We hear from a troll from the Philippines - the "patient zero" of fake news. Experts say the problem is as bad as ever, as a new election looms.

When Kakwenza Rukirabashaija mocked the Ugandan president’s son on Twitter, he knew he was playing with fire. Within 24 hours, the satirist had been arrested, and says he was tortured before fleeing the country. Throughout the ordeal, he has not stopped tweeting. He wants the world to know what is happening in Uganda before he returns to face trial, risking his life in the process.

Kakwenza’s story is not unique, A report from Human Rights Watch says hundreds of people - opponents of President Yoweri Museveni - have been illegally detained and tortured in recent years.

We meet members of the Ugandan diaspora protesting the government’s actions online. They say their accounts have been hacked and hijacked by government-sponsored cybercriminals. And that even overseas, they may not be completely safe.

Reporter: Sam Judah

(Photo: Kakwenza Rukirabashaija in court in Kampala in February, facing charges of offensive communication involving insulting the country's ruling family. Credit: Getty Images)

A number of Ghanaian journalists and influencers have been arrested in recent years – with several recent high-profile cases. Critics say freedom of speech is under serious threat.

It wasn’t always this way. In 2018, Ghana was ranked the top country in Africa for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders.

So what’s behind the crackdown, and is freedom of speech under attack?

Presenter: Jonathan Griffin

Myanmar has been engulfed by a civil war which is getting deadlier and more violent as time goes on. Last year the Tatmadaw – the Burmese armed forces – overthrew the civilian-led government, led by Aung Sun Suu Kyi. Now they’re acting with impunity, allegedly committing heinous crimes against those who oppose them.

Presenter: Reha Kansara

Photo: Burmese soldiers line up with guns hoisted

When war broke out in Ukraine, President Zelensky’s plea for financial aid triggered a wave of donations from ordinary people around the world.

Reporter: Hannah Gelbart

In the eyes of the Kremlin, global warming is a threat that needs to be dealt with. So, President Putin is taking action: he wants Russia to go carbon neutral by 2060.

And yet, Russia remains one of the world’s top producers of fossil fuels: oil and gas that bring in big money into the state’s coffers. And that poses a question: does Moscow mean business when it comes to climate action?

If you look at the media, at what’s said in political circles, climate scepticism is still alive and kicking. Global warming is often portrayed as part of sinister Western cabal to hinder Russia’s economic progress.

Trending and BBC Russian have been investigating where those views stem from, and how damaging they could be - not only for Russia, but for the entire planet.

Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, says it’s pivoting to green energy. It has a host of big projects and initiatives. But will reality live up to the country’s rhetoric? And why do some activists say they’ve become victims of the government’s grand plans?

We’ve been looking at online chatter and PR campaigns pushing the country’s green credentials. At the same time, experts say Saudi officials are trying to secure the future of the country’s huge fossil fuel energy industry.

And we hear from an activist who’s fighting on behalf of people displaced by NEOM, a brand new futuristic eco-city in the middle of the desert.

Trending and BBC Arabic have been investigating the truth behind Saudi Arabia’s green plans, and we ask whether the government is really serious about reducing its reliance on fossil fuels.

Presenter: Merlyn Thomas

Setting the record straight on some of the most common misleading narratives and tactics to explore what future climate change battlegrounds might look like. We look at how fossil fuel interest groups use division as a distraction: either stoking fear that action to tackle climate change will hurt the poor, or attacking the messengers who raise the alarm. And we take you back to the start of 2021, when blackouts in Texas which killed hundreds were misleadingly blamed on wind turbines. The idea that renewables, like solar or wind power, are dangerously unreliable has been a common theme. What’s the truth behind the claim? And how does bad information surface after extreme weather events and times of climate crisis?

At the grand old age of 20, Wikipedia remains one of the world’s most popular websites. The fact that anyone with internet access can edit its pages is a key part of its success. But the website’s openness to the public is also the reason why it has become an unlikely battleground on global warming.

Covid conspiracists are now shifting focus to climate change. An online movement infected with extreme pandemic conspiracies is looking for new territory as debates over lockdowns and vaccines subside in many richer countries.

We hear from Matthew in New Zealand. His family is really worried about the future of the planet, but he’s involved in groups where people believe that climate change is a “hoax” designed to limit our personal freedoms. They’ve swapped in “climate science” for “Covid” in their viral online conspiracy theories. Matthew found himself drawn into this conspiratorial belief system through a global anti-lockdown movement called The White Rose. The White Rose has local channels around the world, and researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think tank say the local group dedicated to New Zealand is where climate change conspiracies have taken off the most. Researchers point out that a ready-made network of people who have fallen for misleading claims about global Covid-19 plots has created a receptive audience for lies about climate change.

And in Germany, we hear about how members of the Covid-denying Querdenken group travelled to a region devastated by floods, intimidating helpers and spreading confusion about what had taken place. Locals were mystified and insulted, but it was another sign that climate change has become the new front line in the fight against online misinformation.

Presenter: Marianna Spring