Britain’s first car accident

Almost 4,000 people are killed on the world’s roads every day, according to the campaigning charity RoadPeace. So who was the UK’s first fatal car accident victim – exactly 114 years ago – and what happened?

• Read Andrew McFarlane’s story in the BBC Magazine to find out
• BBC Magazine
• Best of the BBC on The World

Soccer World Cup 2010

The eyes of soccer fans from around the world are on South Africa in June and July. The United States is one of 32 teams competing for the FIFA world championship in tournament hosted by an African nation for the first time. Find all of our World Cup coverage here.

• World Cup stories on The World

Audio slideshow: The Hubble is 20

The famous space telescope has been peering into some of the deepest recesses of the universe for two decades – and is now celebrating its 20th birthday. In this Best of the BBC, you can take a look at some of the fantastic sights it has seen in that time with Professor Alec Boksenberg from the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge – who was on the European team that helped build Hubble.

• Watch the BBC slideshow
• Hubble site

Audio slideshow: soccer kings of New York City

Martin Luther King Jr High School has a troubled history. In 2002 it made news when a student shot two fellow students, shortly afterward, MLK became one of the first in New York City to be closed due to low performance and high drop-out rates. The building now houses six smaller schools, and their boys’ soccer team, still playing under the MLK banner is a big success: it’s winning championships and the players have high graduation rates. The man behind the team’s success is Coach Jake, and he can rely on talent from all over the world.

• Watch the slideshow here
• Best of the BBC on The World

When the prime minister calls

London seniors Joyce and Ted Hawkes were quite surprised when Downing Street called in 1997 to ask whether Britain’s new prime minister Tony Blair and his wife could come by for a cup of tea. They relived the moment with the host of the BBC’s PM program, Eddie Mair.

• Listen to the interview on the PM page

Fallujah doctors report rise in birth defects

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• BBC online story with video

Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom

It has been 20 years since the South African authorities agreed to free Nelson Mandela – the man who would lead the struggle to end the country’s policy of racial segregation, and create a multi-racial democracy. In this audio slideshow, using the BBC archives, you can see how he left behind his cell of 27 years, to become South Africa’s first black president.

• BBC Audio slideshow: Long walk to freedom
• Archive video: Nelson Mandela freed after 27 years in prison

Nuclear Standoff with Iran

President Barack Obama has said the US and its allies are developing a “significant regime of sanctions” against Iran for its nuclear program. He said the international community was unified over Iran’s “misbehavior”. Speaking in Washington, he said despite Tehran’s denials, it was clear Iran was working to build nuclear weapons. His remarks came after Iranian state media reported that Iran had started the process of enriching uranium to 20% for use in a medical research reactor.

Taliban insurgency

Afghan forces will begin taking control of security in some of the country’s provinces by the end of 2010, a key summit on its future has pledged. In a statement at the end of the one-day meeting in London, delegates said the process would be complete within five years. In December, President Obama announced he was sending an additional 30,000 troops to help battle the Taliban insurgency.

Mexican Mennonites

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• Illustrated transcript
• Lorne Matalon’s pictures of Chihuahuan Mennonites
• Lorne Matalon’s Mexico stories

Lorne Matalon’s Mexico Stories

Lorne Matalon has been reporting from Mexico for The World since November 2007. He has covered the Mexican ‘war on drugs’ from the frontlines, going on patrol with the Mexican armed forces. Lorne also covered immigration and economic stories from south of the border. He has also reported from Venezuela for The World.

North Korea’s strategic arsenal

North Korea says it will continue to co-operate with the United States on ending its nuclear program and agrees that stalled talks need to resume. The country’s foreign ministry said Pyongyang would work with Washington to “narrow remaining differences”. In June, the UN Security Council voted to impose tougher sanctions on communist North Korea, following a nuclear test carried by the North Koreans in defiance of previous UN resolutions.

India’s Muslim community

One year ago, 10 militants arrived from Pakistan in Mumbai, India. They fanned out across the city to attack hotels and other targets. It took almost three days for the Indian authorities to end the violence. The Muslim community was terrified of a backlash, fortunately it never came. Miranda Kennedy reports on the lives of India’s Muslims in a three part series.

Gaza conflict

The UN Human Rights Council has backed a report into the Israeli offensive in Gaza that accuses both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes. The report by Richard Goldstone calls for credible investigations by Israel and Hamas, and suggests international war crimes prosecutions if they do not. The United States and Israel opposed official endorsement of the report, saying it would set back Middle East peace hopes.

Created in China: part III

Innovation comes not just from infrastructure and investment – it comes from a culture that encourages originality and creativity, rewards risk-taking and tolerates failure. In the People’s Republic of China, that is still a work in progress. Today, we continue our series “Created in China” with a look at the roots of innovation, at how Chinese children are or are not encouraged to be creative, and how that’s evolving as the government makes innovation more of a priority. The World’s Mary Kay Magistad reports from Beijing.