Claim follows earlier fall of Herat with militants overrunning government positionsThe Taliban have claimed the capture of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the place where the hardline Islamist group first emerged in the 1990s, as its fi…
‘A source of hope’: Afghanistan’s female journalists challenging sexism and the Taliban
Zahra Joya started Rukhshana Media so Afghan women could tell their stories in their own words. Now she is battling to keep it going as long as she canDespite years of development, investment and progress in the Afghan media industry, 28-year-old Zahra…
‘I’m scared of being killed’: sex worker activists speak out
Rights defenders describe threats and abuse while working to protect their communitiesReport: Sex workers fighting for human rights among world’s most ‘at risk activists’A report has found that sex worker activists are among the most at risk human righ…
Taliban told that Afghan government installed by force will go unrecognised
Military takeover of Kabul will cast insurgents as ‘global pariahs’ warns US ambassador as more towns fallA US peace envoy to Afghanistan has warned the Taliban that any government that comes to power through force in Afghanistan will not be recognised…
‘Please pray for me’: female reporter being hunted by the Taliban tells her story
A young female journalist describes the panic and fear of being forced into hiding as cities across Afghanistan fallTwo days ago I had to flee my home and life in the north of Afghanistan after the Taliban took my city. I am still on the run and there …
How India’s armed forces have become Bollywood’s new poster boys
A series of big films this year will focus on Indian military conflicts with Pakistan, reflecting an escalation of political belligerenceIndia’s military will take a starring role this summer. On 12 August, in time for Independence day on the 15th, Ama…
India’s police stations are human rights threat, says chief justice
Nuthalapati Ramana issues extraordinary rebuke over ‘custodial torture and other police atrocities’In an extraordinary rebuke over police brutality, India’s chief justice has said the most dangerous places in the country for threats to human rights are…
Britain must not desert its Afghan interpreters | Letters
Chris Philp, the immigration compliance minister, outlines the work of the Home Office in safeguarding interpreters, while Barry Young says joined-up thinking is needed and Peter Simm highlights the danger to asylum seekers being told to relocate to Ka…
Dissident Pakistani exiles in UK ‘on hit list’
Critics of country’s military told by Met police of plots against them as security forces fear there may be an attack in BritainPakistani exiles living in London who have criticised the country’s powerful military have been warned that their lives are …
‘A sample of hell’: Rohingya forced to rebuild camps again after deadly floods
At least 21,000 refugees displaced after heavy rain devastates Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the latest in a series of disasters to hit the areaThe process of rebuilding has begun once again for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh after a week o…