The challenges facing the Taliban

The Wall Street Journal reporter, who is the first US journalist charged with spying in Russia since the Cold War, has now been imprisoned for a year. His detention has been repeatedly extended and he is yet to face trial. His family, colleagues and the US government vehemently d ...  Show more

Over the past year thousands of journalists have lost their jobs as mass media news organisations struggle to make ends meet. Ad revenue is down, many publishers are struggling to gain subscribers, and social media has resulted in plummeting traffic to homepages. More than a thir ...  Show more

Is it time to stop the freeze of the country's financial assets and donor aid or will that just legitimise the Taliban? Ed Butler speaks to John Sifton, the Asia advocacy director for the campaign group Human Rights Watch, who says the west should ease up on its sanctions to help ...  Show more

Since the United States pulled its troops out of Afghanistan at the beginning of July, the Taliban have continued to retake vast swathes of the country. Reports have emerged that they are once again enforcing the same repressive practices of their past rule; including the closure ...  Show more

Since the Taliban took over from a US-led government in Afghanistan in 2021, the economic challenges facing the country have been huge. The amount of aid going in to the country has dropped, the banking system is difficult to navigate, and international investors are staying away ...  Show more

The US froze billions in Afghanistan’s central bank reserves when the Taliban took control. Now it’s wrestling with how to trust the Taliban with the Afghan people’s money. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin with help from Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, f ...  Show more