Our World

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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?

In August 2023, the most deadly fire in modern US history struck Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. At least 99 people lost their lives. Using the testimony of those who survived the fire and previously unreleased police footage and communications between the authorities, James Clayton investigates why it was so hard to escape the city and how police roadblocks contributed to a chaotic evacuation.

The Mekong River is arguably one of the most important in the world. It sustains more than sixty million lives as it travels through China and Southeast Asia. But an onslaught of dam building, intensifying climate change, and sand dredging have had a catastrophic effect. Laura Bicker is in Cambodia to ask if the mighty Mekong can be saved and meets a new generation trying to breathe life into the dying river.

Thousands of Ukrainian men have joined the call to fight for their country since Russia's invasion in February last year. But what of those who decided military service was not for them?

Our World investigates how many Ukrainians have dodged the call-up, why they don't want to stay and fight, and hears from the border guards who come face to face with these so-called draft dodgers on a daily basis.

Our World travels to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh where community leaders and activists are living in fear of death. Hundreds have been murdered as rival gangs fight for control of the camps, and the violence is ongoing with new killings almost every week. The UN's refugee agency - UNHCR - receives tens-of-millions of dollars to run a protection programme for Rohingya. But as Our World finds out, those most likely to be targeted by the gangs say they've been abandoned by the agency.