Thousands of Afghans, including government employees and security forces, gathered in an open field north of Kabul International Airport on Friday, waiting for a chance to enter the airport, as intermittent gunfire rang out near the scene.

Tourists who flocked to Doi Inthanon early Monday morning were treated to a beautiful white frost that blanked the mountaintop, as a new high-pressure front from China caused the mercury to fall to zero degrees Celsius.