Submit your Article

A powerful magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province late Sunday, killing at least 800 people and injuring over 2,500 across Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. Entire villages have been flattened, and many residents are still trapped under rubble, BBC reported.

Rescue teams face major challenges navigating blocked roads and mountainous terrain, with helicopters deployed to reach the hardest-hit areas. As of Monday, 40 flights have evacuated 420 casualties, and medical teams continue to provide urgent care.

The UN is delivering hot meals and blankets, while the Taliban has appealed for international aid. The UK pledged £1m in relief, bypassing Taliban control. Tremors were also felt in Kabul and neighboring Pakistan, according to BBC.

A devastating landslide in Sudan’s remote Marra Mountains has killed at least 1,000 people, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army reported. Triggered by days of heavy rain on Sunday, the disaster “leveled” the village of Tarasin, leaving only one survivor, BBC reported.

The group warned of urgent humanitarian needs, including food, shelter, and medical aid, as survivors face life-threatening conditions. Many affected residents were already displaced from North Darfur due to ongoing conflict.

According to BBC, the landslide adds to the hardship in a region already suffering from civil war, displacement, and famine, highlighting the compounded risks faced by vulnerable communities in western Sudan.

Foreign visits to the United States have dropped for most of this year, with July showing a 3 percent decline from last year. Analysts link the downturn to President Trump’s trade policies, stricter immigration rules, and rising travel costs, according to Al Jazeera.

Tourism Economics projects an 8.2 percent fall in international arrivals for 2025, still well below pre-pandemic levels. Canada has seen the steepest decline, while visits from Western Europe, China, and India have also dropped. Chinese arrivals fell nearly 14 percent, and India recorded a 5.5 percent slide.

Although travel from Mexico rose slightly, a new $250 “visa integrity fee” taking effect in October is expected to make trips to the US even less attractive. Industry experts warn that higher costs and political uncertainty are undermining the country’s appeal as a global destination, Al Jazeera reported.

Belgium will formally recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly later this month and impose new sanctions on Israel, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced. Measures include banning settlement goods and reviewing Israeli firms’ access to public contracts, citing the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The move aligns Belgium with France, which pledged recognition in July. So far, about three-quarters of UN member states have recognised Palestinian statehood.

The decision comes as Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 63,000 people and injured over 160,000, according to local health authorities. In July, Belgian prosecutors also referred alleged Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court

German company DIAG Industries GmbH has submitted a detailed project report (DPR), along with estimated investment requirements, to the Office of the Investment Board Nepal (OIBN) for establishing a chemical fertilizer plant in the country. According to the report, the plant will produce two types of chemical fertilizers—urea and ammonium nitrate—through three different processes: natural gas, electrolysis and a hybrid method. The hybrid process would enable the production of both urea and ammonium nitrate simultaneously.

The project aims to replace Nepal’s fertilizer imports and reduce the country’s dependence on costly foreign supplies. The plant is expected to come into operation by 2028, according to information posted on the DIAG website. OIBN and the German firm had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) two years ago to prepare the DPR for the project. The 50th Board meeting of OIBN, held on 31 March 2022, decided to issue a survey license to DIAG based on its unsolicited proposal. As per the MoU, the company was required to submit the DPR within two years of receiving the license.

During the study, DIAG was asked to propose the most suitable technology—natural gas, electrolysis with carbon capture and storage, or a hybrid model combining both—for producing at least 700,000 tons of chemical fertilizers annually. The company has proposed to build the plant under a public–private partnership (PPP) model, with construction expected to take three and a half years.

As Nepal currently meets all of its fertilizer demand through imports, the crucial farm input often faces shortages during planting season due to supply constraints. The country’s annual demand for chemical fertilizers is estimated at around 700,000 tons. The government has allocated Rs 28.82bn in subsidies to procure 600,000 tons in the current fiscal year.

The German company has proposed to set up the plant at Bardaghat in Sarawal Rural Municipality, Nawalparasi West. The facility will cover 161.87 hectares and operate under the name DIAG Surya Green Fertilizer Pvt Ltd. According to an OIBN official, DIAG has estimated total investment at Rs 240bn.

The company has also outlined certain conditions, including a five-year tax holiday, a three-and-a-half-year construction period, guaranteed supply of 300 MW of electricity and the right to operate the plant for 30 years, among others.

Meta is introducing stronger safety controls on its AI chatbots to protect teenagers from harmful content. The update means users under 18 will no longer be able to discuss issues such as self-harm, suicide or eating disorders with the AI, and will instead be directed to professional help, BBC reported.

The move follows concerns raised after reports that Meta’s systems had engaged in inappropriate conversations with minors, sparking scrutiny from US lawmakers.

Child safety groups welcomed the changes but criticised Meta for acting too late, saying companies must test risks before rolling out powerful tools.

Meta is also tackling misuse of its AI to create sexualised chatbots mimicking celebrities, including underage figures. The company said it permits likeness-based content but bans explicit or exploitative creations, especially those involving children, according to BBC.

President Donald Trump has criticised India for what he called a “one-sided” trade relationship, accusing New Delhi of exporting heavily to the United States while importing little in return.

Trump claimed India recently offered to eliminate tariffs on US goods but said the move came “too late,” arguing it should have happened years earlier, Al Jazeera reported.

His comments follow Washington’s decision to impose tariffs of up to 50 percent on Indian imports, alongside criticism of India’s continued purchases of Russian oil and weapons.

India has not officially responded, though Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal previously insisted the country “will neither bow down nor appear weak” in trade negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has traveled to Beijing to attend China’s “Victory Day” military parade, marking his first multilateral international meeting. He will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other world leaders, BBC reported.

Kim departed Pyongyang Monday evening aboard his heavily armored train, a slow-moving convoy with around 90 carriages, including conference rooms, bedrooms, and a restaurant. The journey, expected to take about 24 hours, follows a family tradition started by his grandfather and continued by his father.

According to BBC, this is the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. Kim rarely travels abroad, with previous international trips mainly limited to meetings with Putin and a 2019 visit to Beijing.