AJ Longreads

Pakistan's Christians have long been marginalised and pushed into sewer cleaning work. Now, some are fighting back. Written by Saad Zuberi. Read by Laura Lockwood.

In Berlin, comedians from Ukraine and Russia share the same stage as an outlet for their grief and anger about the war. Written by Verena Hoelzl. Read by Richard Martin.

How a flourishing underground subculture is providing a welcome escape from the realities of war. Written by Nils Adler. Read by Xzavian Wrushen.

Partners caught on different sides of the yearlong conflict reflect on how it has affected their relationships. Written by Pearly Jacob. Read by Emma Jones. 

Despite the dangers of war, many winemakers have continued to operate, buoyed by growing demand for local wines. Written by Nils Adler. Read by Pete Ferrand. 

After fleeing the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, the former head of a girls' school in Kabul tries to make a new life in Canada. Writtenby Mellissa Fung. Read by Laura Lockwood. 

In Taliban's Afghanistan, Hazara cousins, both blast victims who loved to read and learn, inspire an outdoor library - and new readers. Written by Ruchi Kumar.  Read by Erica Sand. 

As clandestine networks form to support women, they look to Central America for a road map -- and a warning. This story was written by Delaney Nolan and read by Annie M Dylan. Reporting for this story was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Reproductive Rights Reporting Fund.

Widely used in construction for decades, the aftermath of asbestos exposure has been a death sentence for many in the United Kingdom.  Written by Katharine Quarmby. Read by Richard Martin.  This article is part of a wider cross-border investigation, Asbestos: The Lethal Legacy, led by Investigative Reporting Denmark, edited by Katharine Quarmby, and made in collaboration with journalists from Knack in Belgium, Tygodnik Powszechny and Reporters’ Foundation in Poland, Ostro in Croatia and Slovenia, Investigative Reporting Project Italy, De Groene Amsterdammer in The Netherlands, Grupo Merca2 in Spain, Al Jazeera in the UK and TV2 Nord in Denmark. The investigation is supported by Journalismfund.eu.

Sifting through waste to find and sell scraps of cloth and recyclables use to be enough for Gunja and Chand to support their family. Now they're earning less because of a series of lockdowns and the Russia-Ukraine war. Written by Suparna Sharma. Read by Laura Lockwood.

Hunted and exterminated. Meet the scientists who want to return the thylacine back to the ecosystem. Written by Mary Ann Jolley. Read by Anthony Milich.

Indian women and girls are being sold by traffickers and forced into marriages against their will for as little as $35. AJ Longreads highlights how under-reported these cases are and how the victims are left feeling abandoned. Names of the women and children have been changed to protect their identities.  Written by Rifat Fareed. Read by Mohita Namjoshi.

Protecting cultural identity through needlework - how artists, volunteers and designers turned a Ukrainian folk blouse and craft into symbols of defiance. On this week’s AJ Longreads - The Ukrainians using embroidery to stand up to Russia. Written by Pearly Jacob. Read by Annie M. Dylan.

In Diyarbakır, Turkey, a 24-year-old woman is documenting an ancient practice and making it popular among a new generation. Written by Jaclynn Ashly. Read by Erica Sand. 

Journalist Afrah Nasser visits her home country of Yemen after more than a decade away. She reflects on the devastating impact war has had on her country and family. Names have been changed to protect identities. Read by Olga Rodic.

In this episode we return to the story of Bibiana Martin, who was 12 years old when she joined the forest rangers. Twenty years later, she is still protecting parks. Written by Sam Mednick.  Read by Laura Lockwood.

This week we return to the story of Andrew Silva from Sri Lanka. His day job is taxing people around, but what he does in his spare time is truly life changing. With a car full of DNA tests and a natural detective's instinct, he's helping to reunite adopted children with their birth mothers.  Written by Bhavya Dore. Read by Loveday Smith.

As the climate crisis causes water levels to plummet, riverbeds to dry and glaciers to melt, artefacts like old warships, an ancient city, a mosque, 'hunger stones' and human remains have emerged. The body of an Indian soldier was found on Siachen Glacier. His widow always hoped he would ‘come home someday’. This story is part of “Climate artefacts”, a mini-series telling the stories behind the people, places and objects that have been discovered due to drought and warming temperatures. Written by Rifat Fareed. Read by Mohita Namjoshi.

Three years after Atatiana Jefferson was shot by a white police officer, stark racial divides, inequality and a lack of reform plague the US city of Fort Worth. Written by Tyler Hicks. Read by Xzavian Wrushen.

Predators and fraudsters are exploiting vulnerable unemployed Nigerians, and the costs are sometimes deadly. AJ Longreads explores how social media is being used to lure victims.  A warning - this story contains details of sexual assault. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the victims. Written by Damilola Banjo. Read by Laura Lockwood.

India's first footballer to play for a European club made history without ever wearing a pair of football boots. As Qatar makes history for being the first country in the Middle East to stage a World Cup,  AJ Long reads reflects on how any nation and anyone can make it against the odds. Written by James Welsh. Read by Richard Martin.

A team of Russian and Norwegian scientists stumbled upon the fastest-warming hotspot known on earth. Then the war in Ukraine began and research collaboration stalled. Written by Delaney Nolan. Read by Mike Paul.

German abuses against the Herero and Nama in Namibia were the 20th century’s first genocide and a brutal harbinger of the Nazi's WWII Holocaust. Written by Hamilton Wende. Read by Kokui Selormey.

