Kate Adie introduces stories from Dubai, The Dominican Republic, Denmark, Spain and Australia.

Dubai is often described as one of the safest cities in the world - but safe for who? In the shadows of shining skyscrapers and shopping malls is an exploitative sex trade. Runako Celina has been investigating the suspicious deaths of two women who travelled to Dubai with big dreams.

The Dominican Republic is a popular tourist destination - though not all new arrivals are welcome. The government is currently undertaking a sweeping campaign to deport illegal immigrants - in particular, those who have arrived from neighbouring Haiti. John Murphy met Haitians hiding out in the hills, to evade authorities.

Denmark is among several European countries to have reported mysterious drone incursions in recent weeks. This comes at a time when the country is already on edge over its national security, having recently decided to extend its mandatory military service to include young women. Anna Holligan met some of the new recruits.

In the Basque country, harvest festival season is underway - including some of the most enduring Pagan celebrations in Europe. These champion the land, the people deeply rooted to it, and a rich sense of local pride. Simon Busch has been joining in the festivities.

And finally, while rare, Australia sees the highest rate of shark attacks in the world, but it doesn’t stop millions of people enjoying the beaches and the ocean. So, what can Australians’ love of the outdoors, no matter the dangers, teach the rest of us? Katy Watson reports from her local life-saving club in Sydney.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie presents stories from the occupied West Bank, the US, Brazil, South Korea and Russia.

When the UK government recognised a Palestinian state, he said he was acting “to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution.” But Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move won’t “bind Israel in any way.” Our Middle East Correspondent, Yolande Knell has been to Bethlehem to hear about Palestinians doubts and demands.

At the UN General Assembly this week, Donald Trump took to the stage and gave a scathing speech. He claimed UN predictions on climate change were wrong and criticised its assistance of asylum seekers. Mr Trump has never been shy in attacking political opponents – but it's a trend that seems to have stepped up a gear since he returned to the White House, says Anthony Zurcher in Washington.

Our correspondent, Ione Wells, recently met the Brazilian President, Lula Da Silva as he contemplates a re-election run next year. His arch-rival, Jair Bolsonaro faces a hefty prison sentence after his conviction for plotting a military coup. But, she finds, he remains a potent force.

City authorities in South Korea's capital, Seoul, have launched a five-year initiative aimed at tackling a growing loneliness epidemic. They've set up a cluster of new community centres, designed in the style of the city’s ubiquitous convenience stores to make it easier to interact. Jake Kwon paid one a visit.

Russia was banned from participating in the Eurovision song contest after its invasion of Ukraine. So, President Putin decided to revive the Soviet-era song-fest Intervision. Steve Rosenberg was in Moscow for the final.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories from across Europe, Nepal, Ghana, and Moldova-Transnistria.

As countries across Europe harden their stance on immigration, Fergal Keane retraces the journeys refugees have taken over the years, including stories he has heard from Ireland, Syria, Turkey and Sweden.

Nepal’s government was dramatically overthrown in the deadliest unrest seen in the Himalayan country in decades, triggered by a social media ban and anger at corruption and high unemployment. Charlotte Scarr was in Kathmandu as the protests continued.

Ghana is the world’s largest importer of used clothing, with millions of garments arriving every week, donated from countries like the UK and US – but it’s often the quality, not the quantity which is proving a problem. Hannah Gelbart has been to Accra to see the impact of fast fashion.

And finally, in east Moldova is the self-declared separatist state of Transnistria. Home to around 350,000 people, the region broke away from Moldova in 1990 – though neither Moldova or the international community recognises its independence. Despite the schism, Transnistrians still have a say in what goes on in Moldova - and will be voting in next weekend’s election. Peter Yeung recently paid a visit.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories from Gaza, France, the Thailand-Cambodia border, Iraq and Slovenia.

Around a million Palestinians have been told to leave Gaza City ahead of a new Israeli offensive - though many are wary of leaving, saying there is nowhere to go. Lucy Williamson was granted rare access to Gaza by the Israeli army, and was taken to see its planned new aid distribution site.

Days after French PM, François Bayrou, was ousted from office after losing a confidence vote, street protests took place across France as people voiced anger over proposals to remove two national holidays and impose a pensions freeze. Andrew Harding watched events unfold in Paris.

