6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan on Wednesday
At 1:30am on the 22nd of June, a powerful earthquake struck near the city of Khosk, with tremors felt in the capital, Kabul, and as far as Pakistan and India. So far, there are at least 1000 reported deaths and 1500 people left injured; the numbers are set to rise as information trickles from remote villages. Taliban officials appealed for the UN’s aid to “support them in terms of assessing the needs and responding to those affected”, as rescue operations were complicated by extreme weather conditions, including landslides and heavy rains. Aid workers have stated that there is also limited access to smaller hillside settlements due to the conditions of the roads leading there. This was the deadliest earthquake in the region since 2002.
Deadly flooding in Bangladesh and India
Severe monsoon storms have triggered lightning strikes and landslides, with forecasts predicting the situation will worsen. Schools have been converted to shelters, and troops have been deployed to evacuate those separated from their communities by the rising water. More than 1.8 million people were affected by the nonstop downpours, with hospitals having to move patients to higher floors. There is scarce drinking water, and many people remain stranded, unable to reach aid. Although some farmers benefit from the rain, both Bangladesh and India have experienced more and more extreme monsoon seasons in the recent years, causing irreparable damage and affecting the lives of many.
Rail strikes still to go ahead this week, as talks remain unsuccessful
With the disruption to rail services this week, plus the London Underground strike on Tuesday, many are wondering what the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) Union is campaigning for. These strikes are the biggest in the UK in thirty years (the last one ended with a pay rise of 8.8% for all workers). Although the strikes are scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, delays and cancellations have been experienced as far as Scotland and Wales, which, although not directly involved with the RMT, rely on their staff for maintenance. The Union members are taking a stand against pay and conditions, asking for a 7% rise to buffer the effect of the soaring inflation (11%), already rejecting an offer of 2% during talks. The rail companies argue that commuter habits haven’t returned to pre-Covid patterns, meaning there is a lot of lost revenue which Governmental subsidies simply don’t cover, hence why they believe the demands are not feasible.
