The Economist Continental Europe Edition August 21, 2021

Politics Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s president, fled to the United Arab Emirates as Kabul, the Afghan capital, was captured by the insurgents of the Taliban. A chaotic evacuation of Western personnel and some of their Afghan associates followed from Kabul airport, where at least seven people died in the tumult. President Joe Biden defended the decision to withdraw American security forces from the country and blamed the Afghan government for lacking “the will to fight”. Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia’s embattled prime minister, resigned after months of political instability and the loss of his parliamentary majority. He remains in office while Malaysia’s king chooses his successor after consulting MPs. Sultan Abdullah said holding a new election during the pandemic would be dangerous. Tropical Storm Grace drenched Haiti, slowing efforts to rescue survivors of…

The director of America’s National Institutes of Health described people who have not been vaccinated as “sitting ducks”, and warned that the number of daily cases in America could soon reach 200,000. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, who has refused to introduce mask and vaccine mandates, tested positive for covid-19. The authorities in Iran said the country was undergoing a fifth wave of infections. Curbs on travel were imposed, and shops, restaurants and cinemas ordered to close. A controversial vaccinepassport scheme in France, which has led to mass protests, was extended to around 120 department stores and shopping centres. New Zealand went into lockdown after a single case was detected. The government has faced criticism for its strict “zero-covid” approach to the pandemic. → For our latest coverage of the virus please visit…

Politics Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s president, fled to the United Arab Emirates as Kabul, the Afghan capital, was captured by the insurgents of the Taliban. A chaotic evacuation of Western personnel and some of their Afghan associates followed from Kabul airport, where at least seven people died in the tumult. President Joe Biden defended the decision to withdraw American security forces from the country and blamed the Afghan government for lacking “the will to fight”. Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia’s embattled prime minister, resigned after months of political instability and the loss of his parliamentary majority. He remains in office while Malaysia’s king chooses his successor after consulting MPs. Sultan Abdullah said holding a new election during the pandemic would be dangerous. Tropical Storm Grace drenched Haiti, slowing efforts to rescue survivors of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake…

The director of America’s National Institutes of Health described people who have not been vaccinated as “sitting ducks”, and warned that the number of daily cases in America could soon reach 200,000. Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, who has refused to introduce mask and vaccine mandates, tested positive for covid-19. The authorities in Iran said the country was undergoing a fifth wave of infections. Curbs on travel were imposed, and shops, restaurants and cinemas ordered to close. A controversial vaccinepassport scheme in France, which has led to mass protests, was extended to around 120 department stores and shopping centres. New Zealand went into lockdown after a single case was detected. The government has faced criticism for its strict “zero-covid” approach to the pandemic. → For our latest coverage of…

IF THE PROPAGANDISTS of the Taliban had scripted the collapse of America’s 20-year mission to reshape Afghanistan, they could not have come up with more harrowing images. As insurgents swept into Kabul, desperate Afghans, terrified about what the victorious zealots might do, chased departing American cargo planes down the runway, trying to clamber into the landing gear and inevitably falling to their deaths. The American-backed government had surrendered without a fight—something that American officials were insisting would not happen only days before. Afghans were left in such a horrifying bind that clinging to the wheels of a hurtling aircraft seemed their best option. America has spent $2trn in Afghanistan; more than 2,000 American lives have been lost, not to mention countless Afghan ones. And yet, even if Afghans are more…

IF THE PROPAGANDISTS of the Taliban had scripted the collapse of America’s 20-year mission to reshape Afghanistan, they could not have come up with more harrowing images. As insurgents swept into Kabul, desperate Afghans, terrified about what the victorious zealots might do, chased departing American cargo planes down the runway, trying to clamber into the landing gear and inevitably falling to their deaths. The American-backed government had surrendered without a fight—something that American officials were insisting would not happen only days before. Afghans were left in such a horrifying bind that clinging to the wheels of a hurtling aircraft seemed their best option. America has spent $2trn in Afghanistan; more than 2,000 American lives have been lost, not to mention countless Afghan ones. And yet, even if Afghans are more prosperous…