Iraq 2021

BBC Arabic journalist Murad Shishani spent several weeks this year reporting from Iraq. He visited Mosul, liberated four years ago from so-called Islamic State, to gauge the mood ahead of October's election. More recently, he covered the stories of migrants, from those repatriated from Belarus to those lost in the English Channel, and those still planning to make the hazardous journey. Benin's royal treasures This year saw a historic moment for the West African nation of Benin, when France handed back 26 royal treasures that were looted by colonial troops in 1892. BBC Afrique contributor Rachida Houssou, interpreted by Rose-Marie Bouboutou, describes the power, wealth and craftsmanship of the former Kingdom of Dahomey. Karachi's dwindling Parsi community The Sohrab Katrak Parsi colony in Karachi was built nearly a century ago by the local Parsi population, who played a huge role in the development of the city. But today the community is dwindling, with many houses falling into disrepair, as BBC Urdu’s Saher Baloch discovered. Is housework work? A landmark ruling in Kenya answered that question with a yes, when a judge recognised its value in the division of a couple’s property. Carolyne Kiambo from BBC Nairobi explains the detail of this case, and what it means for Kenyan women. The Passengers of the Yomei Maru Ilia Kizirov tells the story of his BBC Russian podcast series, The Passengers of the Yomei Maru, which follows the adventures of nearly 800 Russian children who had to flee the Civil War. They travelled around the world on a Japanese freighter before arriving home over two years later. (Photo: Election banners in Mosul on sites destroyed in the liberation battle of 2017. Credit: BBC)