Thailand also has a new prime minister – its third in just over a year - following a political crisis that ignited a short, sudden conflict with Cambodia. Our Southeast Asia Correspondent Jonathan Head has been looking into this catastrophic breakdown of relations.

Ten years ago, 71 migrants from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan died in the back of a refrigerator truck abandoned on a motorway lay-by near the Austrian border with Hungary. Nick Thorpe travelled to northern Iraq to meet relatives of some of those who died - and interviewed the smugglers convicted for their role in their deaths.

Slovenia has produced some of the best male cyclists in the world today - including Tadej Pogacar. Every year, the four-time Tour de France champ hosts a cycling festival in his home town of Komenda - and Guy De Launey went along for the ride.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories from China, Afghanistan, Spain, Armenia and Finland.

In Beijing this week, President Xi Jinping declared his country to be ‘unstoppable’. Flanked by President Putin and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un at a vast military parade, China put on a striking display of its growing military power. BBC China correspondent Laura Bicker was watching on in Beijing.

Afghanistan was struck by an earthquake last Sunday, destroying homes and triggering landslides, killing around 1400 people. Yogita Limaye has been in Jalalabad where she saw the rescue effort first hand, amid the strict social rules imposed by the Taliban.

Spain has been experiencing some of its worst wildfires in recent years and among the affected areas is Galicia - a region usually known for high rainfall and lush vegetation. It’s also where you can find Europe’s largest herd of wild horses - which are credited with helping to limit the spread of the fires. John Murphy went to find out more.

Last month, leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan finalised a peace agreement aimed at ending a decades-old conflict between the two countries. Julia Paul travelled to Armenia to visit an innovative scheme using digital technology to preserve the country’s Christian heritage, lost or damaged during the war years.

And Finland is celebrating 80 years of the Moomins! The family of gentle trolls and their friends have garnered fans around the world since the first book was published by author Tove Jansson in 1945. Heidi Fuller Love has been exploring how the characters have come to embody Finnish values.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie presents stories from Ukraine, Greenland, the US and Germany.

Ukraine has this week come under its heaviest bombardment in weeks, with the UK and the EU summoning their Russian envoys after their offices in Kyiv were hit. Quentin Sommerville has been in Donetsk, the area Vladimir Putin wants to fully control in the resource rich region of the Donbas, as residents flee attacks and soldiers tell of the intensification of the battle there.

Greenland’s status has been thrust into the spotlight after the US president has repeatedly said he wanted to annexe the semi-autonomous nation for its strategic position and mineral wealth. And despite having broad self-government since 1979, Greenland’s foreign and defence policy is made in Copenhagen. On an island of just over 55,000 people, where fishing is the primary source of income, independence for Greenland would mean either increasing tourism or allowing the mining of minerals like rare earth metals. Bob Howard has been to the capital Nuuk.

In the US, a record number of people are being held in immigrant detention, following President Trump’s crackdown. One controversial site has become the subject of several lawsuits attempting to shut it down: Alligator Alcatraz in Florida. Josephine Casserly reports from the centre, which sits on an abandoned airstrip amid the marshes, forests, mangroves and estuaries and wildlife of the Everglades.

James Naughtie has been in the German city of Weimar, at a cultural festival in the state of Thuringia in Eastern Germany – which reflects on the historical legacy of the Weimar Republic. Among the performances and installations, he found echoes of the past in the present.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie presents stories from Alaska, Washington, South Korea, Chile and France.

From the military fly-past to the grandiose entrance on the red carpet, to the press conference, without any questions, the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin drew dismay from Western governments. Steve Rosenberg was in Alaska - and reflects on the aftermath.

After the pomp and pageantry of Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin, six European leaders rushed to Washington DC this week to meet with the US President in a show of solidarity with Volodymyr Zelensky. Tom Bateman followed the twists and turns and reflects on what was actually achieved at the White House.

Vladimir Putin has come to rely on support from North Korea to bolster his troops in Ukraine. Pyongyang is now sending thousands of construction workers, to help fill a huge labour shortage created by the war. Jean Mackenzie has spoken to six workers who’ve managed to escape.

