SEVEN JRNL

Death toll from Afghan quake rises, including 8 members of refugee family returned from Iran

ITTEFAQ, Afghanistan (AP) — For several minutes after the earthquake struck, he could hear their screams. Then there was silence.

Neighbor Mohibullah Niazi searches through items piled up at a house damaged by an earthquake in the village of Ittefaq, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Items are seen piled up at a house damaged by an earthquake in the village of Ittefaq, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Locals and journalists inspect a house damaged by an earthquake in the village of Ittefaq, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Afghanistan Earthquake

Mohibullah Niazi, a neighbor who helped in the rescue efforts, said Saturday that the eight people killed on the outskirts of Kabul after a5.8 magnitude earthquakestruck northern Afghanistan the previous night were a refugee family recently returned from neighboring Iran.

There was only one survivor: a boy of around 3 years old, who was injured and has been hospitalized in Kabul.

Afghanistan's deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on Saturday increased the overall death toll from the quake to 12, with another four people injured. Fitrat said five homes were destroyed and another 33 significantly damaged, affecting 40 families in the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan.

The Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority put the overall death toll at nine. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The family near Kabul was among themillions of Afghan refugeeswho have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan, afterboth countries launched crackdownsin 2023 on foreigners — particularly Afghans — living in their countries.

They had arrived 15 days ago and were living in a tent on land next to Niazi's home. The family head, Najibullah, who was about 50 years old, "had no other shelter," Niazi said. "He was a very poor person."

'We tried our best'

The family had set their tent up next to a wall separating the plot of land from Niazi's home, which stood on higher ground, in the village of Ittefaq on the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital.

Heavy rainsover the past several days, which have led to deadly floods in many parts of Afghanistan, had left the ground sodden and soft. When the earthquake struck, the wall collapsed on the family.

"My daughter shouted to me that a wall had fallen on them. The whole family ran, but there were so many big rocks," Niazi recounted Saturday as he stood at the scene. "We tried our best."

On Saturday morning, piles of bricks and mud were all that were left, along with blankets, cooking utensils and other personal belongings salvaged from the rubble and set into a pile.

"For about three minutes, I could hear the voices of these people," Niazi said. "But we couldn't do anything. There were two or three of us, but this was not the work of three people."

Neighbors soon rushed to help, digging through the mud and rubble with spades and their hands. They alerted the local Taliban police checkpoint, which sent rescuers and ambulances.

The young boy, Aarash, was pulled out alive but injured, and rushed to the hospital. Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, who visited the boy Saturday, said he was being treated for a severe head injury.

For the rest of the family — the father and mother, four daughters aged between 12 and 23, and two sons — it was too late. The rescuers could only recover their bodies.

Niazi said he had hosted the family in his own home one night. On Friday, just half an hour before the earthquake struck, he had renewed the offer, telling the family they could spend the night in his own guest room to shelter from the cold and rain. "But they did not come with me," he said.

A string of deadly quakes

Friday night's quake had an epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of the northern city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey. The area is roughly 290 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of Kabul.

Afghanistan lies in ahighly seismically activepart of the world, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years.

Last August,a 6.0 earthquakethat struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people. Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.

In November,a 6.3 earthquakestruck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950. It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan's famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.

On Oct. 7, 2023,a 6.3 quakefollowed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.

Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan in Ittefaq, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 04, 2026

Death toll from Afghan quake rises, including 8 members of refugee family returned from Iran

ITTEFAQ, Afghanistan (AP) — For several minutes after the earthquake struck, he could hear their screams. Then there was ...

In A Funk? Why Experts Say Sunshine Could Be The Cure

What if your doctor's next prescription didn't come in a bottle? What if, instead, it came with sunglasses, in the form of a vacation?

According to experts, getting out into the sunshine, whether it's during spring break, a summer getaway or even a mid-winter escape, can have powerful effects on both mental and physical well-being.

So How Does It Work?

Many people immediately think of vitamin D when they think of sunshine. But Dr. Allison Edwards, family physician and medical director for the telemedicine platform Sesame, says the most important benefit actually starts in the brain.

"Sunny days, and being exposed to outdoor sun, are associated with so much positive energy, like reductions in depression, anxiety, rumination, all of those sort of negative thoughts that you can harbor when it gets kind of cold and you're holed up all winter," she said.

There's also a biological reason spending time in the sunshine feels so energizing.

(MORE:What To Pack For Vacation In Any Weather)

"The sun is so important to give us cues as to how we should go about our day," she said. "Your eyes actually have special sensors that receive sunlight in a specific way that help regulate circadian rhythms, that sort of sleep and wake cycle."

That's why waking up to sunshine can feel dramatically different than waking up in the dark. A few days in a sunny environment can help reset sleep patterns, improve energy levels and even make mornings feel easier.

