Astronauts return to Earth in SpaceX craft after six-month mission

Four astronauts returned to Earth on Monday in a SpaceX craft after spending six months on the International Space Station, a Nasa live broadcast showed, marking the end of a busy mission.

The international crew conducted thousands of experiments in orbit and helped upgrade the solar panels on the ISS during their “Crew-2” mission.

Its descent slowed by four huge parachutes, their Dragon spacecraft — dubbed “Endeavour” — splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico at 10:33pm before it was lifted onto a recovery ship.

Nasa astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, Akihiko Hoshide of Japan and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency were then taken out of the capsule and placed on stretchers as a precautionary measure — human bodies need to re-adjust to gravity after extended periods in space.

“It’s great to be back to Planet Earth,” Kimbrough was heard saying on the Nasa live broadcast after Dragon splashed down.

The ISS activities of the Crew-2 astronauts included documenting the surface of the Earth to record human-caused changes and natural events, growing Hatch chile peppers, and studying worms to better understand human health changes in space.

“Proud to have represented France once again in space! Next stop, the Moon?” Pesquet had tweeted ahead of the trip home.

Their journey back to Earth began when Endeavour undocked from the ISS at 2:05 pm, Nasa announced.

It then looped around the ISS for around an hour-and-a-half to take photographs, the first such mission since a Russian Soyuz performed a similar maneuver in 2018.

The Dragon, which flew mostly autonomously, has a small circular window at the top of its forward hatch through which the astronauts can point their cameras. The departure was delayed a day by high winds.

Bad weather and what Nasa called a “minor medical issue” have also pushed back the departure of the next set of astronauts, on the Crew-3 mission, which is now set to launch on Wednesday.

Until then, the ISS will be crewed by only three astronauts — two Russians and one American.

SpaceX began providing astronauts a taxi service to the ISS in 2020, ending nine years of US reliance on Russian rockets for the journey following the end of the Space Shuttle programme.

The crew faced a final challenge on their journey home — they had to wear diapers after a problem was detected with the craft’s waste management system, forcing it to remain offline.

The astronauts had no access to a toilet from the time the hatch closed at 12:40pm until after splashdown — around 10 hours.

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Afghanistan's Ariana Airlines begins flights from Kabul to Islamabad

The Afghan flag carrier, Ariana Airlines is beginning regular twice-weekly aviation services from Kabul to Islamabad, the state-owned operator said on Thursday, joining Kam Air which has begun flying five times a week between the two cities.

Ariana, which began regular services to Dubai this week, will operate flights between Kabul and Islamabad on Thursdays and Mondays, charging $400 from Kabul and $100 from Islamabad.

Earlier this week, privately owned Kam Air started services five times a week to Islamabad as international air traffic gradually reopens following the Taliban's seizure of power in Kabul in August.

The announcement from Ariana came as acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was visiting Islamabad for talks that are expected to cover issues including aviation links between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Some charter services have been flying to Kabul since the Taliban takeover but normally scheduled commercial flights had been suspended.

With an economy in deep crisis and continuing concerns about Afghanistan's future under the Taliban, there has been huge demand from people wishing to leave Afghanistan, made worse by repeated problems at land border crossings into Pakistan.

Pakistan International Airlines suspended its charter service to Kabul from Islamabad last month, citing interference from Taliban authorities, who had warned the airline it should cut its ticket prices.

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Opposition claims victory as govt postpones joint Parliament sitting

The Opposition leaders are terming the government’s decision of postponing the joint Parliament session as their victory.

A day earlier, President Arif Alvi had withdrew the order for a joint session of the parliament, scheduled for 11 am today (Thursday).

Speaking at the Parliament House, PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has said that the adjournment of the joint session of the Parliament means that the government has been badly beaten on its ‘black laws’ it sought to bully through the Parliament.

“Imran Niazi should resign after it was clearly exposed that he had lost the trust of his members and allies,” he added.

Shehbaz Sharif said by postponing the joint meeting, Imran Khan had once again upheld his long tradition of taking U-turns.

“The hasty convening of the joint meeting and then the hasty adjournment shows the seriousness of the government that had made sensitive and serious issues like legislation a child's play, he said.

Earlier, talking to media at the Parliament House, Shehbaz Sharif said that the government lost twice in the Parliament and the joint opposition had more votes than the government. “The nation had united against these black laws that were malicious,” he said.

He said, PTI wanted to repeat what they did in 2018 through RTS by bringing a bill with electronic voting machine. “The united opposition was constantly saying that these black laws will not be passed and the government’s own allies were not with them on this issue, and were distancing themselves from PTI completely, he added

Shehbaz Sharif said it seemed that the defeat of the previous day has forced the government to postpone the meeting. “Those claiming to compete on the field have fled the field, he said. Shehbaz Sharif said that the postponement of the joint session of the Parliament proves that the government has confirmed its defeat on legislation of black laws.

‘Kaptaan bhag gaya’

Commenting on the development, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the government opted out of the Parliament’s joint session as it had “foreseen its defeat”.

Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said “Kaptaan bhag gaya” (the captain ran away), as he shared President Arif Alvi's notification for the postponement of the session.

“Yet another victory for the United opposition in the Parliament today. Government ran away from joint sessions when they saw they would be defeated yet again. Kaptaan Bagh[sic] gaya.”

"Due to the opposition’s contacts with the government’s allies, the government had to retreat and cancel the joint session. Thanks to [leader of the Opposition] Shahbaz Sharif who gathered the Opposition parties,” Bilawal had said.

He had said that the president of Pakistan had issued a notification for the joint session of the Parliament but the government revoked the notification by announcing to postpone the session.

"Postponing the session is also a disgrace to the president", he had said.

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Opposition claims victory as govt postpones joint Parliament sitting

The Opposition leaders are terming the government’s decision of postponing the joint Parliament session as their victory.

A day earlier, President Arif Alvi had withdrew the order for a joint session of the parliament, scheduled for 11 am today (Thursday).

Speaking at the Parliament House, PML-N President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has said that the adjournment of the joint session of the Parliament means that the government has been badly beaten on its ‘black laws’ it sought to bully through the Parliament.

“Imran Niazi should resign after it was clearly exposed that he had lost the trust of his members and allies,” he added.

Shehbaz Sharif said by postponing the joint meeting, Imran Khan had once again upheld his long tradition of taking U-turns.

“The hasty convening of the joint meeting and then the hasty adjournment shows the seriousness of the government that had made sensitive and serious issues like legislation a child's play, he said.

Earlier, talking to media at the Parliament House, Shehbaz Sharif said that the government lost twice in the Parliament and the joint opposition had more votes than the government. “The nation had united against these black laws that were malicious,” he said.

He said, PTI wanted to repeat what they did in 2018 through RTS by bringing a bill with electronic voting machine. “The united opposition was constantly saying that these black laws will not be passed and the government’s own allies were not with them on this issue, and were distancing themselves from PTI completely, he added

Shehbaz Sharif said it seemed that the defeat of the previous day has forced the government to postpone the meeting. “Those claiming to compete on the field have fled the field, he said. Shehbaz Sharif said that the postponement of the joint session of the Parliament proves that the government has confirmed its defeat on legislation of black laws.

‘Kaptaan bhag gaya’

Commenting on the development, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the government opted out of the Parliament’s joint session as it had “foreseen its defeat”.

Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said “Kaptaan bhag gaya” (the captain ran away), as he shared President Arif Alvi's notification for the postponement of the session.

“Yet another victory for the United opposition in the Parliament today. Government ran away from joint sessions when they saw they would be defeated yet again. Kaptaan Bagh[sic] gaya.”

"Due to the opposition’s contacts with the government’s allies, the government had to retreat and cancel the joint session. Thanks to [leader of the Opposition] Shahbaz Sharif who gathered the Opposition parties,” Bilawal had said.

He had said that the president of Pakistan had issued a notification for the joint session of the Parliament but the government revoked the notification by announcing to postpone the session.

"Postponing the session is also a disgrace to the president", he had said.

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Pakistan again calls for int’l engagement with Afghanistan to 'avoid economic collapse’

To avert economic collapse and civil war in Afghanistan, it is crucial for the international community to "avoid repeating mistakes of the past" and pursue a positive engagement, says Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Addressing the opening session of the ninth meeting of Troika Plus, the foreign minister said engagement with Afghanistan is important as nobody wished to see a relapse into civil war and an economic collapse to spur instability.

“Everyone wants terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively and we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis,” he said.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by Special Representatives of China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States, and the visiting delegation of the interim government of Afghanistan led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

FM Qureshi said the Troika Plus meeting reflected the common desire to see a “peaceful, stable, unified, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan”.

Qureshi expressed confidence that Troika Plus’s engagement with the new Afghan government would help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.

He mentioned that today, Afghanistan stands at the brink of an economic collapse and with international funding dried up, it had become difficult to pay even salaries, let alone pursue development projects.

He said the common man is reeling under the effects of a severe drought, adding that any further downward slide would severely limit the new administration’s capacity to run the government.

“It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis,” he stressed, and added that health, education and municipal services required urgent attention.

The foreign minister said enabling Afghanistan to access its frozen funds would dovetail into the efforts to regenerate economic activities and move the Afghan economy towards stability and sustainability.

Similarly, he said, the UN and its agencies must be urged to find ways to reach out to the common Afghan and help stabilise the situation.

Qureshi said being an immediate neighbour, Pakistan had a direct stake in Afghanistan’s peace and stability

With a shared heritage and history, we consider every ethnic community of Afghanistan important in the final destiny of the country, he said.

“Located next door, we have borne the brunt of four decades of conflict and instability in the shape of refugees, drugs and terrorism,” he said. “We see the current situation as an opportunity to end the prolonged conflict”.

He mentioned that Pakistan had already taken a number of steps to facilitate the common man in Afghanistan. These include a waiver of customs duties on perishable food items to support farmers in Afghanistan, provision of humanitarian assistance, facilitating pedestrian movement, keeping the border open during COVID-19 and visa on arrival for medical cases.

