School year starts in Afghanistan, but no classes held
KABUL: Afghanistan’s schools reopened for the new academic year on Tuesday, but no classes were held as students were unaware of the start and hundreds of thousands of teenage girls remain barred from attending class. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from going to secondary school. Taliban authorities have […]
Starc sticking to tried and tested formula ahead of World Cup
VISHAKAPATNAM: Mitchell Starc said he has not deviated from his game plan in over a decade and after taking five wickets against India on Sunday there seems little reason to change things as Australia ramp up their preparations for this year’s World Cup. Starc claimed 5-53 for his ninth five-wicket haul in One-day Internationals, his […]
North Korea holds drill ‘simulating N-counterattack’
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led two days of military drills “simulating a nuclear counterattack”, including the launch of a ballistic missile, state media reported on Monday. Kim expressed satisfaction over the weekend drills, which were held to “let relevant units get familiar with the procedures and processes for implementing their tactical nuclear […]
Iran, Iraq sign border protection deal
BAGHDAD: Iran’s top security official on Sunday signed a deal with Iraqi authorities for “protection” of their common border, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said, months after Tehran struck Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq’s north. Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region hosts camps and rear bases operated by several Iranian Kurdish factions, which Iran has accused of […]
Erdogan lifts objections to Finland’s Nato bid
ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkiye’s parliament will begin ratifying Finland’s Nato bid, but not that of Sweden, removing the biggest remaining hurdle to enlarging the Western defence alliance as war continues to rage in Ukraine. Speaking in Ankara alongside Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan said Helsinki won Turkiye’s blessing after taking […]
796 Fresh Covid Infections In India, Active Cases Cross 5K After 109 Days
NEW DELHI, Mar 17: India on Friday recorded a single-day rise of 796 coronavirus infections, while the number of active cases surpassed 5,000 after 109 days, according to Union health ministry data. The total tally of COVID-19 cases now stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,93,506). The death toll increased to 5,30,795 with five fatalities, the data […]
Next-generation spacesuit for Nasa mission to Moon unveiled
HOUSTON: Nasa and the private aerospace company Axiom Space unveiled a prototype on Wednesday of the next-generation spacesuit that astronauts will wear on the next mission to the Moon. The suit revealed at an event at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston features greater flexibility and thermal protection than those worn by the Apollo astronauts […]
N. Korea launches missiles as US, South kick off major drills
SEOUL: North Korea said on Monday it had test-fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine, as South Korea and the United States kicked off their largest joint military exercises in five years. Nuclear-armed Pyongyang said the test verified its “nuclear war deterrence means in different spaces” as it slammed the drills — known as […]
Iran says above 100 people arrested over schoolgirl poisonings
Iran has announced over 100 arrests nationwide over the mystery poisonings of thousands of schoolgirls, charging that the unidentified alleged perpetrators may have links with “hostile” groups. In the wave of cases since late November, schoolgirls have suffered fainting, nausea, shortness of breath and other symptoms after reporting “unpleasant” odours on school premises, with some […]
Blast in Afghanistan’s Balkh province kills one, injures 5
A blast hit the capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Saturday, police said, killing one person and wounding five a few days after the death of the province’s governor in an explosion claimed by the militant group Islamic State. “A blast has taken place in the second police district of Balkh,” said Mohamad Asif […]