Photo Essays

Since the start of 2018, a Chinese-run train is taking people and goods from landlocked Ethiopia to the Red Sea port in Djibouti. Reporter James Jeffrey made the journey from Addis Ababa

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's presence can still be felt in a landscape increasingly dominated by President Tayyip Recep Erdogan. Bradley Secker travelled through Turkey to find secular iconography of the republic's founder

Widely perceived as a Hindu spiritual practice, yoga was not officially permitted for decades in Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam where all non-Muslim worship is banned. But the Kingdom did finally recognise yoga as a sport, despite the risk of hardline opposition.

More than half a million refugees of Syrian origin currently live in Istanbul, carving out a niche for themselves in a new country under often difficult conditions. Initiatives such as "Small Projects Istanbul" help them in their search for housing, health care and school education. By Marian Brehmer

The Bangladeshi government is looking to task a controversial paramilitary force with monitoring social media as the country gears up for a general election in December 2018. Many fear the move will further muzzle free speech. By Arafatul Islam

Every Sunday in Iraq, along a strip of embankment on the Tigris River reserved for followers of the obscure and ancient Mandaean faith, worshippers bathe themselves in the waters to purify their souls. But unlike in ancient times, the storied river that runs through Baghdad is fouled by untreated sewage and dead carp. By Philip Issa

They pollute the roads and chug along at a snail's pace, but to their Pakistani owners the rickety trucks are moving pieces of art. And indeed, the trucks with their many garish portraits of flowers, Islamic art and snow-capped Himalayan peaks are now attracting global attention. By Caren Firouz and Jibran Ahmad

Egyptian activist and artist Yassin Mohammed, who walked free last month from a Cairo prison after serving a two-year sentence for taking part in a protest, chronicled daily life in his cellblock. By Hamza Hemdawi