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The Russian Foreign Minister recently wrote that Russia had ‘never stained itself with the bloody crimes of colonialism’. It’s not a new theme for Sergei Lavrov but it did surprise many Russian historians. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Russian’s Grigor Atanesian wrote an article testing Mr Lavrov’s claims.

Rural schools in Azerbaijan
A plea by a 13-year-old Azerbaijani schoolgirl has put the spotlight on rural education in the country, with too few schools in some regions and badly maintained buildings. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Azerbaijani filmed Zahra walking the 4 kilometre return trip to her classroom, and editor Könül Khalilova shares the story.

Military service for K-pop superstars
Members of the K-pop band BTS may soon have to complete their military service, but this may not mean they have to stop performing. The band had already been given a 2 year deferral, and parliament is debating radically shortening their service, as Julie Yoonnyung Lee of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Korean explains.

Five years of the Rohingya crisis
´óÏó´«Ã½ Bangla has been marking the fifth anniversary of the Rohingya crisis, which sent more than a million refugees from Myanmar into the Cox's Bazar refugee camp. Journalists Akbar Hossain and Shahnewaj Rocky heard from Rohingya refugees and the local Bengali community about their perspectives.

A travelling heart
The embalmed heart of Brazil's first emperor, Dom Pedro I, has arrived in the country as part of celebrations for its bicentenary. Dom Pedro is remembered as a hero who led Brazil’s independence from Portugal, but he also allowed slavery to continue. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Brasil’s Nathalia Passarinho tells us about the man behind the heart.

(Photo: An official of Bukhara Emirate, a Russian protectorate. Credit: Sergey Prokudin-Gorskii/Getty Images)