Category: South and Central Asia

‘I don’t know how to save my daughter from her husband’: the brutal reality of the Taliban’s new marriage law

The latest decree from Afghanistan’s rulers makes it impossible for women and girls to leave unwanted or abusive relationships, even with family supportWhen Fatima arrived at a district court in northern Afghanistan in...

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‘The whole country is doing it’: how illegal kidney traders target Pakistan’s desperate brick kiln workers

Enslaved by debt, victims often feel compelled to sell an organ to repay loans – but can find themselves even worse off after the procedureShafeeq Masih* faced an impossible choice: remain trapped for ever by the debt he...

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How Pakistan’s people-led solar boom is easing impact of Middle East energy crisis

Falling costs and government incentives make solar an attractive option for many, reducing need for gasAfter prices of liquefied natural gas surged to record highs after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,...

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Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water

Centuries-old wells restored to provide drinking water as parts of the country head towards “day zero” when no water will be availableA loud cheer and sounds of clapping reverberated around Bansilalpet, a...

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The secret Afghan women’s book club defying the Taliban to read Orwell

Banned from education, a clandestine reading circle meets every week to pour over novels by Abbas Maroufi, Zoya Pirzad and Ernest HemingwayFour young women sit together, waiting for the phone to ring. When the call finally...

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