Years investigating Holocaust atrocities and ISIL war crimes are helping researchers uncover possible Russian abuses in Ukraine. The aim is to collect testimonies that can be used as evidence in prosecuting potential war crimes. Written by Micah Reddy. Read by Annie M. Dylan.

As the UK's first rocket launch nears, space enthusiasts, climate activists, scientists and local residents are divided over whether the project is a help or hindrance to the climate crisis. Written by Frankie Adkins. Read by Laura Lockwood.

As rents and homelessness rise in New Orleans in the US, we meet Jessica and Terry who have finally been able to find a home. However, they now face new living challenges. A warning - this story contains references to suicide. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available. Visit www.befrienders.org for more information.  Written by Delaney Nolan. Read by Pete Ferrand.

Maryna, whose son died in 2014, counsels soldiers' mothers and partners as she worries about her army-bound foster son. Women in war: A psychologist helps Ukrainian soldiers' families - part of a series telling the stories of women in the Russia-Ukraine war. Written by Amandas Ong. Read by Emma Jones.

Rights activists and carers are filling the gap as the war creates huge challenges in accessing disability support. Medical supplies, food and financial aid have become increasingly more difficult. Written by Amandas Ong. Read by Laura Lockwood.

Journalist Lexie Harrison-Cripps highlights the plight of women making the journey to Europe by sea. She shares how a mother with young children managed to survive this incredibly dangerous Mediterranean crossing.  Written and read by Lexie Harrison-Cripps.

In Afghanistan, a new generation continues a family tradition of crafting handmade dentures - a special business the sons are determined to ensure never dies. Written by Lynzy Billing.  Read by Richard Martin.

Frances Glessner Lee was a diorama-maker, criminal investigation educator and the first female police captain in the US. She revolutionised the study of crime scenes and highlighted its importance in solving cases. Written by Nicole Johnson. Read by Annie M Dylan.

Chronically ill and injured patients evacuated from the embattled east find treatment in the west's safer hospitals. Written by Amandas Ong . Read by Pete Ferrand.

For much of the post-Soviet era, 'Z' was the symbol of a music festival in Crimea that united people across borders. Written by Clément Girardot. Read by Serhij Zulkarnieiev. 

On this week’s AJ Longreads, we go inside a Nigerian hospital ward treating Lassa, a virus that infects up to 300,000 people in West Africa each year. Written by Femke van Zeijl. Read by Mapendo Munthali. 

A year on from the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan, issues of child marriage, access to education and financial hardship are leaving women and girls to wonder what the future holds for them. Written by Robyn Huang. Read by Mohita Namjoshi.

As part of Al Jazeera's series on murdered women, we explore the life and death of Sabina Nessa. Her family say she was ‘a kind and generous soul’. But they question why there was not wider media attention about her death and why some lives get more coverage than others. Written by Julie Bindel. Read by Laura Lockwood. 

Journalist Lexie Harrison-Cripps recently boarded a Doctors Without Borders search and rescue ship along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.  The remote location makes it virtually impossible to report on without an invitation from an NGO. As a result, every year thousands of people live - and die - in horrific conditions while governments  go unchecked. Written and read by Lexie Harrison-Cripps.

In times of war, safeguarding valuable artefacts including those signifying Ukrainian statehood has become a priority for cultural heritage workers. Written and read by Nils Adler.  

For black opal miners in Lightning Ridge, Australia, the search for one of the world’s most sought-after gems is just as alluring as the stone itself. Written by Zoe Osborne and Alex Kitanov. Read by me, Emma Jones. 

New mental health options are being made available in northern Iraq, but psychotherapists are worried that without continued support, progress will halt. Written by Lynzy Billing. Read by Loveday Smith.

We’re in Georgia where the village territory of Khurvaleti is increasingly affected by Russian forces demarcating the 'border' of breakaway state South Ossetia. Written by Clément Girardot with contributed reporting by Tamar Kalandadze. Read by Pete Ferrand. 

Katy Fallon spent months reporting on the Greek islands in the Eastern Aegean. Once praised for welcoming thousands of refugees...it's now become a place of widespread reports of human rights violations.  Written and read by Katy Fallon.

Suicides have spiked dramatically in the historically remote region. Is breakneck social change to blame? Written and read by Alizeh Kohari.

Pope Francis has apologised for the Roman Catholic Church's involvement in Indigenous residential schools in Canada. For more than 160 years children were abused in  Canada’s residential school system. More than 60 percent of them were run by the Catholic Church. But following the pope's apology, can survivors forgive? Written by Brandi Morin. Read by Laura Lockwood.

In Poland, a tale of two borders. On the Belarusian border, refugees face pushbacks and detention. Written and read by Nils Adler

As activists highlight risks for LGBTQ community, Germany’s Quarteera welcomes Ukrainian refugees and Russian exiles. Written by Gouri Sharma. Read by Emma Jones. 

An Iraqi Kurd and a Ukrainian, part of families with young children, take us through a day in their lives as refugees. This story is written by Amandas Ong and Nils Adler.  

Michael Kotutwa Johnson is on a mission to show that millennia of Native American land practices can provide valuable lessons for growing food and sustaining the Earth. Written by Jane Palmer.  Read by Laura Lockwood. 

Mothers in Kenya whose sons have been killed by police brutality are fighting for justice, and in turn, protect other young men.  Written by Jaclynn Ashly.  Read by Pete Ferrand.

Silent Voices is a radio show in Nigeria that offers support to women and minors who are victims of violence to seek justice. By exposing perpetrators, the show aims to galvanise others to reach out, so that they too can get help.  Written by Ope Adetayo.  Read by Pete Ferrand.