Latest News
At least 18 dead as Air India repatriation flight crashes on landing
At least 18 people were killed and dozens injured after an Air India Express passenger plane repatriating Indians stranded by the COVID-19 pandemic overshot the runway in heavy rain near the southern city of Kozhikode, officials said.
The Boeing-737 flight from Dubai to Calicut airport was carrying 190 passengers and crew, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. Among them were 10 infants.
Television footage showed rescue workers moving around the wreckage in pouring rain. The aircraft lay split into at least two chunks after the plane’s fuselage sheared apart as it fell into a valley 30 feet below, authorities said.
“Unfortunately, 16 people have lost their lives. I offer my condolences to their next of kin and pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet.
Friday’s crash is the worst passenger aircraft accident in the country since 2010, when an Air India Express flight, also from Dubai, overshot the runway and slid down a hill while landing in the southern Indian city of Mangalore, killing 158 people.
Both Mangalore and Calicut have table-top runways that are located at an altitude and have steep drops at one or both ends of the runway.
Media reports suggested the plane skidded off the runway of Calicut international airport, crashing nose-first into the ground. Calicut is in the southern state of Kerala, home to a large number of Indians working in the Middle East.
Puri said rescue operations had been completed and all passengers had been removed from the aircraft. Police said earlier four people were stuck in the wreckage.
The civil aviation ministry said in a statement there was no fire on board.
India, which shut down all air travel in late March to try to contain the novel coronavirus, has restarted limited international air travel.
Air India Express AXB1344, was a government-operated repatriation flight for Indians previously unable to return home because of the travel restrictions.
TV visuals showed the aircraft’s nose smashed into a brick wall, with much of the middle of the plane pulverised.
Local TV news channels showed passengers, some of them lying motionless on stretchers, brought into a hospital surrounded by health workers wearing masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. “My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,” he said.
Source: Rueters
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
Tahawol: Discussion on unknown fate of Middle East crisis
Saar: Problems and challenges of Afghan refugees in the world discussed
Afghan cricket delegation travels to China for technical cooperation
Two killed in protests against poppy field destruction in Badakhshan
High-ranking Uzbek delegation arrives in Kabul to boost trade ties
Bayat Power extends gas supply deal with Afghan Gas
Etihad Airways to expand Kabul–Abu Dhabi flights to daily service amid surging demand
Afghanistan’s new cricket head coach Richard Pybus arrives in Kabul
Afghanistan moves toward self-sufficiency in car battery production
Germany to launch online visa system for Afghan study and work applicants in Pakistan
Tahawol: Discussion on unknown fate of Middle East crisis
Saar: Problems and challenges of Afghan refugees in the world discussed
Tawsia: Discussion on Afghanistan’s economic path and position
Tahawol: Pressure on Afghan refugees from Tajikistan to Europe discussed
Saar: Ongoing criticism of Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy discussed
-
Business2 days agoNew Afghanistan-China transport corridor launched via Turkmenistan
-
Latest News5 days agoPakistan’s Achakzai pushes for Afghanistan dialogue amid economic strain
-
Business3 days agoUzbekistan launches new cargo corridor linking China and Afghanistan
-
Business3 days agoAfghanistan presses Chinese contractor over delays in Mes Aynak copper project
-
Latest News5 days agoFood prices surge 20% in Afghanistan as Hormuz crisis disrupts supply routes
-
International Sports5 days agoMumbai Indians pull off record chase as IPL action continues
-
Health5 days agoMidwives Day: UN urges greater investment to protect mothers and newborns in Afghanistan
-
Latest News5 days agoUNICEF report highlights progress and ongoing challenges for Afghan children