![Afghan government forces are said to have largely abandoned the countryside to the fighters, but are now scrambling to defend a string of cities across the country [File: AFP] (AFP)](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/000_9HB93A.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
DEVELOPING STORY
![Runners compete in a heat of the 4 x 400m mixed relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo [Charlie Riedel/ AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AP21211415742140.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
![Socially distanced pilgrims perform their Umrah in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, July 17, 2021 [Saudi Ministry of Media/Handout via Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-07-17T161337Z_1796609406_RC29MO9CNKG3_RTRMADP_3_SAUDI-HAJ.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Before Thursday, Israel's last air strikes on Lebanon dated back to 2014, when warplanes struck territory near the Syrian border [File: AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AP_19125546163485.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates after winning the men's marathon final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Sapporo on August 8, 2021 [Giuseppe Cacace/ AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/000_9KR27J.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![The mountain has seen increased volcanic activity in recent weeks, with its lava dome growing rapidly before partially collapsing on Sunday [Andreas Fitri Atmoko/Antara foto via Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-03-05T094201Z_147703720_RC2X4M9H2FHE_RTRMADP_3_INDONESIA-VOLCANO.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Hospitalisations and deaths are also increasing rapidly, though all are still below peaks seen early this year before vaccines became widely available across the US [File: Octavio Jones/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-08-07T035842Z_197274538_RC2YZO9IVAWP_RTRMADP_3_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-USA-FLORIDA.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Qatar has reported more than 227,000 cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, including 601 deaths [Showkat Shafi/ Al Jazeera]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/AF7I1072.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Haitian authorities say they have arrested 44 people in connection with the killing of President Jovenel Moise at his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, one month ago [File: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2021-07-30T175449Z_1099364161_RC25VO9VM2H8_RTRMADP_3_HAITI-COLOMBIA.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
![Runners compete in a heat of the 4 x 400m mixed relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo [Charlie Riedel/ AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AP21211415742140.jpg?resize=120%2C80)
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Al Jazeera’s special coverage of the delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
Migrants stranded in northern Colombia struggling to survive
Colombia and Panama to hold a meeting on Monday to discuss passage of thousands of migrants stranded in border region.
![Residents watch as stranded migrants from Haiti wait for a boat to take them to Capurgana, near the border with Panama, in Necocli, Colombia, on July 29 [File: Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/000_9JR7CV.jpg?resize=570%2C380)