The sinking of a boat carrying illegal migrants across Lake Van in Turkey last year caused shockwaves in Afghanistan. Many of the passengers were Afghans, and while more than 60 bodies were recovered, others remain missing. BBC Afghan’s Hafizullah Maroof decided to investigate, telling the story of one of the victims, and gaining rare access to the people trafficker responsible for his journey.

An algorithm for the perfect biryani
Even throughout lockdown boredom, Aparna Alluri of BBC Delhi steered clear of cooking a biryani, a notoriously complex balancing act of meat, rice and spices. That is, until she found a cookbook that demonstrated how to do it with an algorithm rather than a recipe. She joins us to share her results.

The end of Vietnam's love affair with karaoke?
BBC Vietnamese recently ran a story about the possible banning of karaoke in Ho Chi Minh City. Karaoke is hugely popular in Vietnam, so who better to turn to to find out what's gone wrong than Bui Thu of BBC Vietnamese in Bangkok.

The deep-rooted tradition of dowry in Pakistan
BBC Urdu has been asking what happens to young Pakistanis who turn their backs on dowry. As reporter Sarah Atiq explains, there is huge pressure to conform, despite the financial burden and some cases of torture and even death when demands fail to be met.

Image: People trafficking has made 'Elham Noor' a wealthy man
Credit: 'Elham Noor'