IT’S MIDWAY THROUGH the week and you want to get up to speed on the latest news topics and catch up on opinions and insights.

We’re here to help you do just that, with our three midweek longreads:

1. Running ban

Why has running been banned in Burundi? Unsurprisingly, the answer is political, as Tim Franks reports.

(BBC, approx 8 minutes reading time, 1670 words)

The tradition of Saturday morning runs started during Burundi’s long years of ethnic conflict. The last spasm of war only ended back in 2005, with 300,000 dead from the population of eight million. Then, no-one jogged up these hills. This was where the militias – now the men of government – would hide.

2. Children imprisoned

Two boys – aged 11 and 10 and a half – plot to kill a girl in their class. Should they be imprisoned? Victoria Beale looks at their story.

(Buzzfeed, approx 38 minutes reading time, 7739 words)

The plan was for Adam to be the “shooter” and for David to be the “knifer.” Adam answered similarly, saying the girl had been rude to him and his friends. The officer felt both boys seemed without remorse or emotion. He pressed Adam, making sure he understood the implications of this, and Adam said, “Yes, I just want her dead.”

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3. Bullied in the workplace

Bullying in the workplace is not a rare occurrence – and Christina Finn set out to uncover some people’s experiences of this tough topic in Ireland. Here’s what they told her.

(TheJournal.ie, approx 7 minutes reading time, 1566 words)

This man is my immediate boss who has done nothing but deride me for the last ten years in my current role and undermined me in work and public discussions. He negates my opinion in work matters and has even called me a faggot, bum bandit, queer, shirt lifter. He also stated that I am ‘probably an AIDS victim’.

Want some more longreads? Then check out Sitdown Sunday>