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Torrential rains kill over 160 in India, dozens trapped in landslides
Rescue teams in India were digging through thick sludge and debris on Monday to find over 60 people trapped in landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains that have so far claimed more than 160 lives in four days.
The western states of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as Karnataka and Telangana in the south, are the most affected by heavy rains that have flooded croplands over thousands of hectares and forced authorities to move over 230,000 people to safer places.
In Maharashtra, 149 people have died mainly in landslides and other monsoon-related accidents, while another 64 are still missing, the state government said in a statement.
"We are trying hard to rescue people trapped under landslide debris in Raigad and Satara but the possibility of evacuating them alive is remote. They are trapped under mud for more than three days," said a senior official with the state government, referring to two badly affected districts.
Rescuers couldn't reach affected villages quickly because approach roads were cut off by overflowing rivers and landslides, officials said.
In Karnataka and Telangana, more than a dozen people died because of floods but waters in the main Krishna and Godavari rivers are receding, authorities said.
In Goa, a hugely popular tourist destination on the western coast, hundreds of houses were damaged as the state recorded the worst floods in nearly four decades, the state's chief minister Pramod Sawant said.
Rains are easing on the west coast and that will help in rescue operations, said a Pune-based senior scientist with the India Meteorological Department.
"This week also, the west coast will receive rainfall, but the intensity would be much lower compared to the last week," he said.
Last week, parts of India's west coast received up to 594 mm (23 inches) of rainfall over 24 hours, forcing authorities to evacuate people from vulnerable areas as they released water from dams that were threatening to overflow.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Wednesday that the Islamic Emirate is committed to freedom of media and their activities within the framework of Islamic principles.
In his meeting with officials from several media outlets and supporting organizations, Mujahid stressed the need for increased cooperation between government institutions and the media.
He said that the IEA is working to create a better environment for media activities in the country.
The Government Media and Information Center reported that media officials shared some existing issues regarding access to information with the spokesperson of the IEA and requested solutions to these challenges.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said Wednesday that the Islamic Emirate prioritizes poverty reduction and job opportunities.
Addressing the National Conference on Microfinance Opportunities and Challenge”, Baradar stated that beneficiaries of microfinance initiatives include needy Afghans, traders, and small business owners, and that working with these groups is a shared goal of the IEA and the international community.
Participants at the conference included members of the cabinet, representatives from the UN, the EU, the World Bank country director to Afghanistan, ambassadors to Kabul, officials from international and domestic organizations, and a number of investors and businesspeople.
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology said on Wednesday that the costs of data, phone calls and internet packages will be cut by between 14 and 36 percent by all service providers.
Najibullah Haqqani, the acting minister, said at a press conference that a one-minute phone call between the same network will cost 1.30 afghanis, and between different networks it will cost 1.40 afghanis per minute, down from 1.85.
One GB of data, valid for a month, will be set at 95 afghanis, down from 110 afghanis. This is a 14% drop in price, he said.
He also said text messages between subscribers on the same network will cost 1.30 afghanis per message.
Haqqani also stated that 800 new mobile phone sites, including towers, have been established in remote areas and 1,000 inactive sites have been reactivated.
In addition, Afghanistan Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (ATRA) said of the 26 million SIM cards in use, 14 million have been registered under the new administration.
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