International News
Afghanistan Earthquake: Death Toll Rises To More Than 800 — Taliban Authorities
A massive rescue operation was underway in Afghanistan on Monday, after a strong earthquake collapsed homes onto sleeping families in a remote, mountainous region, killing more than 800 people with the toll expected to rise, Taliban authorities said.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck just before midnight, rattling buildings from Kabul to neighbouring Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.
Casualties and destruction swept across at least five provinces and rescuers were still pulling people from destroyed homes and evacuating the injured by helicopter as evening approached.
“The search operation is still going on. Many people are stuck under the rubble of their roofs,” the disaster management head in eastern Kunar province, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told AFP, warning the death toll could rise.
Around 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured in Kunar alone, near the epicentre, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Another 12 people were killed and 255 injured in neighbouring Nangarhar province, while 58 people were injured in Laghman province.
In Wadir village in Kunar’s Nurgal district, dozens of residents of the surrounding area helped rescuers to pull people from the rubble of flattened homes, sometimes with their bare hands, AFP journalists saw.
Many injured were transported to hospitals in Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province, such as 22-year-old Zafar Khan Gojar, who was evacuated from Nurgal along with his brother whose leg was broken.
“The rooms and walls collapsed… killing some children and injuring others,” he told AFP.
The earthquake epicentre was about 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Jalalabad, according to the USGS, which said it struck about eight kilometres below the Earth’s surface.
‘Fear and tension’
Relatively shallow quakes can cause more damage, especially since the majority of Afghans live in low-rise, mud-brick homes vulnerable to collapse.
Some of the most severely impacted villages in Kunar “remain inaccessible due to road blockages”, the UN migration agency warned in a statement to AFP.
Roads remained blocked nearly 20 hours after the earthquake, despite resident efforts to clear the way.
“There is a lot of fear and tension… Children and women were screaming. We had never experienced anything like this in our lives,” a member of the agricultural department in Nurgal Ijaz Ulhaq Yaad told AFP.
He said that many living in quake-hit villages were among the more than four million Afghans who have returned to the country from Iran and Pakistan in recent years.
“They wanted to build their homes here.”
Nangarhar and Kunar provinces border Pakistan, with the Torkham crossing the site of many waves of Afghan returnees deported or forced to leave, often with no work and nowhere to go.
UN chief Antonio Guterres added his condolences to those shared by the Taliban government and several nations.
“I stand in full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan after the devastating earthquake that hit the country earlier today,” he said.
In a post shared by the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened by the significant loss of life caused by the earthquake in the area of eastern Afghanistan”.
Frequent quakes
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasia and India tectonic plates.
Since 1900, there have been 12 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than seven in northeast Afghanistan, according to Brian Baptie, a seismologist at the British Geological Survey.
“This scale of the seismic activity, the potential for multi-hazard events and the construction of structures in the region can combine to create significant loss of life in such events,” he said.
In October 2023, western Herat province was devastated by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 1,500 people and damaged or destroyed more than 63,000 homes.
A 5.9-magnitude quake struck the eastern province of Paktika in June 2022, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
Ravaged by four decades of war, Afghanistan is already contending with a series of humanitarian crises.
Since the return of the Taliban in 2021, foreign aid to Afghanistan has been slashed, undermining the impoverished nation’s already hamstrung ability to respond to disasters.
Around 85 percent of the Afghan population lives on less than one dollar a day, according to the UN Development Programme.
AFP
The World Cup 2026 playoffs have delivered their final verdict, and while many nations celebrate qualification, others face bitter disappointment. Among the biggest shocks is Italy’s elimination against Bosnia and Herzegovina (1-1, 4-1 on penalties), marking a third consecutive absence from the tournament.
“It’s a devastating blow,” many observers noted, as captain Gianluigi Donnarumma will miss yet another World Cup at 27. The list of absent goalkeepers also includes Jan Oblak, André Onana, and Giorgi Mamardashvili, all denied a place on football’s biggest stage.
