Afghanistan, five years on: our correspondent visits

<p>Five years after the American withdrawal from <a href="economist.com/leaders/2026/08/13/the-taliban-a…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Afghanistan</a>, the Taliban show little sign of moderation. Our correspondent reports from the country on what life is like for ordinary people. A giant earthquake reveals two very different <a href="economist.com/the-americas/2026/08/12/a-big-ea…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Colombias</a>. And celebrating the life of Gurkha climber, <a href="economist.com/obituary/2026/08/13/nirmal-purja…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nirmal Purja</a>, who died in an avalanche.</p><br><p><em>Watch extended clips from Insider </em><a href="economist.com/interactive/insider/previews?utm…; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>, plus the full Elon Musk interview. </em></p><br><p>Guests and host:</p><ul><li>Tom Sasse, South Asia bureau chief</li><li>Claire McQue, Latin America writer</li><li>Ann Wroe, obituaries editor</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>Afghanistan, Taliban, sanctions</li><li>Colombia, earthquake, Espriella</li><li>Nirmal Purja, mountaineer, Everest, avalanche</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to The Economist</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><br></p>

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