For people who live in places where winter drags on, or where spring is still cloudy and cold, Edwards says planning a sunny trip can make a real difference.

"Use it as a good excuse to go somewhere warm and sunny because it will definitely boost your mood," she said. "That has been borne out in study after study."

(MORE:Avoid Skin Whiplash After A Warm Weather Trip)

In other words, a warm-weather trip isn't indulgent. It can genuinely help reverse the emotional and physical effects of months without sunlight.

Sun Safety Still Matters

One of the biggest misconceptions, Edwards says, is that people have to sit directly in the sun for hours to get the benefits. In reality, simply being exposed to good weather for short periods of time can be enough.

That means a shaded patio, a beach umbrella or a breezy walk along the boardwalk can still deliver the mood-boosting benefits without increasing your risk ofsun damage.

(MORE:Gift Ideas For The Traveler In Your Life)

Edwards emphasizes that a "prescribed" sunny vacation doesn't mean ignoring sun safety.

"Some of the best sun protection you could get is aUV protective shirt. Get a light-colored one so it's not super hot, and a super wide-brim hat," she said.

The key idea is to enjoy the sunshine without overdoing it.

As Edwards puts it, sunshine is "important on so many levels for mood, for your sleep, for your circadian rhythm. It is so wonderful to have a sunny day. You should really lean into it."

Which is why, for some patients, a sunny vacation might be exactly what the doctor ordered.

weather.com lead editorJenn Jordanexplores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 04, 2026

In A Funk? Why Experts Say Sunshine Could Be The Cure

What if your doctor's next prescription didn't come in a bottle? What if, instead, it came with sunglasses, in th...

So what exactly is the big twist in 'The Drama'?

Spoiler alert! The following story contains major details about the ending of "The Drama" (now in theaters).

For months, people have been speculating about the big "twist" of "The Drama."

Trailers forthe subversive rom-comhave cleverly cut around a pivotal dinner scene, in which a soused Emma (Zendaya) makes a disturbing revelation that is met with both shock and disgust from her fiancé, Charlie (Robert Pattinson), and their friends Rachel (Alana Haim) and Mike (Mamoudou Athie).

It's hard to call it a twist, really, when Emma's startling admission comes just 15 minutes into the movie. Nevertheless, here is what you need to know about the pitch-black, highly controversial comedy:

She survived two school shootings.New rom-com 'The Drama' is no laughing matter

What is the big twist in 'The Drama' movie?

Charlie (Robert Pattinson, left) and Emma (Zendaya) hit a major speed bump on the way to the altar in "The Drama."

Emma explains that when she was 15, she planned to carry out a school shooting to take revenge on her tormenting classmates. She even went so far as to bring a gun to school with her. But just as she was ready to go through with the attack, Emma's teacher informs the class that another student was killed in a mass shooting at a local mall.

Devastated, her classmates form a gun violence prevention program at their school. Impressed by Emma's eloquence and knowledge around mass shooting statistics, they then appoint her to be one of the group's leaders, and pretty soon, she is a bleeding-heart activist in the gun control cause.

Emma describes her pivot away from gun violence ideation to "waking up from a bad dream," and insists that she is a changed person. But Rachel, whose cousin is in a wheelchair because of a mass shooting, all but cuts Emma out of her life.

Charlie, meanwhile, begins to see Emma's everyday behaviors in a queasy new light, and becomes increasingly on edge about whether she is actually capable of killing people.

More:Is 'The Drama' with Zendaya, Robert Pattinson safe for teens to see?

The film soon becomes a Pandora's box of moral quandaries about the limits of empathy: Is it really so bad since Emma never actually went through with it? Had another mass shooting not interfered, would she have carried out the attack? How many average people have once thought about harming ourselves or others? And can we still love somebody when we know the worst parts about them?

"The Drama" tries to take a macro view on these issues. At one point, Rachel scoffs when Charlie chalks this up to "America's problem," suggesting that Emma never had the mental health resources to cope with high-school bullying and the death of her close childhood friend in a car accident.

Writer and director Kristoffer Borgli ("Dream Scenario") offers no easy answers, and he squarely aims to provoke the audience, with varying success.

How does 'The Drama' movie end?

It's another iconic press-run for the books!

Zendaya and her longtime stylist Law Roach banded together again to curate another themed fashion rollout celebrating the release of the actress' latest film "The Drama."

While past press runs have seen Zendaya emulate her film's setting or genre, this time the "Dune" star honored "The Drama"s wedding theme by paying homage to the old rhyme of wearing something old, new, borrowed and blue on one's big day. See all of Zendaya's top red carpet looks for the A24 flick, including here at "The Drama" Paris premiere.