Federico Dimarco (Italy)
Several global stars will also be watching from home. Robert Lewandowski headlines the list after Poland’s elimination against Sweden. “Football can be cruel… it hurts because we were so close,” he admitted after the match. Alongside him, names like Victor Osimhen, Dusan Vlahovic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Serhou Guirassy will miss out, as will creative forces such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Dominik Szoboszlai. Even promising talents like Rasmus Højlund and Benjamin Sesko failed to secure qualification, highlighting the fierce competition across continents.
Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
Injuries have also played their part in shaping this list of absentees. Rodrygo is expected to miss out despite being in contention, while Neymar Jr. still hopes for a late call-up after a long absence from the national team. Jack Grealish, sidelined with a stress fracture, also faces a race against time. As the tournament approaches, the absence of these major names serves as a reminder of how unforgiving international football can be, even for the game’s biggest stars.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary)
A Nigerian national has been arrested in Bengaluru, India, for allegedly running a major drug distribution network, with authorities recovering MDMA crystals (ecstasy)worth about Rs 2 crore (over N290 million).
The arrest forms part of a wider crackdown on narcotics operations targeting both students and the general public in the city.
According to the Indian Express on Tuesday, the suspect, Samuel Ikkena, 44, was apprehended by the Yelahanka police in Bengaluru, Karnataka State, for allegedly running an MDMA racket disguised as a clothing business.
MDMA, also known as ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug often sold illegally for recreational use.
Ikkena reportedly “procured MDMA near Bannerghatta for Rs 50,000 (around N3.5 million) and sold it at higher rates through a structured illegal network.”
He arrived in India in 2012 on a business visa, initially trading garments in Delhi and Mumbai before moving to Bengaluru in 2025.
Police said investigators recovered 2 kg of MDMA crystals, valued at around Rs 2 crore (N140 million), along with 31.396 kg of cannabis (ganja), 220 g of hydro ganja, additional heroin, and a two-wheeler used for transporting the drugs.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh described the total contraband as “estimated at Rs 2.57 crore (N180 million), with a potential street value of approximately Rs 5.14 crore (N360 million).”
Ikenna’s arrest was part of a larger operation that led to 11 arrests, including two foreigners and eight locals, at locations across Bengaluru, including Yelahanka, Adugodi, Bharathinagar, Jalahalli, and Pulakeshinagar. The Adugodi police also arrested Baljit Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, and Arjun Joshi, a Nepalese national, for allegedly supplying heroin in the city.
Police said Joshi, who initially consumed drugs, began selling heroin after sourcing it from Baljit Singh. Authorities recovered 162 g of heroin worth Rs 55 lakh (N3.85 million) and three mobile phones from the duo.
Police said the accused procured drugs from both foreign and interstate suppliers and sold them at inflated prices. Investigators have registered cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and are working to trace the main kingpins behind the network.
International News
Protest Breaks Out in South Africa Over Controversial Coronation of ‘Nigerian King’
Tempers flared in parts of South Africa following a protest against the controversial coronation of a self-proclaimed Nigerian king, one Solomon Ezika.
The demonstration, led by community groups and traditional leaders in East London, turned violent after initially starting peacefully.
More than 10 vehicles were reportedly set ablaze amid unverified claims that a protester had been stabbed.
Police intervened to disperse the crowd, firing rubber bullets.
Authorities, however, say the alleged stabbing has not been confirmed, adding that no official injuries have been recorded.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s acting High Commissioner in South Africa has distanced the diplomatic mission from Ezika, describing the coronation as an isolated incident fuelled by misinformation and lacking legitimate authority.
-
News3 years ago2023 Elections: Outgoing Rwandan High Commissioner say s Nigeria, ‘ handle their destiny’ in a peaceful way.
-
News3 years agoJust In: President Tinubu returns to Nigeria
-
Entertainment3 years agoSocial media cloth Vendor Found Dead In Ibadan Hotel.
-
Entertainment3 years ago9mobile Ambassadors Begin “Meet And Greet” Session With Staffs, Customers.
-
News3 years agoOgun HoS Solicit Affordable Housing For Civil Servants
-
Trending News3 years agoFG begins 40% pay rise for workers.
-
News3 years agoSeveral Dead As vehicle Bursts Into Flames In Lagos.
-
Health & Wellness3 years agoBreastfed babies have lower risks of diabetes – Nutritionist