The Taliban are already in talks with Qatar and Turkey about management of the airport and will decide if anyone else can leave when commercial flights resume.

Only China could enforce a scheme to limit children’s video game time to three one-hour sessions across the weekend.

Like a movie scene: there was rubbish blowing across the single Kabul airstrip, Afghans lingering outside the gates, the Taliban firing victoriously into the night sky.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

A 20-year war has come to a sad and profoundly unsatisfying end. Well before the last C-17 left the tarmac, the war was already lost.

Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the “reproduction rate is remaining under 1, which means cases should continue to decline”. Auckland’s lockdown continues for two weeks.

Evidence of CIA torture could taint the long-delayed trial of Hambali, charged with masterminding the attacks, and his two alleged co-conspirators.

Their latest attack, following Thursday’s fatal suicide bombing outside the airport, was launched on the eve of the United States’ exit from the country.

The update from the CDC comes one day after a New Zealand woman died of myocarditis after getting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The world has enjoyed three-quarters of a century of relative order. It’s an aberration and it’s coming to an end.

While some private investors see opportunity, larger impediments are likely to bedevil the Chinese government’s Belt and Road projects.

Ida crashed ashore at a time when Louisiana is reeling from a resurgence of COVID-19 infections that has strained the state’s healthcare system.

The new rules are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over key sectors of its economy, including tech, education and property.

There’s no more zipping past the Eiffel Tower or through the Latin Quarter without slowing down to soak in the sights after the speed limit across Paris was cut to 30km/h.

Clutching his national Taekwondo championship certificates, the 25-year-old father of two had approached the Kabul airport in the hope that his many medals would be enough for a country to take him in.

Ida has knocked out power to the entire city of New Orleans. The state is scrambling to ensure there is enough generator power and water at hospitals for patient needs.

American forces launched a drone strike in Kabul on Sunday targeting a suicide bomber in a vehicle who was aiming to attack the airport, US officials said.

An independent COVID-19 vaccine safety noted there were other medical issues occurring at the same time which may have influenced the outcome following vaccination.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors

A large UK study shows 66 people out of 10 million suffered from a blood-clothing syndrome after a first AstraZeneca vaccine dose. More than 12,000 in 10 million developed clots from a COVID infection.

Unidentified residents said the panels on the facade were supposed to have been fire-resistant. An aluminium sail on the roof burnt and fell to the street in pieces.

Defence analysts believe it was developed after Barack Obama asked military chiefs to find a way of minimising the risk of collateral deaths during targeted drone strikes.

“There is nothing the mainstream media or internet and social media trolls can do but look at this pic and weep,” the singer posted on Facebook after performing at the rally.

The charged political climate that has seeped from the national stage into their local meetings has made a difficult job even more challenging, if not impossible.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said on Sunday he supports COVID-19 vaccine mandates for children attending schools as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continues to fuel a surge in cases in the nation.

The backroom discussions are a sign of the country’s traditional strongmen coming back to life after the Taliban’s stunning military campaign.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

A week ago, Nicole Gee, 23, posted a photo on Instagram that showed her holding a baby at that airport. She added a simple, profound comment: “I love my job.”

Caleb Wallace, who helped organise a Freedom Rally to protest “government control” had avoided seeing any doctors when he got sick, his wife said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hinted that the already tough level 4 restrictions could get even stronger to stamp Delta out.

The teacher had been experiencing symptoms she attributed to allergies when she removed her mask to read a story to her class.

Many of the migrants on board the dangerously packed boat showed signs of recent torture.

China fears encirclement, and it has just gained a potentially significant adversary on a vulnerable border.

American officials have warned of a high risk of further attacks by Taliban forces who sealed off Kabul’s airport on Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation.

Hurricane Ida strengthened on Saturday and the reach of its winds expanded over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, prompting tens of thousands to cut short holidays and jam Louisiana highways.

As troops searched Afghans, a bomber in the crowd moved in.

The US President’s top national security advisers told him to expect more bloodshed as the US withdrawal effort enters its “most dangerous” period.

The US said it made an unmanned counter-terrorism air strike against an Islamic State-K operative – its first military move since the Kabul airport attack.

“Many people are leaving, but there are still girls who have dreams,” said Saghar whose team’s high profile made them feel scared for their future.

The Brazilian scientists were sceptical. They ran different models to check calculations, but they all returned the same startling result.

The defining characteristics of Jacinda Ardern’s “go hard, go early” strategy has been the deployment of strict lockdowns that would make most Australians wince.

Two of RFK’s sons favoured the parole of the 77-year-old Sirhan Sirhan.

A much-awaited report says most US intelligence agencies believe the virus was probably not genetically engineered, but there is still a divide.

Britain reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in just over a month during the past seven days, reflecting the continued spread of the Delta variant of the disease, government figures showed on Friday.

From the commencement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games to the continued conflict in Afghanistan, these are the best photos from around the world in the past week, as chosen by The Age's photo editors.

Security forces in Indonesia, where terrorists had planned to carry out an attack last week, are intensifying efforts to stop violent extremism after the Kabul bombings.

The bombing at Kabul airport raises the risk that the US defeat will encourage terrorism worldwide.

Indigenous peoples from the Amazon Basin’s nine countries often struggle to be heard. Now they want a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The attack has sparked global outrage and a promise of retribution from the US

The horrific attacks on Kabul could lead to the US reasserting its hard power and renewing security commitments elsewhere. Meanwhile, China and Russia will face fresh challenges in dealing with Afghanistan.