The stark number of dead and injured from this week’s two 6.3-magnitude earthquakes in north-west Afghanistan’s Herat province leaves us with just a glimpse of the latest tragedy that has befallen the Afghan people. It is the grim particulars of families torn apart, buildings reduced to rubble and people’s struggle to survive that reflects the true scale of the devastation.
In Zinda Jan district, 40km from Herat city and one of the worst-hit areas, survivors and volunteers told The National they were using bulldozers to hollow out the earth and bury hundreds of victims. Madina Jamil, a resident of Herat city who is volunteering in Zinda Jan, said entire families perished and, in some cases, “10 or even 15 members of one family were found dead”.
“It is a tragic sight to pull out people from under the rubble and then bury them again," Mr Jamil added.
Reports suggest anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 people may have died in the quakes and subsequent aftershocks although much remains unknown about the full extent of the devastation and death toll, because the country’s Taliban rulers are unlikely to have comprehensive population records for the area. What can be surmised however, is that this kind of disaster is a distressing reminder of the urgent need to find an effective political, operational and financial understanding with Afghanistan’s current administration.
Although several countries are supplying aid – including the UAE, which on Tuesday sent a plane carrying 33 tonnes of urgent food supplies – Afghanistan’s continuing international isolation and the withholding of billions of dollars’ worth of state funds arguably leaves the poverty-stricken population more vulnerable than it needs to be. Similarly, the Taliban’s often-testy relationship with many international NGOs has also left people to the mercy of natural disasters – and Afghanistan is certainly no stranger to earthquakes.
As well as the immediate destruction and loss of life this week, such disasters also fuel Afghanistan’s migration crisis, which is being exacerbated by neighbouring Pakistan’s deadline for undocumented Afghan refugees to leave by the end of the month. Many breadwinners will have perished in the earthquakes, posing a long-term problem for many families.
As we have seen with similarly devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, it will take years to rebuild and for a war-torn country such as Afghanistan that lacks major international donor support, the suffering will be unnecessarily dragged out. Winter is approaching and displaced families will need food and shelter – who is going to pay for and supply it? Sadly, there has been a relative lack of international financial support so far, although China is reported to have donated $200,000 through Afghanistan’s foreign ministry.
The timing of the deadly earthquakes coincides with the Israel-Gaza war, meaning Afghanistan is once again not getting the attention it deserves. However, the earthquakes are a brutal reminder of the human cost of unimaginative diplomacy, obstinate governance and a failure to embrace pragmatism. The Taliban needs to work better and more closely with NGOs offering help. Similarly, potential donor countries need to come up with more creative ways of supporting Afghanistan’s people, not just in times of crisis, such as this one, but in the years ahead.
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
RESULT
Wolves 1 (Traore 67')
Tottenham 2 (Moura 8', Vertonghen 90 1')
Man of the Match: Adama Traore (Wolves)
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
McIlroy's recent struggles
Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)
Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)
The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)
The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)
US Open Missed the cut (78)
Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)
Irish Open Missed the cut (72)
HOW TO WATCH
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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
AL%20BOOM
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
Porto (0) v Liverpool (2), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
