Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

351 killed in rain disasters in 4 months

At least 351 people have lost their lives and 436 others were injured in rain-related disasters across Afghanistan over the past four months, the National Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday. Torrential rains, accompanied by violent thunderstorms and lightning, have triggered widespread floods and landslides, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive destruction, said Taj Mohammad Hemat, deputy spokesperson for the agency. Afghanistan has endured prolonged drought in recent years, raising hopes that the current rainy season would provide much-needed relief. However, the heavy downpours have unleashed destructive floods, further straining vulnerable communities across the impoverished nation.

CUBA

Colombia accused of bowing to US pressure

Cuba's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Colombian President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella's plan to close the Colombian embassy in Havana and cut bilateral ties was unjustified and reflected subordination to US policy against the island. "In an act of subordination to the United States' policy of aggression, Colombia's president-elect announces that he will sever ties with Cuba," the ministry said. It rejected remarks made by De la Espriella on Sunday, when he said he would close Colombia's diplomatic mission in Cuba and that his government would not maintain any ties with Havana.

ZIMBABWE

Scientists discover 210-m-yr-old dinosaur

A newly discovered dinosaur from Zimbabwe is offering fresh clues to how the animals diversified, suggesting they spread across distinct ecosystems in southern Africa, scientists said on Wednesday. The discovery of the new species, named Musango matusadonaensis, is based on a skeleton excavated on the shores of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe in 2018, and is the fifth dinosaur identified from the country, they said. It lived about 210 million years ago during the Late Triassic, when dinosaurs were beginning to spread across the planet but had yet to become the dominant land animals, said the international team of paleontologists behind the discovery.

XINHUA-AGENCIES