Our World

As Darcey Bussell takes her final curtain call, she reflects on nearly 20 years as principal dancer of the Royal Ballet in London. Bussell talks to Louise Minchin and explains why she is retiring at the peak of her powers

The destruction of the twin towers was a site that became the definition of terror. It was an onslaught that killed nearly three thousand people - but a decade later, the attack isn't over. The dust that overwhelmed the streets of Lower Manhattan became a weapon. The clouds contained particles of pulverized concrete, asbestos, lead from fifty thousand computers, mercury from countless light bulbs -- a million tons of poisonous fallout. Now nearly 20,000 people are receiving treatment for a range of illnesses, many of them serious. And more than 60,000 are registered as at risk. The BBC Our World team first broke the story globally in 2006. They return 5 years later to investigate a worsening tragedy and followup with those who shared their stories.

As a wave of protests and self-immolations continues against the rule of China on the Tibetan plateau, Sue Lloyd-Roberts asks the Dalai Lama if the dream of increased independence for Tibet is dead.

In Saudi Arabia's oil-rich Eastern Province, protesters inspired by the Arab Spring have been venting their anger against the government for the last three years. Saudi journalist Safa Alahmad got unprecedented access to the area.

The northern French port of Calais is facing an international refugee crisis. Darius Bazargan has been to Calais to meet the migrants, and the locals, caught up in a growing humanitarian crisis.

It's the first planned Palestinian city, a billion dollar project to build homes for 25,000 people. Though the main building work is largely finished the project, like the peace process, has ground to a halt over disagreements between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Louisiana. How much of a difference did Barack Obama's presidency make to the lives of African-Americans?

Lucy Ash reports from Marinka in eastern Ukraine, where a new bakery brings some comfort and sustenance to war-weary locals.

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.

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.

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 traveled to the Cauca Valley to find that farmers are now being caught between new criminal gangs with devastating consequences.

In October 2019, a rising star of Syrian democratic politics, 34-year-old Hevrin Khalaf, was brutally murdered in the Kurdish-governed north east of the country.

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. 3 years on, they have disappeared. So what happened to them, and why are rare coins so hard to trace?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 face 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?

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.

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. Over the course of the two year trial, the programme follows the families as they try to get justice for their children, lost in a social media storm.

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 all are inspired by the idea that they are making a difference. With exclusive access to months of extraordinary footage filmed on the frontline, Emma Vardy meets the soldiers who are drawn to this conflict and the family members of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Following the work of the MHA Nation's recovery clinic and their own drug enforcement team as they try to turn a rising tide of addiction.

Powerful earthquakes that struck in February 2023 left south-eastern Turkey facing a devastating aftermath. A year on, hundreds of thousands have left the region, and much of it still lies in ruins. Many local people have been left homeless, schools are destroyed, and crucial agricultural work is at risk. But the women who stayed are determined that their cities are rebuilt. As they confront this challenging task, their fears rise even further when construction plans pose a threat to their livelihoods. Our World follows the stories of women over the course of a year, as their roles as mothers and activists evolve in their fight to protect their home for the generations to come.

When a family gets caught up in Europe's greatest refugee crisis since World War Two the strains are unimaginable. Where should they run to? Who will give safety and shelter?

Journalists in Pakistan say they are under attack, with 140 targeted in just 12 months. They describe physical assaults, detentions, and even killing, often after criticising Pakistan's powerful military. Mobeen Azhar investigates their allegations of a campaign of fear and violence.