Fifteen Irish citizens are currently looking to leave Afghanistan, after the Taliban took control of the country's capital city Kabul yesterday.

US troops fired shots into the air at Kabul airport this morning, as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching a flight out of the country after the Taliban takeover of the country.

With the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan, here is a recap of landmark events in the war-torn country since the group's first regime was toppled in the 2001 US-led invasion.

Unions representing healthcare workers have called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to speed up the payment of financial bonuses to members for their efforts and commitment during the pandemic.

Ireland's electricity grid is facing an increased prospect of blackouts this winter as emergency plans to import power generators have stalled, a professor of energy engineering at University College Cork has said.

Haiti's hospitals were swamped this morning by thousands of injured people after a devastating earthquake, which has killed at least 1,297 people, as authorities raced to bring doctors to the worst-hit areas before a major storm hits.

Twenty-one white-tailed sea eagle chicks have been released into the wild across Munster as part of the second phase of programme to reintroduce the birds to the Irish ecosystem.

There has been a "significant and worrying" rise in the number of people who need to be rescued from high ground in Kerry this summer, Kerry Mountain Rescue has said.

Doctors in Northern Ireland have expressed concern at the increasing number of patients and hospital visitors who are not wearing masks.

Sydney has recorded its deadliest day of the Covid pandemic this morning, as troops and police set up roadblocks to limit the movement of people, while Melbourne faces a nightly curfew and a further two weeks of lockdown.

After the year that changed our lives, a new podcast from RTÉ seeks to find out what we really value.

Japan's economy rebounded more than expected before the Olympics after slumping in the first three months of this year, data showed, a sign consumption and capital expenditure were recovering from the coronavirus pandemic's initial hit.

More than 2,500 Dunnes Stores workers have signed a petition calling on the company to make their temporary 10% Covid payment and 20% staff bonus permanent.

HSE Chief Executive Paul Reid has said that Ireland will cease further deliveries of AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines.

People with Covid-19 in ICU are predominantly unvaccinated, and those who are fully vaccinated but have underlying health conditions, according to the head of the intensive care unit at University Hospital Limerick.

The second All-Ireland SFC semi-final involving Kerry and Tyrone will now take place on Saturday, 28 August.

An Irish expert on Afghanistan has accused its government of failing to mount a resistance and allowing the insurgents to take power, saying that civilians in the country do not want a Taliban takeover.

European countries have moved to evacuate their nationals and local staff in Afghanistan as the Taliban entered the country's capital city Kabul.

The Taliban movement's inner workings and leadership have always been largely shrouded in secrecy, even during their rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

A local council in England has said it is "appalled" that a new Banksy artwork that had brought excitement to a seaside town has been defaced.