Kabul, Afghanistan CNN — At midday, Shakeela Rahmati starts the long walk from her home in a poor neighborhood in the hills above Kabul. Along the way, other women quietly join the journey. It will take them three hours to reach the city center. But each day they are driven by gnawing hunger and the … Read more
New Delhi, India – As India celebrates 75 years of independence, the country’s Muslims and other minorities say they find themselves in a state of siege. Ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2014, the South Asian nation has lunged rightwards under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with an overt and organized state patronage to … Read more
“I don’t want to be buried in Afghanistan.” My grandfather’s piercing blue eyes glazed over, belying the certainty in his voice. His request before his death in 2011 may have sounded unusual coming from a proud Kandahari man, a former Afghan diplomat turned prolific Pashtun scholar. But to me and my family, we knew it … Read more
In May 2021, the Taliban launched an offensive following the announcement that US and NATO troops would withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years. Town by town, city by city, the Taliban made rapid advancements, retaking areas they had not controlled since the late 1990s. On the morning of August 15, the republic government collapsed and … Read more
Today, it has been 75 years since India gained its independence from British rule. The lead-up to this occasion has been marked by much pomp and circumstance. The government of India launched the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” initiative on March 12, 2021, commencing a 75-week countdown to the 75th Independence Day. The initiative is meant … Read more
Colombo, Sri Lanka–When 37-year-old Harshana Pathirana quit his job in the hotel sector, sold his car and invested in what he believed was a cryptocurrency, he dreamed of making a fortune, especially as the economy around him cratered. More than a year later, with the tourism sector battered in the face of Sri Lanka’s worst … Read more
A roaring Himalayan river and one of the world’s most militarized borders separate the Khokhar family in Kashmir, a mountainous region divided between India and Pakistan – archrivals that gained independence from Britain 75 years ago. Abdul Rashid Khokhar, 73, lives in the village of Teetwal in Indian-administered Kashmir. Across the fast-flowing waters of the … Read more
Kabul, Afghanistan – Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August, promising to bring peace to the country racked by decades of conflict and US occupation. As the group is set to mark its first anniversary in power, concerns have been raised about the security situation in the country, with ISIL (ISIS) managing to carry out … Read more
Listen to this story: Herat, Afghanistan – The last time Aalam Gul Jamshidi saw her daughter was the night the 16 year old was married off to a man more than twice her age. Aziz Gul looked radiant in a sequinned, white wedding dress and a bright yellow headscarf, but there was fear in her … Read more
Sri Lanka confirms the Yuan Wang 5 ship will arrive next week, despite concerns raised by neighboring India. Sri Lanka says it has granted permission for a controversial Chinese research vessel to visit the island, despite security concerns raised by neighboring India. The Yuan Wang 5 is described as a research and survey vessel by … Read more