Life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule

Life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule

This week marks five years since the Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, seizing back power. In those five years, girls’ and women’s rights have drastically worsened, as has the country’s humanitarian situation. We hear from the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who has been travelling to Afghanistan for many years and has returned again now to report on life under Taliban rule, five years on from the 2021 Taliban takeover. Also in the programme: extreme rainfall in Japan has led to the deaths of several people and caused major travel disruption near Tokyo; new research by the artificial intelligence giant Anthropic finds autonomous AI agents engage in “turf wars” when pitted against each another; and builders renovating a building in Belgium have struck gold, after they discovered a stash of treasure sealed into the walls of its cellar. (Photo: women walk through a market in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 4 August 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

13/08/2026 20:06 GMT

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

US ambassador to Israel denounces settler siege on Palestinians

The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said that Washington has been very involved in efforts to end the siege in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and remove what he called “Israeli terrorists”. Also on the programme: Taiwan's Foreign Minister tells us Pacific nations need to act together to counter Chinese aggression while hoping the US will remain involved; and why did Joshua Kushner buy the LA Lakers for more ⁠than $12.5bn in a record-breaking ⁠deal? (Photo: Israeli settlers wait during a military raid in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, West Bank on August 13, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Solar eclipse visible across large parts of Europe

Millions of people on the western fringes of Europe have witnessed their first total solar eclipse of this century. Also in the programme: Israeli settlers are continuing to trap two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank, after clashing earlier with the Israeli security forces; what was behind the mass poisoning of 14 elephants in Kenya -- a terrible accident or deliberate harm?; and Spotify says it's cracking down on AI generated music to protect HUMAN artists. (Photo: Partial solar eclipse in Britain, London, United Kingdom - 12 Aug 2026. Credit: EPA)

IDF clashes with settlers surrounding Palestinian homes

The security forces moved in to try to force the settlers away from the homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus. But reports from the scene say more settlers then arrived, and the security forces withdrew. Also on the programme: Germany is planning to loosen restrictions on its spy agencies to counter domestic and foreign threats; and we hear from an Italian scientist preparing a new solar instrument to measure the Sun's corona during the eclipse. (Photo: A view shows Nablus city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Torokman)