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50 passengers dead in Taiwan train crash

A Taiwan express train with almost 500 aboard derailed in a tunnel on Friday after hitting a truck that had slid down a bank onto the track, killing at least 50 passengers and injuring 146 in the island’s worst rail disaster in seven decades.
Images from the scene showed some carriages ripped apart by the impact, with others crumpled, hindering rescuers in their efforts to reach passengers.
By mid-afternoon no one was still trapped, though the fire department said it had found body parts, meaning the number of those killed, who included the driver, was likely to rise.
“People just fell all over each other, on top of one another,” a woman who survived the crash told domestic television. “It was terrifying. There were whole families there.”
Taiwan’s government said there were 496 people on the train, including 120 without seats. Many were tourists and people heading home at the start of a traditional long weekend holiday to tend to family graves. One French citizen was amongst the dead, officials said.
The train was traveling from Taipei, the capital, to the southeastern city of Taitung.
It came off the rails north of the eastern city of Hualien after hitting a truck that had slid off a road from a nearby construction site, Feng Hui-sheng, the Taiwan Railways Administration’s deputy director, told reporters.
Feng said the manager of the site, which was stabilizing the mountainside to prevent landslides, visited around 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) and stopped his truck in front of the site office.
“At present, it is suspected because the vehicle wasn’t braked properly, it slid for around 20 meters along the site access road and entered the eastern trunk line,” he added.
The official Central News Agency said police had taken in the manager for questioning.
The fire department showed a picture of what appeared to be the wreckage of the truck beside the derailed train, with an aerial image of one end of the train still on the track next to the construction site.
Survivors described their terror as the train slammed into the truck and ground to a halt.
“It suddenly came to a stop and then everything shook,” one told local television. “It was all so chaotic.”
Passengers in some carriages still in the tunnel had to be led to safety, the railway administration said.
Images showed an injured passenger carried away on a stretcher, with her head and neck in a brace, while others gathered suitcases and bags in a tilted, derailed carriage as some walked on the train’s roof to exit the tunnel.
The accident occurred at the beginning of a long weekend for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.
Taiwan’s mountainous east coast is a tourist destination. The railway that snakes down from Taipei hugs the coast and is known for its tunnels, in one of which the crash took place. The link to Taipei opened in 1979.
Taiwan’s state-owned railways are generally reliable and efficient but have had a patchy safety record over the years.
The last major crash was in 2018 when 18 people died and 175 were injured when a train derailed in the island’s northeast.
In 1948, 64 people are estimated to have died when a train burst into flames in northern Taiwan.
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Civil war devastated Afghans more than the Soviet invasion, says Fitrat

The civil war inflicted greater harm on the people of Afghanistan than the Soviet invasion, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of the Army Staff of the Islamic Emirate, said on Monday
“The Soviet Red Army invasion did not make the Afghan people as miserable as the civil wars and power struggles made,” he said at a ceremony marking the 33rd anniversary of the mujahideen’s victory against the former Soviet-backed regime.
Fitrat warned that if someone is thinking of occupying Afghanistan using those who have fled the country, the Afghan people are ready to fight against them even if takes thousands of years.
“No matter how they impose war on the people of Afghanistan, the people have the courage and heroism,” he said. “Their honor will never allow them to be controlled by someone else. They will fight against them. They have fought for four and a half decades and are ready to fight for thousands more. If anyone thinks of occupying our country, they will fight against them.”
Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Alhaji Mullah Noorullah Noori also stressed that Afghanistan will soon will compete with other countries in political, economic and security sectors.
“The day will come when Afghanistan will compete with the world’s major countries in every field, politically, economically, security,” he said.
Acting Minister of Information and Culture Khairullah Khairkhwa called on the officials of the Islamic Emirate to refrain from “power worship,” warning that it would lead to the collapse of the government.
“If, God forbid, we revive the past and there is power worship here again and we try to increase our influence, the regime will collapse and the people will become divided,” he said.
At the ceremony, the Chief of Staff of Army also stressed the dignified return of refugees from neighboring countries, adding that humiliating them is unacceptable for the Islamic Emirate.
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Qatar’s Prime Minister meets with Afghanistan’s foreign minister
According to Gulf Times, the two officials reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to support the Afghan people.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met with Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi who is currently visiting the country.
According to Gulf Times, the two officials reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan and discussed ways to support the Afghan people.
Al-Thani emphasized the State of Qatar’s unwavering support for all segments of the Afghan people and its continued efforts to achieve security, stability, prosperity, and a dignified life in Afghanistan.
A source told Ariana News that Muttaqi arrived in Qatar on Sunday. No further details on his trip were given.
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WFP air services in Afghanistan may be suspended due to funding crisis
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan has announced the possible suspension of its air services in the country due to a severe shortage of funding.
WFP is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan and the air services have played a vital role in transporting humanitarian aid, especially to areas difficult to reach by land.
In a message posted on X, the WFP explained that in the past, when roads were blocked, air services were the only way to deliver aid to remote areas of Afghanistan. This aid included food, medicine, and other essential items that are essential for the survival of millions of people in need in Afghanistan.
According to WFP, the organization urgently needs $10.5 million in funding to continue its relief flights in 2025.
In addition, the WFP stated that humanitarian needs in Afghanistan continue to increase and millions of people across the country are dependent on humanitarian assistance.
WFP stated that if air services are stopped, it will become very difficult, if not impossible, to deliver vital aid to areas that are not accessible by road.
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