It's becoming more and more dangerous to speak Belarusian in Belarus, with reports of people being sacked and even arrested for trying to conduct their work in Belarusian. The linguistic clampdown escalated after the 2020 pro-democracy protests against long-term leader Alexander Lukashenko, as BBC Russian journalist, and Belarusian, Tatsiana Yanutsevich reports. Sri Lanka's education crisis In Sri Lanka many parents are having to decide which children to send to school. It’s a consequence of the political and economic crisis and the dramatic rise in the cost of basics like food and transport. Delhi-based BBC Sinhala editor Ishara Danasekara returned to her home country to make this report. Impeachment, protests and deaths: what is happening in Peru? The impeachment and arrest of Peru's former president Pedro Castillo brought thousands onto the streets, demanding new elections and the removal of his successor, Dina Boluarte. Violent clashes with the security forces have left dozens dead and scores injured. BBC Mundo’s Guillermo Olmo explains the background, and why Peru is so deeply divided. South Korea and Ghana – the chocolate connection For chocolate lovers in South Korea, the most familiar brand is probably Ghana. “Ghana” is written prominently on the wrapper but how much do South Koreans know about the country it’s named after? We brought together Bugyeong Jung from BBC Korean and BBC Africa’s Thomas Naadi, who’s Ghanaian to find out. (Photo: 'Belarus is not Russia' placard and woman wrapped in old Belarus flag, at Kyiv rally in solidarity with Belarusian anti-government protest, September 2022. Credit: STR/ NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Why are students in Kenya burning their boarding schools? That was the question that inspired BBC Africa reporter Ashley Lime in the Nairobi bureau to investigate these sometimes deadly arson attacks which escalated after the covid pandemic. She spoke to students, relatives of teenagers who died in the fires and experts to better understand this decades old problem. Russian 'Old New Year' After the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the calendar and date of the official New Year changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. But some people still choose to celebrate the 'Old New Year' which falls on the 14th January. Julia James of BBC Russian tells us how those Russians celebrate. Brazil: flags and nationalism The design of the Brazilian flag is supposed to represent the unity of the country, but in recent years the flag has become more associated with supporters of the previous president, Jair Bolsonaro. BBC Brasil's Ricardo Senra explains the polarisation of Brazil's flag. Where are pandemic Bali farmers now? Tourism is Bali's main industry so when covid struck many people lost their jobs and returned to their home villages. In Tembok in northern Bali a local scheme sponsored many to go into farming, so what's happened to those 'covid farmers' now tourism's resumed? BBC Indonesian's Valdya Baraputri found out. Afghan women fight for education Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021 women's education has been dramatically curtailed. Secondary schools closed to women in March, and in December that ban was extended to university. Aalia Farzan is a journalist for BBC Dari who's been hearing about their experiences of protesting and imprisonment. (Photo: People attend the requiem mass for nine young girls who died in the Moi Girls School dormitory fire, in Nairobi on September 14, 2017. Credit: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images)

For decades, Ukraine's super-rich oligarchs wielded enormous economic and political power. But in 2021, a new law was introduced to curb their influence, and the war with Russia has cost them billions in lost assets and revenue. Vitaly Shevchenko of BBC Monitoring tells us about the dramatic change in their fortunes. The endangered pink iguanas of the Galapagos Scientists have for the first time discovered a number of baby pink iguanas in the Galapagos Islands. The species is critically endangered with only a few hundred left, and previously only adult pink iguanas had been found. BBC Mundo’s Alejandra Martins tells us more about this discovery. Nigeria's drive to go cashless The Central Bank of Nigeria is implementing a controversial “cashless” policy next week, setting limits on the amount of cash Nigerians can withdraw from banks and ATMs. BBC Africa business reporter Nkechi Ogbonna tells us about the reasons behind the move, and how people are reacting. The new first lady of Brazil Rosângela da Silva, nicknamed Janja, became Brazil’s first lady last Sunday when her husband Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as president. They married last May, just a few months before Lula’s election victory. BBC Brasil’s Leticia Mori has been finding out more about Janja, and the couple's unusual courtship. Indian fables and fairy tales Our colleagues at BBC Indian languages have been sharing their favourite fairy tales and fables, with Siddhanath Ganu of BBC Marathi, Sarika Singh of BBC Hindi, Venkat Prasad G of BBC Telugu, Saranya Nagarajan of BBC Tamil, Brijal Shah of BBC Gujarati and Khushboo Sandhu of BBC Punjabi. (Photo: Shakhtar Donetsk FC owner Rinat Akhmetov carried by the players. Credit: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)

In a year packed with big news stories, who are the interviewees whose stories have stayed with our language service colleagues? BBC Ukrainian's Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells the story of the teenager forced to flee his home in Borodianka, who now dreams of becoming a journalist. BBC Pashto's Shazia Haya shares the story of a mother of daughters now denied their secondary school education. Parham Ghobadi from BBC Persian led the coverage of the death in mysterious circumstances of 16-year-old Nika Shakarami during the Iranian protests. Olga Ivshina takes us on a trawl of the BBC Russian inbox where she discovered a plea for help, which she immediatley responded to. BBC Africa's Bella Sheegow explains why reporting on the assassination of female Somali politician Amina Mohamed Abdi had such an impact on her. BBC Indian languages' Nitin Srivastava tells us about a tea picker in Assam whose livelihood is dwindling because of climate change. And BBC Brasil's Nathalia Passarinho remembers her interviews at COP27 in Egypt, where Brazil announced a huge shift in environmental policy. (Photo: Damage of Russian bombing of Borodiansk. Credit: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Last week Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was sentenced to two years seven months in jail and banned from taking part in politics. It’s not clear if his sentence will be ratified by two higher courts, but his crime was to call Turkey’s election officials ‘fools’ after the rerun 2019 mayoral elections, though many believe it has more to do with next year's presidential elections. BBC Monitoring journalist Dilay Yalcin in Istanbul unpicks the story. Meeting Thailand's leading transgender business mogul Thai transgender businesswoman and transgender advocate Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip has made history as the first trans woman owner of the Miss Universe Organisation. BBC Thai’s Tossapol Chaisamritpol has interviewed her about her ambitions for the pageant, and her own life experiences. Reporting and running BBC Arabic reporter Murad Shishani is often on the road, covering stories from conflict in Gaza to presidential campaigns in Iowa. But wherever he is, he keeps his spirits and energy levels up by running. Murad shares some of those runs with us. Brazil and K-culture If you’re a fan of K-pop or K-dramas you’re not alone. Award-winning films like Parasite, bands like BTS, and Korean dramas like Squid Game are global successes, part of what’s been called Hallyu, or Korean Wave. It's a big wave in Brazil, and BBC Brasil’s Shin Suzuki decided to take a closer look at the appeal of K-culture. We paired him with BBC Korean’s Julie Yoonnyung Lee to fill in the South Korean side of the equation. BBC 100: Triumph against the odds Yetunde Olugbenga of BBC Yoruba starts a new series of stories shared by journalists from our language services who’ve faced big challenges in their lives and careers. They have told their stories in schools in order to encourage and inspire the next generation, as a way of marking the BBC centenary. Yetunde tells us how she overcame sexual harassment from a college lecturer. (Photo: People gather at Saraçhane in support of Ekrem İmamoğlu who has been sentenced to prison. Credit :Hakan Akgun /dia image via Getty Images)