Security Taliban thugs begin semi-annual extortion of Afghan farmers 2021-04-19 The Taliban extort money from farmers during growing and harvest seasons each year under the pretext of zakat, and many impoverished Afghans have to borrow money to pay the militants.
Analysis 2021-04-16 A hitch in China's global pandemic strategy: its vaccines might not work Chinese-made vaccines 'don't have very high rates of protection', a senior official said, raising concerns for the recipients of China's so-called 'public good'.
Health 2021-04-14 Over 400,000 'excess deaths' point to major Russian COVID-19 coverup For much of the past year, the Kremlin has been more focused on winning the public relations aspects of the pandemic than on fighting the virus itself.