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Episode details

World Service,15 Aug 2026,23 mins

Afghanistan: five years after the Taliban takeover

From Our Own Correspondent

Available for over a year

Pascale Harter introduces stories from Afghanistan, Gaza and Australia. It's been five years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. Lyse Doucet and Mahjooba Nowrouzi report on the severe restrictions the Taliban government has imposed on the country's women and girls. While some teenage girls are still being taught in secret schools hidden from the authorities, the life plans of millions more are on hold. Meanwhile, although judges and lawyers are now barred from working in the legal system, many are still finding ways to help women seeking their advice and expertise. Life in Gaza is tough and the destruction of much of its civilian infrastructure doesn't make things any easier. Yolande Knell speaks to digital entrepreneurs there, who despite everything are finding ways to work online. They're using their laptops to access jobs in tech and keep a window open to the outside world. Australia is a country full of animals found nowhere else, but many are under serious threat of dying out. However, there is a glimmer of hope. Numbers of at least one marsupial have been brought back from the brink of extinction. Tiffanie Turnbull goes out looking for numbats with a dedicated team of volunteers. Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison (Image: Two Afghan girls at a lesson by taught their father at their home in Kabul. Credit: AFP via Getty Images)

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