Your Thursday recap: Deadly earthquake in Afghanistan

We’re talking about a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan and the effects of China’s Taiwan fishing ban.

At least 1,000 people were killed by the earthquake in Afghanistan

Yesterday, an earthquake struck a remote and mountainous region of Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring at least 1,600 others.

The earthquake, was magnitude 5.9, about 28 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost, but the worst damage has been in neighboring Paktika province, which lies along the border with Pakistan and where some residents live in houses made of clay and straw. It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in more than two decades and the death toll is expected to rise, a United Nations agency said.

Search and rescue efforts, led by the Afghan Defense Ministry, were hampered by wind and heavy rain, which prevented the helicopter from landing safely. A UN representative in Afghanistan reported that nearly 2,000 houses had been destroyed. The representative said Afghan families are often large and families sometimes live together, and the earthquake will most likely cause many people to be displaced.

Witness: Sarhadi Khosti, 26, who lives in Sperah district, Khost province, said he was woken up by the quake after 1 a.m. and that several houses – especially those made of earth or wood – were destroyed . “For now, we are still busy pulling the dead or injured from under the rubble,” he said.

Pakistan: The quake hit several parts of Pakistan, but the country was not spared the damage it suffered in neighboring Afghanistan.

Government: The earthquake is just the latest challenge for confront the fledgling Taliban government.

The Russian army’s slow and brutal advance has tightened their vision around Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk – neighboring cities where Ukrainian forces are trying to prevent Russia from taking over the entire Luhansk province. Moscow’s forces controlled much of Sievierodonetsk, making the defense of Lysychansk an important confrontation for control of the Donbas region.

Russia controls about half of Donetsk province and is pushing from the east, north and south to try to capture more territory there. But analysts say defeated Russian forces face an even tougher battle in Donetsk than in Luhansk.

More news from the war in Ukraine:

• Finland and Sweden, who applied to join NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are expected to join the alliance shortly. Turkey has other ideas.

China pressures Taiwan with fishing ban

China’s recent ban on grouper imports from Taiwan has quickly turned a lucrative industry into one vying for support. threatens the livelihoods of fish farmers there and shows the extent of China’s economic power.

Without a Chinese market, grouper, known for its lean and moist meat, is falling. Last year, the majority of Taiwan’s grouper exports – 91% and worth more than $50 million – went to China. Most of those groupers are shipped alive, and re-marketing will most likely require a refrigerated or frozen transport system, which will add to costs.

The ban comes as China’s leader, Xi Jinping – who has said that Taiwan’s reunification with China is inevitable – has increased pressure on the island: sending military aircraft to the island. island almost daily, stripping the country of its diplomatic allies and preventing it from joining international organizations. Recently, Beijing has sought to limit the island’s access to China’s vast consumer market, banning Taiwanese pineapples and wax apples – and now grouper.

What’s next: The Agriculture Council of Taiwan said it would consider filing a complaint about the grouper ban with the World Trade Organization. Meanwhile, grouper farmers said they will have to deal with selling fish in the domestic market at a large loss.

Families whose loved ones have been kidnapped or imprisoned by North Korea are seek to sue the country in hopes of keeping it financially responsible. The odds of any money being collected from the isolated country are low, but some recent payments from confiscated North Korean property have given some families reason to be cautiously optimistic. important.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Cooking for beginners

When it comes to cooking, we all have to start somewhere – and for some of us, that starts with slicing an onion or cracking an egg in a pan. Maybe you’ve just graduated from college and made your own for the first time, or perhaps you’ve never mastered cooking. Either way, there’s still hope.

Nikita Richardson, an editor for The Times’ Food section, collated these ten recipes for beginners using hard boiled water. Arranged from easiest to most difficult, they include a bowl of no-cook tuna mayo rice at the easier end and oven-roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and lemon for more of a challenge.

With practice, repetition, and patience, you’ll not only develop a range of skills that you can apply to other kitchen exploits, but also 10 delicious dishes that are worth your while. heat up. Bon Appetite! – Natasha Frost, a writer on Briefings