The report by state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times is the most explicit official statement yet on how the espionage cases of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are linked.

They were “footsteps from freedom” when Kabul airport was attacked. Now a far-flung coalition of congressmen, soldiers and sportswomen want to help them escape.

The Texas law bans abortions once doctors can detect a heart beat, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.

Chinese regulators demanded broadcasters cease airing “deformed” tastes, such as “vulgar” internet celebrities, scandals and the flaunting of wealth.

The large new report on British adults provides new evidence that two-shot vaccines offer powerful protection against symptomatic and severe disease caused by the coronavirus.

Asked what she thought of criticism from Australia over New Zealand’s approach to the Delta variant, PM Jacinda Ardern said keeping cases down has to be the goal.

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

The slim, disposable, fashionable vapes deliver more than 600 puffs of nicotine disguised with flavours such as “pineapple ice” and “cotton candy”.

Critics of President Nayib Bukele’s to adopt bitcoin argue it is risky given the cryptocurrency’s volatility and because it could be used to launder money.

“Anti-mask people keep saying, ‘Where’s the randomised controlled trial?’ Well, here you go,” said one researcher not involved in the study.

In a social media post, Rogan said he took ivermectin, the animal worming treatment debunked as a coronavirus treatment and linked to poisonings.

Republican House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy spoke by phone with then-President Donald Trump on the day of the attack and is a potential witness in the select committee’s probe. 

The United States is looking at all possible options and routes to continue helping Americans and legal permanent residents leave Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen says Australian soldiers should be prosecuted for alleged war crimes committed during the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan.

New Zealanders rushed to get their first taste of eased restrictions on Tuesday morning.

An Indonesian search and rescue crew will give itself two more days to try to find an Australian man who disappeared while spearfishing in the Mentawai Islands.

Across the bloc’s 27 countries COVID vaccinations rolled out at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world.

The massacre in Punjab saw hundreds of unarmed Indians killed and was a turning point in the struggle for Indian emancipation.

Poland accuses Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president, of masterminding the crisis to punish it for offering a safe haven for Belarusian dissidents.

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

The country has reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, all but one in Auckland.

In July 2020, China closed the US consulate in Chengdu in retaliation for being ousted from its Houston consulate a week earlier.

Thirteen alleged card purchasers were also charged, including a man who has been accused of paying to be entered in the database. Actual COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge.

In his first comments since the withdrawal of the last US troops, President Joe Biden called the evacuation from Afghanistan an extraordinary success, ending a 20-year war.

Demonstrators have said they will gather in front of many train stations in Italy and block the railways, to protest the health pass obligation on trains.

A deep and deadly crevasse opened up on a Mississippi highway on Tuesday as rescue operations continued on the US Gulf Coast.

The controversial camelid was sentenced to death after twice testing positive for bovine TB.

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.