Afghanistan: 100 days of Taliban rule

The timeline for developing coronavirus vaccines has been rapid, but safety was never compromised the head of the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) has said. Speaking to BBC Hardtalk Dr Seth Berkley described the progress as “extraordinary”, explaining that he thought the development of Covid vaccines would take around 18 months to two years. “We squeezed…

Australia’s state of New South Wales has passed its 70% vaccination target, resulting in Sydney easing its 107-day lockdown. Non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, hair and beauty salons have reopened after being forced shut for almost four months. Patrons lined up across the city for the midnight reopening, excited to enjoy their new freedoms. Video by…

At least 26 million people are struggling for food following consecutive poor rainfall seasons in the Horn of Africa. Drought conditions in northern Kenya, much of Somalia and southern Ethiopia are predicted to persist until at least mid-2022, putting lives at risk. The situation is already so bad that wild animals are dying in their…

Provocative weakness shown in US troop withdrawal, a former security adviser to Dick Cheney says.

BBC Click’s LJ Rich looks at the best of the week’s technology news stories including: The EU has proposed a common charger for mobile phones, tablets and headphones China’s version of TikTok, announced it will limit the use of the platform for users under 14 to 40 minutes per day Students from the Netherlands have…

The evacuation flights out of Afghanistan may have largely stopped, but with international funding largely frozen, and a humanitarian crisis escalating, thousands are still desperate to find a way out. The remote town of Zaranj, close to the borders of both Pakistan and Iran, is a major people smuggling hub. Traffickers there told BBC Afghanistan…