Thursday, October 7, 2021

TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Thursday, October 7th: *) UN warns that Afghanistan's economy is on the verge of collapse Afghanistan’s health system is failing and the economy is on the brink of collapse, the country’s director for the World Food Progamme has warned. Mary-Ellen McGroarty said donor pledges and commitments “must urgently be turned into reality” before it is too late. Nearly half the population, more than 18 million people, require aid assistance to survive, while conflict and insecurity have displaced more than 3.5 million, with nearly 700,000 uprooted this year alone, UN figures say. In mid-August, the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in parallel with a US troop withdrawal from the country. *) Earthquake in southern Pakistan kills more than a dozen people A magnitude 5.7 quake strikes Pakistan’s southern Balochistan province, killing at least 20 people and wounding 200 others, officials say, warning death toll could rise. The worst-affected area has been the remote mountainous city of Harnai, where a lack of paved roads and electricity has hampered the rescue effort. Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes. *) Probe finds refugees face illegal pushback at Greece, Croatia borders Migrants and refugees are suffering sometimes violent illegal pushback carried out by special police units at the EU's borders, especially Greece and Croatia, says Germany's Der Spiegel. Videos of 11 pushbacks described by Der Spiegel allegedly show men beating refugees before bringing them back across the border into Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Asylum-seekers' testimony is piling up in Greece, Romania, and Croatia, gathered by aid groups, lawyers, and journalists," the paper added. *) Armed bandits kill more than a dozen in northwest Nigeria Armed men have killed at least 18 people and set ablaze cars and shops in Nigeria's Zamfara state, two residents have said. The attack comes as the government imposed a telecoms