Lynne Odonnell
latest news & developmentsDesperation drives Afghan women to suicide by fire
In the refined and historic Afghan city of Herat, 67 young women have been admitted to the main hospital this year after setting themselves on fire.
Afghanistan to vote in shadow of rising Taliban insurgency
Millions of Afghans are expected to defy Taliban threats and vote in a poll on Saturday seen as a crucial step towards building democracy.
Afghan drug cartels, officials squeeze poppy farmers
Like farmers the world over Haji Afzal has locked in the price for his crop. Afzal was paid $5 000 by a middleman for a drugs cartel.
Suicide attack near Kabul hotel kills eight
A suicide bomber struck an upmarket district of Kabul on Tuesday near a hotel and guest house frequented by foreigners, killing eight people
Troops scramble to drain swelling China quake lake
Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on Tuesday to blast through a huge wall of debris that is damming a rising quake lake in south-west China and putting more than a million…