Syria's first year without Assad

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Syria, the USA, China and Ukraine.

This week Syrians took to the streets to celebrate a year since the fall of the Assad regime, but post-war reconstruction has been slow, the economy's still sluggish and sectarian violence is on the rise. Lina Sinjab has been travelling the country, and reflects on the challenges ahead.

Just a few years ago, the city of El Paso in Texas declared a state of emergency as local shelters struggled to cope with the influx of migrants crossing the border from Mexico. Today, the picture is very different with the flow of migrants now a slowed trickle. Bernd Debusmann looks at the impact of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

China's mighty Yangtze river is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, but the wildlife living in the river is struggling for survival. Many of the larger animals which once swam its waters - from the Yangtze dolphin to the paddlefish - are already extinct. Stephen McDonnell met a team of scientists trying to save the endangered finless porpoise.

Despite the constant threat of Russian drones and missiles, Ukrainians are finding ways to carry on with their lives and celebrate their country's culture. Marcel Theroux recently visited Chernivtsi in western Ukraine to attend the opening night of an unexpected musical gem: a long-lost opera composed 250 years ago, with a striking theme of resistance to tyranny.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison