Four women have been drowned in the Helmand River in Nawa district of Helmand province, with two confirmed dead and two others still missing, local officials said on Friday.

According to a statement from the provincial Department of Information and Culture, the incident occurred after a woman was swept away by the river. In an attempt to rescue her, five other women entered the water, but the situation turned tragic when several of them were also caught in the strong current.

In a separate incident in the same district, two children — a boy and a girl — were also drowned in the Helmand River. Officials said the children remain missing.

The German Embassy in Islamabad has announced that Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan can apply for study or work visa online from 1 June 2026.

According to the embassy, all applications for study and employment visas will be processed exclusively through the Consular Services Portal of the German Federal Foreign Office. Officials said the new system is aimed at making the process “faster, easier, and more efficient” for applicants.

The embassy further clarified that applicants who have not received an appointment through the existing waiting list by 1 May 2026 will no longer be considered under the previous system.

Under the new procedure, applicants will be able to upload documents online step by step and receive feedback on whether their files are complete and correct. Once all required documents are submitted, applicants can independently book an appointment based on available slots for visa processing in Pakistan.

The United Kingdom deported only 123 Afghan asylum seekers last year, representing around two percent of the total number of Afghans whose asylum applications were rejected, according to a report by The Telegraph.

The figures highlight the limited number of returns despite a larger pool of unsuccessful applicants, underscoring the challenges facing British authorities in enforcing deportations.

The report notes that the vast majority of rejected Afghan asylum seekers remain in the UK, as legal, political, and logistical barriers continue to complicate their removal.

Discussions have been ongoing within the British government about potential arrangements to return failed asylum seekers to Afghanistan. However, no large-scale deportation framework has yet been implemented.

The issue forms part of a broader debate in the UK over migration policy, particularly as the government faces pressure to address rising numbers of asylum seekers while balancing legal and human rights considerations.