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Iraqis who worked as interpreters for British and US forces knew that their work was dangerous, but many did it from a sense of patriotism. But as coalition forces withdraw, many interpreters feel increasingly vulnerable to militias who see them as traitors. Nafiseh Kohnavard of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Persian recently met some interpreters in Baghdad to find out about their worries.

Chittagong's disappearing streams
In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of south-east Bangladesh, local people rely on forest streams for water. Now the streams are running dry because so many stones and rocks are being removed for construction projects. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Bangla’s Shahnewaj Rocky tells us about the impact this is having.

Thailand's New Year's nicknames
Every New Year the Thai government and its key players get nicknames, chosen by the Government House press corps. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Thai's Issariya Praithongyaem has been considering this year’s and previous New Year’s nicknames for us.

The real Russian 'Queen's Gambit'
The Netflix series Queens Gambit tells the story of a young orphan Beth Harmon who becomes a chess phenomenon and wins the World Championship in Moscow in the 1960s. All the characters are fictional, except one – the Soviet Union’s Nona Gaprindashvili, the world’s first female grand master of chess. Maria Jevstafjeva spoke to her for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Russian.

Turkey's Covid-19 vaccine drama
The Turkish government has bought 50 million doses of a Chinese vaccine, CoronaVac, and is one of the countries taking part in their clinical trials. But scientific and popular scepticism have been widespread, and the planned programme has been delayed several times. ´óÏó´«Ã½ Monitoring journalist Beril Akman has been following the story.

Image: Nafiseh Khonavard of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Persian
Credit: ´óÏó´«Ã½