Albania quake toll hits 51 as search for survivors ends

Rescuers race to find anyone still alive under the rubble of a flattened hospital as death toll from a powerful earthquake on Indonesia's Sulawesi island has jumped to at least 73, authorities say.

At age 15, Elsidita Selaj decided she wanted to box. Through sheer stubbornness she has succeeded, breaking down her family's resistance and sexist attitudes to become Albania's first -- and only -- competitive female boxer. She now has her sights set on the Olympic Games in Tokyo, but will have to overcome a tough qualifying round in the spring, not to mention the financial hurdle of other expenses involved.

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.