As the weekend began, few would have predicted it would end on the Sunday evening with the Taliban back in charge of Kabul while US forces scrambled to evacuate personnel. The speed of the advance as the Afghan army seemed to melt away shocked the world and starkly revealed a miscalculation by Joe Biden. The desperate plight of ordinary Afghans, particularly women, who fear what life under Taliban strictures will bring, and the chaos at the capital’s airport are, despite Biden’s defence of his policy and objectives, likely to remain indelible stains on his presidency.
As the world slowly digests the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Observer science editor Robin McKie examines its frightening implications through the focus of the 60s sci-fi classic, The Day the Earth Caught Fire. The IPCC’s findings are unequivocal: we must take urgent action to curb global heating and prevent catastrophe. But will our policymakers and the Cop26 conference be up to the task?
The pandemic remains stubbornly with us but slowly we can begin to examine how it may affect societies in the long term. This week our Johannesburg-based correspondent Jason Burke looks at the economic fallout from Covid on Africa, where employment and trade have been hit hard with fears the continent will struggle for years to recover lost growth. The past 18 months have also accelerated the end of cash. Our pockets may be lighter, but the loss of coins and notes will alter society far beyond the shop counter.
The rude and raucous Netflix comedy Sex Education has achieved a rare feat in attracting adults and teenagers, if not always perhaps in the same room. As a new term begins at Moordale secondary school, Rebecca Nicholson meets the stars and creators of a British TV hit, and uncovers the secrets of its suggestive montages and modesty pouches.
