A bombing in Baghdad; a riot in Laayoune

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Owen Bennett Jones introduces reflections, experiences and insights from reporters and correspondents around the world. In this edition, two stories which both reveal personal dimensions to the sort of political violence which often makes news. Scores of people have died in explosions across Iraq in recent months; Prashant Rao reflects on the impact of just one of these attacks, which almost levelled one of his favourite places in Baghdad: his beloved local supermarket. Portia Walker is in the disputed territory some call part of Morocco, and others the would-be independent state of Western Sahara, seeing how hard it can be to dedicate your life to a cause. She meets activist Aminatou Haidar, a high-profile campaigner for Sahrawi independence who's been through arrest, imprisonment and harassment during years of political activity. Yet the rest of the world seems uninterested in the dispute - even when disorder breaks out on the streets of Laayoune.