AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds of bodies have been recovered from houses destroyed by a major earthquake in Afghanistan last week, pushing the death toll to over 2,200, a Taliban government spokesman said today.

A 6.0 magnitude quake struck several provinces of the mountainous and remote east on Sunday night, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble. The majority of casualties have been in Kunar, where many live in steep river valleys separated by high mountains.

Rescue efforts are still continuing.

CHINA: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of festivities commemorating the end of World War II, local media reported today.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the two leaders conducted in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern.

GUYANA: President Irfaan Ali claimed today that he has won a second five-year term in Monday’s general election, although results have yet to be published.

He claimed his People’s Progressive Party won in eight of the 10 districts, according to Reuters news agency.

MOROCCO: A Moroccan court sentenced a prominent feminist activist to two-and-a-half years in prison and a fine equivalent to about £4,000 for blasphemy in a case that has alarmed human rights groups and drawn widespread attention.

The judgement on Wednesday found Ibtissam Lachgar guilty of violating part of Morocco’s criminal code that outlaws offending the monarchy or Islam because of messages on a T-shirt she wore in a selfie posted online.

Ms Lachgar reportedly plans to appeal the judgement.