EXPLAINERAfghanistan’s Bagram airbase: Why is Trump desperate to take it back?It would allow the US to again project power in the region, with China close by. But taking it back won’t be easy.
Did restrictions on women workers hamper Afghanistan’s earthquake response?Shortage of female medical staff, aid workers created challenges. But victims say male aid givers often helped them.
EXPLAINER‘End is near’: Will Kabul become first big city without water by 2030?The city of six million people could soon run out water, amid climate change, sanctions and governance failures.
Why is India courting the Taliban now?Meeting between India’s foreign secretary and the Taliban this week has prompted speculation.
EXPLAINERTaliban’s Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani killed: Why it mattersThe most high-profile assassination in Afghanistan since 2021 has sparked questions over divisions within the Taliban.
‘The forest was not always this dry’: Inside India’s forest fires crisisHundreds of large fires have ravaged the hilly state of Uttarakhand in recent months, and experts warn worse could come
Why has China recognised Taliban’s envoy to Beijing?Beijing’s move is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Taliban as it struggles for global recognition amid sanctions.
THE BIG QUESTIONIs Modi’s India cosying up to the Taliban?The embassy of the former Afghan government has shuttered in New Delhi amid allegations that India stopped helping it.
Afghan earthquake rescue mission faces race against timeMany remain buried after Saturday’s earthquake in Afghanistan, as rescue teams intensify efforts to dig out survivors.
People in quake-hit Afghanistan use shovels, bare hands to pull out victimsMore than 2,000 dead as search continues for those trapped under debris after magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits the nation.