AJ Longreads
AJ Longreads brings you the best of Al Jazeera's long-form journalism to listen to in your own time.
How death and despair haunt Pakistanâs Christian minority
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.
âStand-upâ for Ukraine: Coping through comedy in the face of war
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.
'Dance like there is no tomorrow': Ukraine's wartime music scene
How a flourishing underground subculture is providing a welcome escape from the realities of war.
Written by Nils Adler.
Read by Xzavian Wrushen.
How Ukrainian-Russian couples are faring after a year of war
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.Â
'People want to buy local': The rise of Ukraine's wartime wines
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.Â
'Can't go back': How an Afghan girls' school principal fled the Taliban
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.
Written by Mellissa Fung.
Read by Laura Lockwood.Â
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âBooks they loveâ: A Kabul graveyard library for two schoolgirls
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.Â
Read by Erica Sand.Â
How US abortion organisers are learning from Honduran activists
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 Womenâs Media Foundationâs Reproductive Rights Reporting Fund. Â Â
A long and lethal legacy: In the shadow of asbestos in the UK
Widely used in construction for decades, the aftermath of asbestos exposure has been a death sentence for many in the United Kingdom.Â
Written by Katharine Quarmby.
Read by Richard Martin.Â
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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 Reportersâ 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 U...
Cost of living: An Indian waste-picking couple struggle with debt
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.
