Hundreds were killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan
Rescue workers yesterday scrambled to reach isolated, mountainous areas in eastern Afghanistan after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake killed more than 800 people and injured 2,500 others there. Afghan officials warned that the death toll would probably rise.
Recovery efforts were complicated by landslides that stranded villages, and only a handful of countries, including Iran, India, Japan and the E.U., offered relief assistance to the Taliban government.
Most of the destruction took place in the province of Kunar, which borders Pakistan, but hospitals were operational, the acting head of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Afghanistan said. Here’s what else to know about the quake.
Humanitarian crises: The quake struck Afghanistan as it grapples with overlapping crises. More than half of the country’s 42 million people are in need of aid, according to the U.N. Aid organizations are bracing for a painful winter amid dwindling funds and the return of more than two million Afghans from neighboring Pakistan and Iran. Watch a video of the rescue efforts.
A test of Brazil’s democracy
Former President Jair Bolsonaro goes on trial today on charges of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
Plainclothes police officers are closely watching the Brasília home where he is under house arrest, in case he tries to flee. Bolsonaro, who has been wearing an ankle monitor, has denied the charges.
Many Brazilians see the trial as a triumph of democracy, my colleagues Jack Nicas and Ana Ionova wrote. Brazil, which emerged from dictatorship just 40 years ago, will have accomplished something the U.S. could not: bringing a former president to trial on criminal charges that he tried to cling to power after losing an election.
But the way Brazil did it — by giving its Supreme Court, and one justice in particular, extraordinary powers — has raised uncomfortable questions about overreach. The country is bracing for unrest during the trial.
Details: The trial before Brazil’s Supreme Court is expected to last two weeks and will weigh evidence collected by investigators over nearly two years. This includes key testimony from Bolsonaro’s personal secretary, who confessed as part of a plea deal.
Xi, Putin and Modi signaled unity
The leaders of China, Russia and India smiled and laughed like good friends when they greeted one another yesterday at a summit in Tianjin, China.
In a speech, President Xi Jinping took not-so-subtle jabs at the U.S., urging leaders to oppose a “Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying.” Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, blamed the West for the war in Ukraine. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of “promoting multilateralism and an inclusive world order,” or a system in which countries like India have more say in global affairs. Afterward, Modi and Putin spoke in Putin’s limousine for 50 minutes as they rode together to their official meeting, according to Russian state media.
| MORE TOP NEWS |
| Gaza: Israel’s shift in cease-fire talks and its plan for a new offensive in Gaza City mean that the fighting is unlikely to end soon. Russia: The Bulgarian authorities believe that Russia was behind the GPS jamming of a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the E.U.’s executive branch. Ukraine: The police arrested a suspect in the murder of a former parliamentary speaker, accusing Moscow of involvement. Australia: Far-right, anti-immigration protests are worrying government officials. South Korea: Doctors started returning to work after an 18-month walkout. Business: Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, said it had dismissed its C.E.O. over an undisclosed relationship with a subordinate. Mexico: Cartels are adopting the tools of modern warfare, including drones. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
| Soccer: Liverpool reached a deal to sign Alexander Isak. Here are the highlights from transfer deadline day in Europe. Tennis: Naomi Osaka knocked out Coco Gauff on Day 9 of the U.S. Open. Formula 1: Lando Norris is reshaping his tactics after his Dutch Grand Prix retirement. |
| MORNING READ |
Heart patients at a rehabilitation center in Austria can hike in the woods, relax in a sauna or learn to make low-fat tiramisù, all as part of their treatment. The rehab is one of a number of such facilities across Austria that offer stays largely covered by the government’s social insurance program.
The facilities are often purposefully built in quiet, rural settings conducive to recovery. A doctor said that it was critical for cardiology patients to get away and “have, possibly for the first time in their lives, time for themselves.” Read more.
| CONVERSATION STARTERS |
| Underground ink: Tattoos are technically illegal in South Korea. But as the art form gains popularity, that could soon change. Sabrina Impacciatore: The Italian actress charmed in “The White Lotus.” Now, with “The Paper,” she seems poised to become a star in America. Potent pot: High-strength Californian weed is so popular in Britain that large quantities are being smuggled on passenger flights. Fashion comeback: Why are everyone’s bra straps showing these days? |
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
Bad Bunny’s in town. And it’s not just music that’s booming.
The rapper Bad Bunny has returned home to Puerto Rico for a 30-concert series in San Juan, and it’s giving the island’s economy a big lift.
Bad Bunny’s residency, which ends on Sept. 14, is expected to draw 600,000 attendees and to have a direct economic impact of $250 million. Moody’s, an analytics company, raised its 2025 growth forecast for Puerto Rico to 0.4 percent, from 0.3 percent, partly because of the residency. The rapper’s home stay comes ahead of an eight-month world tour and follows the wildly successful tours of megastars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, which buoyed local economies around the world. Read more.
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Bake: Katharine Hepburn’s brownies are incredibly rich and gooey.
