Albania quake toll hits 51 as search for survivors ends

Demand for cosmetic surgery has soared in Albania during lockdown, fuelled by digital platforms and pandemic-induced anxiety.

It's hard to make a living as a shepherd or farmer in the mountains of northeastern Albania. But an NGO is devoted to environmental protection and helping families find sustainable livelihoods to stop the young leaving.

Scents and colours of sage, lavender and cornflowers spread over meadows in Albania which has seen soaring demand for medicinal herbs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus might top the risks at the Tokyo Olympics, but organisers in Japan have other deadly, unpredictable threats to contend with: natural disasters. Japan is regularly rattled by earthquakes and battered by typhoons, and experts warn that disaster preparation for a major event like the Games should not take a back seat because of the virus. Individuals, including tourists, can refresh their hazard awareness at disaster simulation centres, where visitors experience artificial jolts and evacuation through smoke-filled rooms.

The Tirana government has approved a request by Washington to temporarily house Afghan political refugees seeking entry to the United States. They include interpreters, fixers and other helpers to the US military.

At least 304 people have been killed in a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti, toppling buildings in the disaster-plagued Caribbean nation still recovering from a devastating 2010 quake.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake in Haiti rose to 1,297 on Sunday as neighboring countries rushed to send aid and rescuers scrambled to find survivors buried beneath the rubble before a tropical storm hits.

Doctors and nurses from home and abroad are struggling against a range of logistical difficulties to get people patched up before a storm hits Haiti. Rebels hold key roads and infection is spreading.

Mexican and Colombian aid arrives in Haiti, after the Caribbean nation was struck by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that left more than 1,400 dead.

After the Taliban's takeover, there is an urgent need to find shelter for Afghans airlifted out. Albania has been negotiating with the US on accommodating people who have fled in Tirana. Details are slowly emerging.

In a makeshift camp that has served as a refuge for many women since Haiti's earthquake, survivors say they fear for their safety and that of their children. "We suffer, we have no access to toilets. We can't pee. Everyone is looking at you," says Vesta Guerrier, who lives in the Gabions camp along with 200 other refugees. The 7.2-magnitude quake that struck in August killed over 2,000 people and flattened or heavily damaged tens of thousands of homes.

Albania agreed to host Afghan refugees while they are being vetted for visas for the US. Although some in the country feel that Albania has a duty to help its NATO ally, others feel Albania is struggling enough as it is.