Why Kenyan pupils are burning schools

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)