By Eniola Amadu Afghanistan has been struck by one of its deadliest earthquakes in recent years, leaving more than 800 people dead and at least 2,800 others injured, authorities confirmed. The powerful quake, measuring magnitude 6, struck shortly after midnight at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), devastating villages in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar. READ ALSO: At least 250 dead after earthquake strikes eastern Afghanistan Officials reported…

By Eniola Amadu The Colombian government has presented a tax reform bill to Congress, seeking to raise 26.3 trillion pesos ($6.54 billion) to finance its 2026 spending plan, Finance Minister Germán Ávila announced. The proposal comes as Colombia faces a worsening fiscal crunch, just a year ahead of legislative and presidential elections scheduled for next August. Ávila said the reform was designed not only to provide resources for next year’s…

An 11-year-old boy has been shot dead in Houston, Texas, while playing a doorbell prank game with friends. Police said the child was struck several times as he attempted to run from a house in the city’s Eastside neighbourhood on Saturday evening. He was later pronounced dead at the scene. The Houston police department confirmed a middle-aged man had been arrested in connection with the shooting. Several firearms were recovered…

Berlin police have launched an internal investigation after video footage emerged of an Irish activist being punched in the face twice by an officer during a pro-Palestinian demonstration, prompting concern from Ireland’s foreign office. The activist, Kitty O’Brien, was seen in footage posted on social media being struck by a male officer before being dragged away, bloodied, from Thursday’s rally in the Mitte district of the German capital. Local newspaper…

The United States has suspended almost all visa approvals for Palestinians, according to reports, in a move that significantly expands earlier restrictions and has drawn widespread criticism. The New York Times reported that the suspension applies to nearly all holders of Palestinian passports, effectively blocking access to the US for medical treatment, study, business and family visits. The measure goes well beyond previous policies, which had focused primarily on residents…

Donald Trump’s efforts to influence the US Federal Reserve risk destabilising the global economy, the president of the European Central Bank has warned. Christine Lagarde said attempts by the US president to undermine the independence of the world’s most powerful central bank would have repercussions well beyond America’s borders. Speaking to France’s Radio Classique, Lagarde said removing the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, or governor Lisa Cook would be a “very…

A plane carrying the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, was forced to circle above Bulgaria for an hour after losing satellite navigation signals in what authorities believe was the result of Russian interference. The incident occurred on Sunday as von der Leyen was travelling by charter aircraft to the city of Plovdiv during a tour of EU member states on the bloc’s eastern frontier. Bulgarian officials suspect the…

At least 250 people have been killed and hundreds more injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, flattening homes and leaving rescuers scrambling to reach remote communities. The magnitude 6 tremor struck the rugged province of Kunar at 11.47pm, with its epicentre located 27km north-east of Jalalabad in neighbouring Nangarhar, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake struck at a depth of just 8km,…

The Taliban have ordered the closure of clandestine beauty salons still operating in Afghanistan, warning that women running them have one month to cease work or face arrest. The directive intensifies the group’s already severe restrictions on women’s lives, stripping away one of the last remaining spaces where Afghan women could gather, earn livelihoods and maintain a sense of dignity. Officially, all beauty salons were closed in August 2023, a…

By Eniola Amadu  Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, has been killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, according to Israel. Defence Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, for what he described on X as a “flawless execution.” The IDF had earlier said its aircraft struck “a key terrorist” in the al-Rimal neighbourhood on Saturday, sparking speculation…

A federal judge in Washington has temporarily blocked the deportation of a group of Guatemalan children who crossed the United States border without their families, after lawyers argued that the minors were being placed on planes in violation of laws designed to protect migrant children. Attorneys for ten Guatemalan children, aged between 10 and 17, filed papers late on Saturday reporting that the youngsters were due to be flown to…

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin met on Sunday on the sidelines of a high-profile summit in Tianjin that seeks to present an alternative to western-led alliances. The Chinese and Russian leaders, who describe their relationship as a “limitless” partnership, held talks covering Putin’s recent meeting with Donald Trump, though the Kremlin declined to give details. Their bilateral discussion was one of several held by Xi during the annual Shanghai Cooperation…