Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

Rescue underway after shallow quake kills 26

Rescue workers on Tuesday searched for survivors after an earthquake in a remote western region of Afghanistan killed at least 26 people and damaged hundreds of houses, officials said. Monday's magnitude-5.3 shallow quake jolted the province of Badghis and wrecked houses, mostly in Qadis district－a rural area not easily accessible by road. The victims died when roofs of their houses collapsed, said Baz Mohammad Sarwary, spokesman for the province. Taliban government spokesman Inamullah Samangani said rescue workers were helping find survivors and transferring the wounded to local hospitals.

MOROCCO

43 on migrant boat drown, NGO says

Forty-three migrants, including three infants, died after their boat capsized off the coast of Tarfaya in southern Morocco, Spanish organization Caminando Fronteras said on Monday. Ten people were rescued from the shipwreck, the organization said. The North African country is a key transit point on routes taken by migrants hoping for better lives on European shores. According to Caminando Fronteras, more than 4,000 migrants were killed or disappeared last year attempting to make their way to Spain, twice as many as in 2020. According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, more than 373,000 migrants arrived in the country by sea in 2021.

RUSSIA

Lavrov denies seeking 'pretext' to attack Kiev

Russia's top diplomat angrily rejected allegations from the United States that Moscow was "preparing a pretext" to attack Ukraine. The White House said on Friday that US intelligence officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to eastern Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage there and blame them on Ukraine in a "false-flag operation" to create a pretext for possible invasion. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the US claim as "total disinformation." He reaffirmed that Russia expects a written response this week from the US and its allies to Moscow's request for binding guarantees that NATO will not embrace Ukraine or any other ex-Soviet nations.

JAPAN

Govt ready to expand Omicron restrictions

Japan is preparing social restrictions in Tokyo and other regions as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus infects more people. The country has never had a lockdown during the pandemic but has focused instead on asking restaurants and bars to close early. Crowds are back in many parts of Japan, with people packing stores and events, while COVID-19 cases jump. The order will be finalized this week and is likely to take effect Friday, the government spokesman said on Tuesday. The measures are expected to last for about three weeks in 16 regions, including Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima.

Agencies - Xinhua