KABUL — A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring about 260, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e-Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.

“A total of 150 people injured and seven martyred have been reported and transferred to health centers as of this morning,” said Samim Joyanda, the spokesperson for the health department in Samangan, a mountainous northern province near Mazar-e-Sharif told Reuters.

The toll was based on hospital reports collected as of Monday morning, he said.

The Afghan Taliban defense ministry said parts of Balkh and Samangan provinces were the most affected, resulting in fatalities among a number of citizens.

Military Rescue and emergency assistance teams reached the area immediately and began operations to rescue people, transport the injured, and assist affected families, it said in a statement.

Health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said rescue teams were active and the numbers of dead and injured might rise.

“Health teams have arrived in the area, and all nearby hospitals have been put on standby,” Mr. Zaman said in a statement.

The USGS issued an orange alert in its PAGER system, which is an automated system that produces information on the impact of earthquakes, and indicated that “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”

ACTIVE FAULTS
Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to quakes as it lies on two active faults that have the potential to rupture and cause extensive damage.

More than 2,200 people were killed and thousands more injured after a quake and strong aftershocks in the southeast of the war-shattered Islamic country at the end of August.

Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response, the system’s alert added.

The earthquake destroyed part of the holy shrine of Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said, referring to the Blue Mosque.

Videos of rescue efforts being carried out to save people trapped under rubble and images of fallen debris in buildings were shared on the social media platform X. One video showed rescuers pulling what appeared to be dead bodies from rubble.

Reuters could not immediately verify the footage and the images. — Reuters

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Monday warned that foreign intelligence agencies are stepping up efforts to “illegally obtain” genetic data and seed resources from the country’s grain sector, calling the activity a threat to national food security.

“In recent years, foreign intelligence agencies have intensified their infiltration into China’s grain sector, illegally obtaining genetic data from crops such as soybeans, corn, and rice, posing a serious threat to the country’s food security,” the ministry said in a statement published on its official WeChat account.

“Beijing has long considered its food security to be a national security issue — similar to the way in which energy security has long been framed through a national security lens in Washington,” said Even Rogers Pay, a director at Beijing-based Trivium China. “Posts like these from MSS are aimed to create suspicion in the public and encourage them to view foreign interest in ag and food with a skeptical eye.”

The ministry cited a case in which a Chinese businessperson, surnamed Zhu, sold restricted “parental seeds” — first-generation seeds used in hybridization experiments that are not allowed to be exported — to a foreign entity under a “joint seed cooperation” scheme. The ministry said Zhu hid the seeds in containers that were declared for other exports.

Zhu was sentenced to a year and a half in prison, while 17 others involved received administrative penalties.

In another incident, foreign consular staff and experts from “a certain country” reportedly conducted unauthorized field surveys in a major agricultural province, collecting data on crop yields and reserves.

They allegedly used counter-surveillance tactics, such as switching vehicles frequently and traveling on rural backroads to avoid detection. The ministry said it took action in both cases and urged the public to report any suspicious activity through official hotlines or online channels. — Reuters

TAIPEI — The United States is working overtime to speed up the production of delayed F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan, while advanced US-made glide bombs have also been delayed due to supply-chain issues, the island’s defense ministry said on Monday.

Taiwan, which faces a rising military threat from Beijing, has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the United States, the Chinese-claimed island’s most important international backer and arms supplier.

In a report to lawmakers, Taiwan’s defense ministry said the delivery of all 66 F-16V fighters, initially expected to arrive by the end of 2026, had been pushed back due to production line relocations and disruptions.

To speed up production, contractors are working two shifts lasting 20 hours a day, the ministry said, adding Taiwan would monitor progress to ensure contractual obligations are met.

Speaking in parliament, Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the US and Taiwan were working on the delays and that 50 of the Lockheed Martin aircraft were already on the production line. Of these, 10 are expected to undergo flight tests this year and be delivered in 2026, he added.

“I think that we all hope the greatest amount of effort can be exerted to speed up the deliveries,” he said.

The ministry also said the delivery of 24 MK-48 torpedoes and four dummy torpedoes, purchased for T$5.46 billion ($178.47 million) and initially expected by 2026, had been postponed to between 2026 and 2028, also due to production line disruptions.

Lockheed, which makes the torpedoes too, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did the Pentagon.

GLIDE BOMBS DELAYED, HIMARS EARLY
The ministry reported delays in the delivery of another weapons system, Raytheon’s AGM-154C Joint Standoff glide bombs, which cost T$135.97 billion.

They were initially meant to be delivered by the end of 2026, but are now expected to be delivered from 2027-2028 due to supply-chain problems, it added.

Raytheon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

However, the ministry said that deliveries of the 29 precision rocket systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, also made by Lockheed, were ahead of schedule.

The remaining 18 systems still to be delivered are expected to reach Taiwan in the fourth quarter of 2026, versus initial expectations of a 2027 arrival.

In May this year, Taiwan test fired for the first time its new HIMARS rocket system, which has been widely used by Ukraine against Russia and could be deployed to hit targets in China if there is a war with Taiwan. ($1 = 30.5930 Taiwan dollars). — Reuters