreets. Gangs are still a fact of life in Compton but homicide and gun violence have fallen significantly because of fewer turf wars over drugs, better policing and a proactive Mayor. As Katty Kay discovers though, years of extreme gang violence has taken its toll. There are flashing images from the beginning of this film.

For nearly 40 years Afghanistan has been in a constant state of war. How has this affected the mental health of its people? With unprecedented access to Afghanistan's only secure mental health unit Sahar Zandmeets patients, including a former Taliban fighter, struggling to deal with the trauma of war.

More than two thousand children were taken to France from the Indian Ocean island of Reunion between the 1960s and early 1980s as part of a French government plan to repopulate rural areas. Promised a betterlife, and an education, many suffered sexual and physical abuse. Some, now middle aged, are seeking an apology and compensation from the French state. For Our World, Katie Razzall travels from France to R�ion with two women searching for the families they lost more than 50 years ago.

Hundreds of industrial towns across Russia face extinction. Once the pride of the Soviet Union, many have now been abandoned and millions have lost jobs and homes after the collapse of their local industry. The government now has a plan to save at least some of Russia's dying towns.

Lele Tao is an internet superstar in China's $3 billion dollar 'live streaming' industry.With more than a million fans she can earn thousands of dollars a day singing, dancing, flirting, or often just chattinginto her webcam. Fans buy her virtual gifts which she redeems for cash. In return she works hard to keep them entertained, always conscious someone younger and prettier could be waiting to take her place.

The war in eastern Ukraine between Russian backed rebels and the Ukrainian army has killed more than 10,000 people over four years, and peace remains a distant prospect. Despite the violence and poverty though,civilians in the war zone try to live as normal a life as possible. In the frontline town of Marinka, a new bakery has opened which brings some comfort and sustenance to war weary locals. From Marinka, Lucy Ash reports.

In Venezuela daily protests against President Maduro's government have resulted in scores of deaths. Inflation, malnutrition and even starvation are on the rise. The BBC has spoken to activists who say thegovernment is using torture, and imprisonment without trial, against those who oppose it, a claim the government denies. This weekend massive protests are expected against a vote to elect an assembly to change the constitution, which opposition parties say could create a dictatorship. So who are the people hoping to overthrow President Maduro? For Our World, Vladimir Hernandez reports from Caracas.

In the Syrian city of Raqqa, the group that calls itself 'Islamic State' is under siege. Its fighters are surrounded by a Kurdish led, US-backed coalition. It may be months before the city falls, but when itdoes it will mean - effectively - the end of the so called 'caliphate'. But what then? Gabriel Gatehouse reports.

In the Netherlands, and across Europe, thousands of Iranian refugees are converting to Christianity. For many, conversion offers a new start in Europe, and for Dutch churches it's a much needed boost todwindling congregations. But some say the refugees are only becoming Christians so they won't be sent back to Iran, where converting to Christianity can carry a heavy penalty. So are these converts 'born again Christians' or simply praying for asylum?

Yalda Hakim reports from Sicily, which is on the frontline of Italy's escalating migrant crisis. More than 85 thousand people are believed to have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy already thisyear; over two thousand are thought to have died in the attempt. Ships operated by charities are rescuing thousands but, as the numbers crossing grow, they face accusations that they're encouraging the migrant trade. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant groups are targeting Sicily, seeing an opportunity to build popular support.

A brilliant student, Mashal Khan, was brutally murdered by a mob on a university campus in Pakistan earlier this year after he was accused of blasphemy. The killing has caused widespread outrage in Pakistan andhas even led to calls to change the country's strict blasphemy laws. Who was Mashal Khan and why was he murdered? Secunder Kermani investigates. Contains some upsetting scenes which viewers may find disturbing.

Six months ago one of the most significant battles of the Syrian Civil War ended when the city of Aleppo finally fell to Syrian Government forces. In this remarkable film four citizen journalists, who are also activists opposed to President Assad, document their last days in East Aleppo. Under siege, trapped with two hundred thousand others, with limited food, water and medicine, they filmed with small cameras and mobile phones as the battle for the city raged. This programme contains content that some viewers may find disturbing.

Hawaii's beaches have long been a draw for tourists, but many glittering hotel facades now sit alongside squalid camps because the state has the highest rate of homelessness in the US. Our World travels to Honolulu where camps have sprung up across the city, including in the prime tourist district of Waikiki beach. As numbers continue to rise the city is struggling to cope, and many local residents view the homeless as a menace.

Syria's National Football team has a real chance of qualifying for the World Cup. It's an astonishing achievement for a country entering its seventh year of a bloody civil war. The team can't play at home and many of its star players have left Syria. Other stars refuse to play because the team is funded by the Assad regime. Richard Conway has spent time with members of the squad in Damascus, and the whole team in Malaysia where they won a qualifying match against Uzbekistan. He discovers that, for some Syrians, the country's football team is a focus for national pride which appears to transcend the nation's deep and bloody divisions.

For six years the Kenyan army has been fighting Islamist militants in Somalia known as Al Shabaab. As part of an exclusive investigation, the BBC has discovered that Kenyan women are being abducted and trafficked as sex slaves to Al Shabaab camps. Anne Soy meets women who've managed to escape from the camps, and an Al Shabaab insider who reveals, for the first time, how vulnerable women are captured and imprisoned.

Children in America are undergoing electric shock treatment in growing numbers. Now known as Electro Convulsive Therapy - or ECT- the controversial treatment is being used on severely autistic children who self-harm. The BBC has been given access to film a child being treated using ECT. Our World's Chris Rogers, meets parents who say the treatment is helping their children, and the critics who say it is barbaric. Viewers may find some of the content in this film upsetting.

Our World has been to Kazakhstan to meet an extraordinary survivor, a celebrated artist and anti-nuclear campaigner.

India is that rare thing in animal conservation: a success story. Nowhere exemplifies that success more than Kaziranga National Park. But for many, the gains have come at a cost.

Entire families of adult chimpanzees are being slaughtered by poachers in Africa in order to capture newborn chimps to sell as pets in the Middle East and Asia. During a year-long undercover investigation, BBC journalists posing as prospective buyers infiltrate a global baby chimpanzee trafficking ring and discover how criminals are flouting international law to trade in this endangered species.

In 2008 Barack Obama called slavery 'America's original sin'. But how much of a difference did his eight-year presidency make to the lives of African-Americans? And what does Donald Trump's election say about attitudes to race in the United States today? Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Louisiana.