In June 2025, a Europe-wide law enforcement operation shut down Archetyp Market, the longest-running illegal drug marketplace on the dark web. 300 officers were involved and assets worth €7.8 million were seized. It’s estimated that Archetyp had over 600,000 users worldwide, with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million, mainly offering illegal drugs for sale, like cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines and synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

BBC Cyber correspondent Joe Tidy explains how the dark web and these marketplaces work as well as what we know about how the police were able to track down Archetyp’s vendors and moderators.

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Sinkholes are holes that suddenly appear in the ground. They can be any size but some are enormous. Some have swallowed cars, parts of buildings and even people. There are terrifying videos online of football pitches being sucked into the ground, or the resulting huge circular chasms in the middle of cities. They are found all over the world but some parts of the world are more prone to them than others.

In this episode BBC climate and science reporter Esme Stallard answers our questions about what causes them - and whether you can predict if one is going to happen.

In China, the sink holes there are actually different from the rest of the world. Devra Willingham, from the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in the US, tells us why and what it’s like to go into one.

And we examine if climate change is making sinkholes more common.

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Outer space is starting to get crowded. Private companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are launching rockets regularly, thousands of satellites now orbit Earth, and celebrities like Katy Perry are signing up for space tourism.

There’s talk of more missions to the Moon, and Elon Musk is even hoping for human landings on Mars, within the next decade. But while space tech is racing ahead, the laws that govern it are lagging behind. In fact, there’s only one major international law, the Outer Space Treaty - but that was made ages ago in 1967.

In this episode we hear from three people studying space law; Andre Kwok, a recent graduate at the Australian National University, and Judith Jahnke from Sweden and Martina Elia Vitoloni from Argentina, both at McGill University in Canada. And BBC journalist Freya Scott-Turner explains what laws we already have and why it’s been difficult to agree on more.

Archive material provided by British Pathé.

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What if countries could sue each other for wrecking the climate? Well, that’s now a real possibility after a decision by the UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (the ICJ). The court made the decision after a group of young law students from low-lying Pacific islands on the frontlines of climate change started a campaign in 2019. But critics say it will be hard to untangle who caused what when it comes to climate change — and that they’re already making good progress when it comes to reducing harm to the environment.

BBC Climate and Science Correspondent Georgina Rannard talks us through what this decision means and how it could impact future climate cases. And we hear from two of the young campaigners who helped bring this case to the ICJ, who tell us what this decision means to them and their communities.

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Period tracking apps help you track your menstrual cycle, so you know when to expect your period. They’re growing in popularity worldwide, with the three most popular ones racking up over 250 million downloads between them. But studies show that some women might also be using them to avoid getting pregnant.

One of the apps, Natural Cycles, has been approved in the US to be used as a contraceptive. The company claims it is 93% effective at preventing pregnancies, when used perfectly. So why are more people turning to these apps? Are they safe to use as a contraceptive and what are the risks?

Sexologist Rayka Kumru from Turkey explains why these period tracking apps are becoming so popular and the privacy concerns around using them. Dr Francesco Rampazzo, a lecturer in Demography at the University of Oxford, tells us more about where period tracking apps are getting the most downloads.

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Violence has flared up again in Syria, this time in the southern province of Suweida. Fighting has broken out between the government forces and two minority groups: the Druze and the Bedouins. It’s not the first time that the stability of the country has been shaken since the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad last December. But it signals the challenges the new government faces - not just from internal violence, but from its neighbours. Israel launched air strikes on Suweida and the Syrian capital, Damascus, and says it will only hold a US-backed ceasefire if the Druze are protected. So, what’s behind this conflict - and what does it mean for the future of Syria?

We speak to BBC Monitoring journalist Tess Mallinder Heron, to explain who the different groups involved in the fighting are and what’s behind the dispute. And we hear from our BBC Middle East Correspondent in Damascus, Lina Sinjab, who tells us what life has been like for people in Syria since the fall of Assad’s regime - and how the new government is trying to maintain control in Syria.

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Dozens of coastal cities — from Jakarta to Manila — are sinking at a worrying speed. Climate change, too much water being pumped out of the ground for drinking and the type of land cities are built on all contribute to the problem. But people around the world are coming up with innovative ways to tackle this.

Aghnia Adzkia, a BBC journalist based in Jakarta, shares why Indonesia’s capital is particularly vulnerable, and how people there are trying to protect themselves. BBC climate correspondent Georgina Rannard explains the link between climate change and rising sea levels. And we hear from people helping their local communities to adapt, such as architect Kunlé Adeyemi, who designed a floating school in Lagos.

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Wafcon — or the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations — is heating up. Ahead of the final this Saturday in Morocco, only four teams out of twelve remain: Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Ghana. The tournament first took place in 1991 and since then, it’s taken off, with the Confederation of African Football reporting that more that more people are tuning in to watch every twist and turn of the competition. It’s given football stars from across the continent a chance to show off their skills on the world stage - and put the spotlight firmly on the women’s game.

So which team will get to hold up the cup this year? And how is the tournament changing attitudes to women’s football across Africa?

BBC Africa sports reporter Celestine Karoney explains how the tournament has changed over the years and what challenges female players still face. And the BBC’s Sara Menai updates us on the latest from the tournament as the last four teams battle it out for the cup.

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If someone talks about Cuba does it make you think of cigars and classic cars? Or maybe you think of limited freedom of speech and Che Guevara?

We’re talking about Cuba because its minister for Labour, Elena Feitó Cabrera, was forced to resign after she said there was no such thing as ‘beggars’ on the island. What’s the situation with homelessness?

We’re running through some of the top claims we’ve seen about Cuba online with Will Grant, our Cuba Correspondent, and break down how much truth there is behind them.

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Do you find yourself tossing and turning for hours whilst struggling to fall asleep? Or are you out like a light the minute your head touches the pillow? Genetics and environment can play a big part in how easy (or not) you find sleeping.

BBC science journalist Caroline Steel tells us more about what happens to our brains when we sleep and what exactly happened when she visited a sleep lab for a BBC documentary. Medical doctor and sleep expert Dr Jonathan Tham gives us his top tips on getting a good night’s sleep.

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