(Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Here are the countries evacuating their embassies in Kabul as the Taliban advances
Fearing an attack on the capital, diplomats are leaving the Afghan capital.
At least 227 dead in Haiti in wake of 7.2-magnitude earthquake
The number of fatalities is expected to rise; residents pour into hospitals, toting the injured in cars and the beds of pickup trucks.
Taliban advances closer to Kabul, takes control of key northern Afghan city Mazar-e Sharif
The United States has urged Taliban fighters to halt their advance on Kabul or risk clashes with U.S. forces.
Europe’s contentious deportations of Afghans grind to a halt as Taliban surges
Deportations have been put on hold amid the insurgents’ advances, providing a reprieve for rejected asylum seekers.
Maduro and Venezuela’s opposition launch fresh talks. He seems to have the upper hand.
The latest round of negotiations, aimed at restoring democracy and easing a humanitarian crisis in the South American country, began Friday evening in Mexico City.
Mass Afghan government surrenders as Taliban fighters overrun three key cities in sweeping territorial gains
The seizures mark the biggest victories yet for the militants, who now control more than a dozen of the country’s provincial capitals and are closing in on Kabul.
Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade leaves 5 dead, plus suspected gunman
The shooting sent shock waves through the country, which has strict gun laws that make obtaining a firearm difficult.
‘We are ready to fight’: Seniors at a girls-only high school in Afghanistan face an uncertain future
“Young boys are fleeing the country. But girls remain,” said Zarghoona High School Principal Nasrin Noorzai.
A perilous journey and an uncertain future: The plight of Afghan refugees in Turkey
Faced with the prospect of a life under Taliban rule, Afghans are once again leaving their country in search of safety and peace.
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Afghanistan’s rapid collapse is part of a long, slow U.S. defeat
As Afghanistan's provincial capitals fall like dominoes to the Taliban, the echoes of Saigon 1975 are ringing loudly in Kabul 2021.
Hermit crabs may be ‘excited’ by plastic pollution in ocean, researchers say
Crustaceans in England are getting a little too excited by an additive released by underwater waste.
Russia tells veteran BBC correspondent to leave as relations with West deteriorate
Moscow is effectively expelling Sarah Rainsford in a move that may herald more pressure on foreign media in Russia.
‘Why did my friend get blown up? For what?’: Afghanistan war veterans horrified by Taliban gains
Veterans across the world are voicing frustration over the Taliban’s faster-than-expected comeback.
Want to stay long term in France? First come the classes on how to be French.
Foreigners seeking residency visas must sign an “integration contract,” then take a course on civics, culture and customs.
In China, the dream of an American education loses some of its gleam
Some experts say the trend is a pandemic-induced blip, but others see a longer-lasting shift underway.
As Taliban widens its grip, Afghans reckon with life under militant rule
Civilians paint a grim picture of how life already has changed, in what might be a harbinger of the country’s future if the Taliban regains control of the country.
WHO covid report that called lab leak unlikely must be respected, China tells diplomats
Beijing says it is open to further covid origins studies, but only based on findings of the U.N. agency, which downplayed the likelihood of a lab origin.
‘There is panic’: Outback outbreak rings covid alarm for Australia’s Indigenous people
Slow vaccine rollout has left a vulnerable Aboriginal population at risk as infections pop up in remote towns such as Walgett.
Taliban on the verge of capturing two of Afghanistan’s largest cities after taking 11th provincial capital
Clashes pushed into the center of both Kandahar and Herat as Taliban fighters took control of some of the main government buildings in the two cities.
In new documentary, WHO scientist says Chinese officials pressured investigation to drop lab-leak hypothesis
Peter Ben Embarek said that one scenario, in which a researcher inadvertently could have brought the virus from a bat cave to Wuhan, is viewed as “likely.”
Taliban capture key northern city, approach Afghan capital
The Taliban have captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government
Turkish flood deaths hit 57; dozens still missing
Turkey’s disaster agency says the death toll from severe coastal flooding and mudslides has climbed to at least 57 people
Rich nations dip into COVAX supply while poor wait for shots
Low-income countries were supposed to get COVID-19 vaccines through a shared international system instead of waiting at the back of the line for unreliable donations from rich countries
Tropical Storm Grace forms; Fred now a tropical wave
Tropical Storm Grace has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and is growing stronger, while Fred weakened into a tropical wave as it headed into the eastern Gulf of Mexico
High heat: Spain clocks prelim record of 47.2 C (116.96 F)
Spain has set a new provisional heat record of 47.2 degrees Celsius (116.96 Fahrenheit) in Montoro, Cordoba, in the southern Andalusia region
