Bruce Shapiro on the latest from the US, Elizabeth Kolbert on flawed attempts to control nature and Madlen Ziege on how animals and plants talk to each other

Laura Tingle on the latest divisions in Canberra, Stuart Kells on the high risks of water trading and Kevin Coombs on his Paralympic career as a wheelchair basketballer.

We catch up with Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary who has left Afghanistan and talk to three researchers on Afghanistan who look to the history of the Taliban to describe what life will be like under their rule.

The Pacific Forum chair has made a direct jibe at Australia over climate change. Exxon is running a highly risky oil drilling project off the coast of Guyana. And in public health everything old is new again; preventative disease measures like social distancing and masks were used in medieval times.

Bruce Shapiro on the latest in US politics, James Chin on Malaysia's new Prime Minister and Grahame Webb on Australian crocodiles killing East Timorese fisherman.

Laura Tingle on the new geopolitics of Afghanistan, Quentin Beresford on the Murray Darling and Frank Westerman on finding humanity in pre-historic skulls.

Why is is the land locked country of San Marino joining the club of countries offering Flags of Convenience? And Emily Midorikawa introduces us to some 19th century spiritualists who used their fame to push progressive agendas in surprising ways.

There is anger and distress in Britain over Afghanistan and whether enough is being done to help those left behind. Carillo Gantner, arts patron and former cultural attache to the Beijing embassy, says arts and culture could reboot Australia's relationship with China. And the BBC's Zaria Gorvett has been looking into the very long walks of some British eccentrics in the 1800s.

Bruce Shapiro on the unravelling of Afghanistan, Jane Gleeson-White discusses how women are missing from economics and Mitzi Goldman warns of funding threats to documentaries.

Laura Tingle with the latest from Canberra, Bilal Sarwary on the Taliban's arrival in Kabul and Ian Lowe asks why nuclear energy and uranium mining are continuing in the current energy market.