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Brilliant Bayern humiliate hapless Barca with 8-2 crushing

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German champions Bayern Munich utterly humiliated Barcelona with an extraordinary 8-2 demolition job on Friday that sent them through into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Thomas Mueller scored twice for a rampant Bayern, who led 4-1 after 31 astonishing minutes, as Lionel Messi and his team mates were condemned to a thrashing that felt like the end of an era for the illustrious Catalan club.

“We feel devastated, although shame is the real word I’m looking for,” said Barca defender Gerard Pique, adding that the historic defeat called for urgent changes across the club.

Barca coach Quique Setien, who is unlikely to survive the looming inquest, called the drubbing “a tremendously painful defeat”.

Bayern coach Hansi Flick hailed an “outstanding” display from his side but stressed that they were firmly focused on the semi-final, which will be against Manchester City or Olympique Lyonnais.

Mueller added: “We had so much fun today. Of course, Barcelona are special, so we had to be even more aggressive and come back again and again.

“You can imagine we feel good after this match but we have to be quiet and regenerate.”

The scoreline recalled Germany’s 7-1 semi-final win over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, a game where Flick was on the bench as the national team’s assistant coach.

It began with Bayern grabbing a fourth-minute lead when Mueller collected Ivan Perisic’s cross from the left and played a clever one-two with Robert Lewandowski before drilling home.

But within three minutes Barca had struck back – Clement Lenglet’s super long ball found Jordi Alba in space and David Alaba’s attempt to deal with his searching cross ended up flying past his own keeper Manuel Neuer.

Neuer then had to be quick off his line to foil a goal-bound Luis Suarez but was almost caught out by Messi’s cross-shot from the right which drifted through the area and struck the post.

But just as Barca seemed to have established themselves, the Germans regained their lead in the 21st minute — Serge Gnabry fed Perisic on the left and the Croatian glanced up to see his options before drilling past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Bayern then added the third as Barca’s defence was opened up again with ease. Thiago Alcantara was given plenty of space in midfield to find Leon Goretzka whose superb ball picked out Gnabry, who had got behind Lenglet and then made no mistake with the finish.

Flick’s side were running riot and it got worse for Barca when a low cross from Joshua Kimmich was turned in at the near post by Mueller — another goal of ruthless simplicity making it 4-1 at the break.

The Spaniards desperately needed to find a way to shift the momentum after the break and Suarez, one of the few Barca players to emerge with any credit from the encounter, provided a route back into the game with a fine strike, in the 57th minute.

Jordi Alba found Suarez on the edge of the box and the Uruguayan jinked passed Jerome Boateng before blasting home.

But Bayern were in no mood to turn down the heat and six minutes later they restored their three-goal advantage thanks to some outstanding work from their Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies.

The left back dribbled in from the flank, danced past Nelson Semedo to get to the byline and then pulled the ball back to fellow full back Kimmich to slot home and make it 5-2.

Somehow Bayern had managed to score five goals without prolific striker Robert Lewandowski, who had scored in his previous seven Champions League matches, getting in on the act.

Eight minutes from the end, the Pole put that right.

Substitute Philippe Coutinho, who is on loan at the German club from Barca, floated over a cross from the left which Lewandowski firmly headed home at the back post.

To add insult to the already painful injury, Coutinho then scored two more before the end, as Barcelona fell apart in unimaginable fashion to the brilliance of the Bavarians.

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Deadly Floods Devastate Afghanistan’s Nuristan; Death Toll Rises to 20, More Than 100 Missing

spokesperson for the Nuristan governor, said the flooding caused extensive destruction across the provincial capital, with financial losses estimated at around $35 million.

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Flash floods have caused widespread devastation in Parun, the capital of Afghanistan’s eastern Nuristan province, with authorities reporting a sharp rise in casualties as search and rescue operations continue.

According to Afghanistan’s National Disaster Preparedness Authority, preliminary figures show that 20 people have been killed, around 80 injured and more than 100 remain missing after powerful floods swept through the city on Monday afternoon.

Mohammad Yousuf Hamad, spokesperson for the authority, said the casualty figures are preliminary and could change as emergency teams continue searching for survivors and those still missing.

Earlier, local officials reported that the floods struck Parun at around 3:00pm, damaging the municipality building, several hotels, telecommunications offices, parks, bridges and dozens of residential homes.

Faridun Samim, spokesperson for the Nuristan governor, said the flooding caused extensive destruction across the provincial capital, with financial losses estimated at around $35 million.

The Islamic Emirate has expressed condolences to the families of the victims and pledged assistance to those affected, while rescue teams remain on the ground to support ongoing relief efforts.

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Rights group warns of growing food insecurity in Afghanistan

The humanitarian situation has also been worsened by the return of nearly six million Afghans from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan since late 2023.

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Human Rights Watch has warned that millions of Afghans face worsening food insecurity as international aid declines and restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emirate continue to hamper humanitarian operations.

The organisation said falling donor support and limits on women’s participation in aid work are making it increasingly difficult for relief agencies to reach vulnerable communities.

According to the United Nations, 46 percent of Afghanistan’s population will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, with more than 17 million people expected to face food insecurity. By April, only one in five households had enough food without humanitarian assistance.

The humanitarian response also faces a severe funding shortfall. By the end of May, the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received just US$269 million of the US$1.71 billion required, leaving a funding gap of US$1.44 billion.

Humanitarian agencies say the lack of funding has forced them to scale back programmes despite rising needs.

Human Rights Watch said restrictions on women working for the United Nations and international aid organisations, together with local rules limiting contact between male aid workers and female beneficiaries, have further complicated relief efforts, particularly for women-headed households.

The humanitarian situation has also been worsened by the return of nearly six million Afghans from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan since late 2023, placing additional pressure on already stretched services.

Aid agencies warned that millions could lose access to life-saving assistance without urgent donor support. They also called on the Islamic Emirate to ease restrictions affecting humanitarian operations.

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Severe floods damage homes and farmland in Afghanistan’s Nuristan

The floods damaged six homes, an electricity network, a watermill, sections of the main road, as well as farmland and orchards, authorities said.

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Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall have caused extensive property damage in Mandol district of Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, local officials said.

Faridun Samim, spokesperson for the Nuristan governor, said the flooding struck several villages, including Bandol, Anish, Askando, Mangor, Janakhel, Shakarnal, Naalo and Atararah on Sunday evening.

The floods damaged six homes, an electricity network, a watermill, sections of the main road, as well as farmland and orchards, authorities said.

No casualties were reported, but officials described the financial losses as significant. The provincial administration has appealed to humanitarian organisations and relevant agencies to provide urgent assistance to affected families.

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