The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said its annual survey of opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, long the world's dominant producer, had found the harvest had shrunk even faster, falling an estimated 32% to 296 tons.

Survivors of a powerful earthquake in northern Afghanistan that killed more than 25 people and injured nearly 1,000 were digging through the rubble of their homes Tuesday, trying to salvage what belongings they could after spending the night outside in the bitter cold.

Afghan-American Sayeda Qader leads The Kalaam Project, a humanitarian relief team providing emergency aid to local Afghans – including after August’s devastating quake.

The earlier peace talk sessions between Afghanistan and Pakistan ended with no result despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey.

In Afghanistan, freedom of press is being strangled under Taliban regime. According to a report by Amu TV, censorship, arrests and pressure have inflicted significant harm on press freedom in Afghanistan.

If the negotiations fail, the situation will deteriorate further. We have our options. Considering how we are being targeted, we may respond in the same manner," he said.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Afghanistan on Thursday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said. As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.