Morning mail: Kabul chaos, extended lockdowns, climate slumber

Tuesday: Chaos at Kabul international airport as residents attempt to flee. Plus: could we avoid the climate crisis by sleeping for a year?

Good morning. Desperate scenes continue in Afghanistan as civilians die attempting to flee the country after the Taliban's seizure of Kabul. Meanwhile, Australia's Covid crisis continues to worsen, with more areas in lockdown and fears NSW case numbers could skyrocket.

US and other allied troops struggled to reopen Kabul airport after seven people were killed in chaotic scenes as desperate civilians converged on the only route out of the Afghan capital. Videos widely shared on social media showed desperate Afghans trying to cling to a US military plane as it departed Kabul and then falling to their deaths. US president Joe Biden is speaking on the situation in Afghanistan at the White House this morning after bipartisan criticism over his lack of any formal comments on what has been dubbed the biggest crisis of his presidency". In the UK, Boris Johnson is under pressure from his own MPs to urgently set up a new resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees while French president Emmanuel Macron said the European Union would be setting up an initiative to thwart the expected arrivals of refugees as divisions over immigration in Europe reopen.