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Three dead, 179 wounded as plane skids off Istanbul runway
A passenger plane skidded off the runway at an airport in Istanbul, Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 179 others.
A Pegasus Airlines plane, Boeing 737, with flight number PC2193 was arriving from Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir at Sabiha Gokcen International Airport when it skidded off the runway while landing, Turkey’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turhan told reporters.
The plane crashed into a field and broke into three pieces.
At least three people died and 179 others were injured among the 177 passengers and six crew members, the country’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reported early on Thursday.
“According to the information we obtained, after the hard landing, the plane drifted,” said Turhan.
After skidding off the runway, the plane drifted around 50 meters (164 feet), said Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya quoted by the agency.
“Then it fell from a height of around 30 meters [98 feet] here, where there is a connection road from the TEM highway to the E-5 highway,” Ali added.
Prosecutors in capital Ankara launched an investigation into the incident. The airport has been temporarily closed to air traffic.
The Boeing 737 operated by Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines had come from the Aegean port city of Izmir, Turkish news agencies reported.
Pegasus is a privately-owned, low-cost carrier based in Istanbul that flies 97 routes, mostly within Turkey and to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.
The accident comes a month after a Pegasus plane with 164 people on board skidded off the runway at the same airport on January 7. There no injuries on that occasion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has appointed 19 new ambassadors and consuls general for its overseas missions.
Among these appointments, Shahbaz Hussain and Awais Ahmad Khan have been named as Pakistan’s consuls general in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, respectively.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, said in a post on X that these appointments were made with the approval of Shahbaz Sharif, the country’s Prime Minister.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the growth and development of human society in various dimensions require the active role of women and girls, and this is only possible if they have access to education.
Karzai made these remarks on Wednesday on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which falls on February 11.
Expressing appreciation for the role of Afghan women and girls in social life, he encouraged them to strive by all possible means to gain access to education and training and to participate in the growth and development of the country.
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Four years on, UN and EU renew call for Afghan girls’ right to education
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
As the world observed International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the United Nations and the European Union renewed their calls for Afghan girls’ right to education, warning that continued restrictions threaten the country’s future development.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said the day was marked with sorrow, noting that 1,607 days have passed since girls over the age of 12 were barred from attending school.
UNAMA warned that more than four years of exclusion have led to lost opportunities and undermined key sectors that rely on educated women, reiterating its demand that the ban be lifted.
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In a statement, the EU said Afghan women — including nurses, midwives, and researchers — play a crucial role in building a healthy and prosperous society, adding that women must remain central to scientific progress. The bloc reaffirmed its support for education for all Afghans.
The United Nations further emphasized that equality in science is essential not only for human advancement but also for ensuring that technology and artificial intelligence contribute to global prosperity.
It warned that excluding Afghan women and girls from education and employment is not only an act of marginalization but a serious barrier to Afghanistan’s long-term development and stability.
The statements come amid continued international appeals to expand access to education and job opportunities for Afghan women and girls.
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