Afghan pop star Aryana Saeed, an indefatigable women's rights activist, made only one request of her fiance before heading to Kabul airport when the Taliban took over the city: "just shoot me in the head but don't let them take me away alive".

Talking to the Taliban is not the same as recognizing their rule in Afghanistan, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told DW.

International donors have pledged more than $1 billion to avert an impending humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Although the Taliban won't handle the money directly, it could be spun as an endorsement of their regime.

Qatar is considered one of the countries with the most influence over the hard-line Islamist group. Meanwhile, Taliban forces in Kabul have been ordered to wear uniforms, after fighters harassed and beat people.

The Taliban acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, thanks the world for pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid to Afghanistan and urges the United States to show "heart" to the impoverished country.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin calls on the Taliban to keep its word to normalise life for Afghans and prevent violence spilling over into neighbouring countries at the summit of a Moscow and Beijing-led bloc.

Cash and gold amounting to over $12 million have been taken in raids by the Taliban on former members of the Afghan government, as Afghanistan experiences a severe cash shortfall.

UN chief Antonio Guterres calls for international engagement with the Taliban to avert an economic collapse in Afghanistan, insisting aid could be used as leverage to improve human rights.

Since the Taliban took over power, their decrees and crackdowns have shown how the Islamic fundamentalist regime wants to repress the rights of women and girls.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Saad Mohseni, the chairman and chief executive of the Moby Group, a conglomerate which owns several media outlets in Afghanistan. He believes the world should "engage with the Taliban", saying "there's an opportunity for them to moderate their policies". Mohseni noted that to his surprise, Afghanistan's new masters have so far let Moby Group's journalists carry on working.

Taliban fighters have taken over the glitzy Kabul mansion belonging to the warlord and fugitive ex-vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum.

The Indian ambassador to Qatar met with the head of Taliban's political office in Doha, marking New Delhi's first official contact with the militant group. The two sides discussed issues of safety and security.