He expressed gratitude to the neighbours of Afghanistan for supporting Pakistan’s call for a regional platform to discuss common concerns and opportunities. The two meetings, he said, yielded substantive and forward looking outcome documents.

He recalled that his visit to Kabul last month helped understand the new Afghan government’s expectations from the international community.

“It also provided us the opportunity to share our assessment with the Taliban leadership and highlight the international community’s expectations of them,” he said.

“We believe Taliban are interested in engagement, as they seek international acceptance and support,” he said.

Qureshi reaffirmed the resolve of Prime Minister Imran Khan to help Afghanistan on its path towards peace, progress and prosperity.

 

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Pakistan again calls for int’l engagement with Afghanistan to 'avoid economic collapse’

To avert economic collapse and civil war in Afghanistan, it is crucial for the international community to "avoid repeating mistakes of the past" and pursue a positive engagement, says Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Addressing the opening session of the ninth meeting of Troika Plus, the foreign minister said engagement with Afghanistan is important as nobody wished to see a relapse into civil war and an economic collapse to spur instability.

“Everyone wants terrorist elements operating inside Afghanistan to be tackled effectively and we all want to prevent a new refugee crisis,” he said.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by Special Representatives of China, Pakistan, Russia and the United States, and the visiting delegation of the interim government of Afghanistan led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

FM Qureshi said the Troika Plus meeting reflected the common desire to see a “peaceful, stable, unified, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan”.

Qureshi expressed confidence that Troika Plus’s engagement with the new Afghan government would help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.

He mentioned that today, Afghanistan stands at the brink of an economic collapse and with international funding dried up, it had become difficult to pay even salaries, let alone pursue development projects.

He said the common man is reeling under the effects of a severe drought, adding that any further downward slide would severely limit the new administration’s capacity to run the government.

“It is, therefore, imperative for the international community to buttress provision of humanitarian assistance on an urgent basis,” he stressed, and added that health, education and municipal services required urgent attention.

The foreign minister said enabling Afghanistan to access its frozen funds would dovetail into the efforts to regenerate economic activities and move the Afghan economy towards stability and sustainability.

Similarly, he said, the UN and its agencies must be urged to find ways to reach out to the common Afghan and help stabilise the situation.

Qureshi said being an immediate neighbour, Pakistan had a direct stake in Afghanistan’s peace and stability

With a shared heritage and history, we consider every ethnic community of Afghanistan important in the final destiny of the country, he said.

“Located next door, we have borne the brunt of four decades of conflict and instability in the shape of refugees, drugs and terrorism,” he said. “We see the current situation as an opportunity to end the prolonged conflict”.

He mentioned that Pakistan had already taken a number of steps to facilitate the common man in Afghanistan. These include a waiver of customs duties on perishable food items to support farmers in Afghanistan, provision of humanitarian assistance, facilitating pedestrian movement, keeping the border open during COVID-19 and visa on arrival for medical cases.

He expressed gratitude to the neighbours of Afghanistan for supporting Pakistan’s call for a regional platform to discuss common concerns and opportunities. The two meetings, he said, yielded substantive and forward looking outcome documents.

He recalled that his visit to Kabul last month helped understand the new Afghan government’s expectations from the international community.

“It also provided us the opportunity to share our assessment with the Taliban leadership and highlight the international community’s expectations of them,” he said.

“We believe Taliban are interested in engagement, as they seek international acceptance and support,” he said.

Qureshi reaffirmed the resolve of Prime Minister Imran Khan to help Afghanistan on its path towards peace, progress and prosperity.

 

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Pakistan has always stood by Afghans, world must fulfil its responsibility: PM Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that Pakistan has always stood by the Afghan people in their time of need and urged the international community to fulfil its collective responsibility and do the same.

The prime minister's remarks came amid a visit to Islamabad by acting Afghan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who was extended an invitation to attend the Troika Plus meeting.

"We have assured [Muttaqi] and his delegation we will provide all possible humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. We are sending essential food items, emergency medical supplies and winter shelters to provide immediate relief to Afghan people," he wrote.

The premier followed by saying that free COVID-19 vaccines will be administered to all Afghans travelling across the border into Pakistan.

"Again I urge the international community to fulfil its collective responsibility to avert a grave humanitarian crisis confronting the people of Afghanistan," PM Imran Khan said.

Muttaqi attends Troika Plus meeting

Muttaqi's visit is in continuation of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to Kabul last month.

The visit will be centered on bilateral relations between the two countries, with a focus on enhancing inter-alliance trade, facilitation of transit trade, cross-border movement, land and aviation links, people-to-people contacts, and regional connectivity, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The statement further stated that Pakistan, given the prevalent situation, has been urging the international community to urgently provide humanitarian assistance and economic support on an immediate basis to alleviate the sufferings of the Afghan people.

“For its part, Pakistan is extending humanitarian and economic assistance to the brotherly people of Afghanistan” and remains committed to its support for a “peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan,” it read.

Pakistan extended a special invitation to the acting Afghan foreign minister to attend the Troika Plus meeting, which was held in Islamabad today.

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