Afghanistan: UN calls on the Taliban to reope...

There's been a blackout of communications in Gaza since Friday night. The Israeli military is intensifying its bombing of Gaza and says its troops and tanks remain on the ground. We hear from our reporter in southern Gaza, a medic who hasn't heard from colleagues since last night ...  Show more

Israel says it's increasing air strikes and ground operations in Gaza and has again warned Palestinians in Gaza City to move south. Mobile phone and internet services in the territory have been shut down. Also in the programme: the latest on the Maine shooter; and Israel's former ...  Show more

One year ago this week, when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, they promised to institute a modern form of Islamic government that honored women’s rights.

That promise evaporated with a sudden decision to prohibit girls from going to high school, prompting quest ...

In the afternoon of Saturday 8th May in the Afghan capital of Kabul, just a few days before the end of Ramadan, students from the Syed Al-Shahda girls school were starting to leave for the day. Without any warning, a car bomb went off. Then a second explosion, followed by a third ...  Show more

In March 2022, seven months after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, second level education was banned for girls, leaving around 1.1 million of them without access to formal schooling. Then in December that year, all female students were refused access to universities ...  Show more

In Afghanistan, high schools are currently closed to girls, and women have been banned from TV dramas. So how hard is life for the female half of the population, as the Taliban reassert control?Tamasin Ford hears from her colleague Yalda Hakim, who recently returned to the Afghan ...  Show more