September 12, 2022

The forgotten protesters of Belarus

39 minutes

Two years ago, Belarusians took to the streets in mass protests after elections in which President Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory. His main opponent was driven into exile, and thousands of protesters were jailed. Some, who have now been released, have told BBC Russian's Tatsiana Yanutsevich about their shock at discovering that Belarusians are no longer hailed as heroes, but seen by many as citizens of an aggressor country.

The lake that came from nowhere

Lake Rgotsko in eastern Serbia has famously clear water and is popular with holidaymakers. What’s unusual about it is that it just appeared, back in the 1970s, when a sand mine suddenly filled with water. Among recent visitors was Sandra Maksimović from BBC Serbian.

Vietnam's banned TikTok reviewers

High profile TikTok food reviewers have been banned from some restaurants. It came about after one reviewer posted harsh criticism of a crab stall vendor, leading to some restaurants refusing entry to other famous TikTok reviewers. Bui Thu of BBC Vietnamese has followed the saga.

A family reunion, after 32 years

BBC Afaan Oromo shares the story of an Ethiopian man who went missing from his family more than three decades ago, after he was forcibly recruited into the army and sent straight to the battlefield. Asili Galgalo explains the twists and turns of Dima Doyo’s life, and the remarkable way in which he finally returned home.

The chimpanzee which went viral

Kharkiv in Ukraine has suffered relentless bombardment by Russian forces since the start of the invasion. But a very different story came out of the city recently - about a chimpanzee which escaped from the zoo, and was filmed being gently recaptured and then wheeled back to the zoo on a bicycle. BBC Russian's Yevgeniy Kanevsky, who's from Kharkiv, tells us more.

(Photo: Belarusian protesters in August 2020. Credit: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko)

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