• People salvage their belongings from a damaged house in the earthquake-affected Gayan village in the Paktika province, Afghanistan. EPA
    People salvage their belongings from a damaged house in the earthquake-affected Gayan village in the Paktika province, Afghanistan. EPA
  • The 5. 9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless. AFP
    The 5. 9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless. AFP
  • An Afghan man stands besides the ruins of a house damaged after an earthquake in Gayan. AFP
    An Afghan man stands besides the ruins of a house damaged after an earthquake in Gayan. AFP
  • Afghan men talk among themselves as they look for their belongings amid the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
    Afghan men talk among themselves as they look for their belongings amid the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
  • Afghan children play in the backdrop of houses damaged after the earthquake. AFP
    Afghan children play in the backdrop of houses damaged after the earthquake. AFP
  • World Food Programme trucks with aid material head out towards affected villages. AFP
    World Food Programme trucks with aid material head out towards affected villages. AFP
  • A Taliban helicopter carrying aid lands in Gayan. Reuters
    A Taliban helicopter carrying aid lands in Gayan. Reuters
  • An Afghan family carry their belongings following the earthquake. Reuters
    An Afghan family carry their belongings following the earthquake. Reuters
  • A man carries a sack in Gayan. Reuters
    A man carries a sack in Gayan. Reuters
  • Afghan men receive bread. Reuters
    Afghan men receive bread. Reuters
  • Afghan men stand on the debris of a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Gayan. Reuters
    Afghan men stand on the debris of a house that was destroyed by an earthquake in Gayan. Reuters
  • An Afghan woman is treated by a doctor. Reuters
    An Afghan woman is treated by a doctor. Reuters
  • Afghan people wait to receive aid in Gayan. Reuters
    Afghan people wait to receive aid in Gayan. Reuters
  • Volunteers gather medicine and other items brought by Afghan Minister of Refugees Khalil Ahmad Haqqani (not pictured) during his visit to Gayan. EPA
    Volunteers gather medicine and other items brought by Afghan Minister of Refugees Khalil Ahmad Haqqani (not pictured) during his visit to Gayan. EPA
  • An Afghan youth sits besides the ruins of damaged houses. AFP
    An Afghan youth sits besides the ruins of damaged houses. AFP

Afghanistan earthquake: Taliban calls for release of frozen funds


  • English
  • Arabic

Afghanistan's Taliban administration has called on international governments to lift a freeze on central bank assets after the earthquake that killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands homeless.

The 6.1-magnitude quake struck the east of the country early on Wednesday, killing more than 1,000 people and destroying or damaging 10,000 homes.

The disaster has created yet more strain on the country's fragile health system, posing a major test for the ruling Taliban.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, told Reuters that the country was "asking the world to give the Afghans their most basic right, which is their right to life and that is through lifting the sanctions and unfreezing our assets and also giving assistance".

While humanitarian aid continues to flow to Afghanistan, funds needed for longer-term development were halted when the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.

The administration of the hard-line group is not formally recognised by international governments.

Billions of US dollars in Afghan central bank reserves remain frozen overseas and sanctions hamper the banking sector, with the West pushing for concessions on human rights.

Western governments are particularly concerned about the rights of women and girls to work and study under Taliban rule. In March, the group stopped high schools for girls from opening.

Mr Balkhi said Afghans' right to life-saving funds should be the priority and accused the international community of handling concerns over human rights differently depending on the country involved.

"Is this rule universal? Because the United States just passed an anti-abortion law," he said, referring to the Supreme Court's overturning on Friday of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling that recognised a woman's right to an abortion.

"Sixteen countries in the world have taken away the rights of religious minorities, especially Muslims ... are they also facing sanctions because they are violating rights?"

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the US government was working on "complicated questions about the use of these [frozen central bank] funds to ensure they benefit the people of Afghanistan and not the Taliban".

She said the US Agency for International Development was providing assistance with humanitarian organisations.

Thousands affected by the earthquake are in need of clean water and food and are prone to disease, an Afghan Health Ministry official said on Sunday, days after a UN agency gave a warning of a cholera outbreak in the region.

"The people are extremely needy for food and clean water," Sharafat Zaman told Reuters.

Volunteers prepare to distribute aid for earthquake victims in Gayan district, Paktika province. AFP
Volunteers prepare to distribute aid for earthquake victims in Gayan district, Paktika province. AFP

He said officials had managed medicine for now but handling those who had lost their homes would be a challenge.

"We ask the international community — humanitarian organisations — to help us for food and medicine, the survivor might catch diseases because they don’t have proper houses and shelters for living," he said.

The UN and several other countries have rushed aid to affected areas, with more due to arrive over the coming days.

In Kabul, hospitals more used to treating victims of war have opened their wards to earthquake victims but a majority of people remain in the areas destroyed by the earthquake.

The World Health Organisation on Sunday said nearly 10 tonnes of medicine and additional supplies had been shipped from Kabul to the affected areas.

The supplies are enough to provide medical treatment for 36,00 people for the next three months, the WHO said.

"An additional shipment of health supplies is due to arrive in the country from WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai in the coming days," it said.

The UN agency said it was closely monitoring cases of acute diarrhoea, measles and Covid-19 and was offering mental and psychosocial support to people affected by the quake.

“The earthquake was yet another tragic reminder of the various risks facing the Afghan people and how critical that Afghanistan should not become another forgotten emergency by the global community,” said Dr Dapeng Luo, the WHO representative in the country.

Hazrat Ali, 18, told a Reuters team in Wor Kali, a village of the hardest-hit Barmal district: "Our houses were destroyed, we have no tent ... there are lots of children with us. We have nothing. Our food and clothes ... everything is under rubble.

"I have lost my brothers, my heart is broken. Now we are just two. I loved them a lot."

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Wonka
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

A general guide to how active you are:

Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary

5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active

10,000  - 12,500 steps - active

12,500 - highly active

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

Fixtures

Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs

Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms

Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles

Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon

Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon

Stage results

1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep  4:39:05

2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08

3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time 

4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t  

5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t  

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t 

7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t

8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t     

9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo  s.t

10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
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The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

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Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

What is graphene?

Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Ferrari
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Updated: June 26, 2022, 12:48 PM