In the hills of southern Chile and is an alluring tourist destination - a German-style village - but it was once home to a religious sect run by a manipulative and abusive leader. The Chilean government wants to expropriate some of its land to create a memorial for the people who were tortured and killed there during Pinochet’s regime. But Grace Livingstone finds, it's proving divisive.

In the Loire valley the summer months bring both extended bank holiday weekends in France and the return in the last few decades of the 'Guinguettes', waterside outdoor bars and dance halls which were once popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Jamie Smith-Maillet went to soak up the atmosphere

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie presents stories from Afghanistan, China, Japan and Tajikistan.

In Afghanistan's Ghor Province, Mahjooba Nowrouzi reports from a small maternity hospital where two female doctors serve thousands of patients. With limited resources and financial support, the odds are stacked against them - and against the women they tend to and treat.

Last year, BBC Radio 4’s Crossing Continents aired the award-winning documentary ‘Our Whole Life is a Secret’, which charted the daily life of a young Afghan woman. In this dispatch, she provides an update on her life today, four years after the Taliban returned to power.

In Beijing, pro-democracy campaigners regularly face surveillance and restrictions on their movement. Among them is human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was arrested in 2015 and imprisoned for 'subverting state power'. Danny Vincent heard about his life since his release.

It's 80 years since Japan’s Emperor Hirohito surrendered to allied forces in World War II after the US dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing an end to the six-year-long conflict. Ellie House encountered a group of schoolchildren in Hiroshima's peace park - and learned more about how the war is remembered there.

In the Tajikistan the endangered striped hyena is fighting for survival. Tajik conservationists have been working hard to save this elusive and much misunderstood animal. Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent met them on a trek into the mountains.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Japan, Bahrain and Croatia.

Nestled in the forest, far away from falling bombs is a pioneering summer camp for Ukrainian children whose parents have gone missing during the war. A Ukrainian charity is working to give them some relief – and much needed support – to help them cope with the ongoing uncertainty of not knowing where their parents are. Will Vernon visited the camp where art, exercise and self-expression are all vital to the healing process.

It’s 80 years since the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II. Some 200,000 people were killed - but the bombing had other long-lasting effects. Jordan Dunbar travelled to Hiroshima to speak to survivors who shared their stories of discrimination and social stigma.

Bahrain has just one synagogue - The House of the Ten Commandments. The building was destroyed back in 1947 in a wave of communal violence, but after several decades, it was eventually restored and re-opened its doors again a few years ago. Today the synagogue serves people of all faiths, finds Iram Ramzan.

The tiny Croatian island of Krapanj has long been renowned for its tradition of sponge diving, shaping the island’s identity for hundreds of years. Today, this trade is under threat from climate change and over-fishing. Mary Novakovich met one of the island’s remaining divers, determined to keep the culture alive.

Series producer: Farhana Haider

Kate Adie presents stories from Gaza and Israel, the US, Lesotho, Taiwan and Peru.

This week the British government pledged to recognise a Palestinian state, unless Israel meets certain conditions, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision rewarded 'Hamas's monstrous terrorism.' Jeremy Bowen reflects on this latest chapter in Britain’s long-standing influence in the region.

At the UN, Saudi Arabia and France co-hosted a summit to rekindle plans for a two-state solution as a means to find peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Dozens of countries were in attendance - others were notable for their absence. Tom Bateman reports from New York.

Donald Trump once claimed Lesotho was a country ‘nobody has heard of’ – but it has been feeling the pinch of his trade policy. While the White House rowed back on its threat of imposing 50 per cent tariffs, the uncertainty has already led to many job losses, finds Shingai Nyoka.

Taiwan's president William Lai suffered a major setback last weekend, in a recall vote that had been aimed at removing twenty-four opposition lawmakers - yet failed to unseat any of them. James Crabtree reflects on how Taiwan’s characteristically flamboyant campaigning style was markedly absent in this latest vote.

And finally, many of our staple foods are at risk because of increasingly frequent extreme weather - including the humble potato. But some farmers are tracing the crop’s ancient roots in search of solutions to help mitigate the risks, as Beth Timmins has been finding out in the Peruvian Andes.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling