AFGHANISTAN
Explosion kills three
The Islamic State group yesterday claimed responsibility for a blast on Tuesday that targeted a vehicle in eastern Kabul, killing at least three people. Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran yesterday said that three people were killed and four wounded by a bomb hidden in a cart near a minivan in the east of the capital. Police had detained a suspect who had confessed his involvement, Zadran said. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, saying it had “detonated an explosive device on a vehicle transporting employees of the Pul-e-Charki prison,” killing nearly 10 people.
GERMANY
Rail strike begins
Commuters faced train cancelations across the country from yesterday as a three-day nationwide rail strike adds to travel chaos in Europe’s largest economy, where ongoing farmers’ protests have also snarled road traffic. The GDL train drivers’ union began its main strike in the early hours of yesterday, following one by cargo train drivers who walked out on Tuesday evening. The strikes are to continue until tomorrow evening, forcing national rail operator Deutsche Bahn to run only stripped-back emergency timetables. The company said the strike action would affect the travel plans of millions and encouraged people to cancel or postpone travel that is not essential. The long-running row over pay and working hours has flared up again following a truce over Christmas, with the GDL seeking a 35-hour week on current wages. Deutsche Bahn has offered flexibility on working hours, but refused to reduce them without a pay cut.
SLOVENIA
Five cavers rescued
Rescue personnel on Monday successfully extracted five people who had been trapped in a cave for more than two days because of high water levels. “It is a day of happiness, it’s a day of life,” said Sandi Curk with the Slovenian civil protection service after water levels receded inside the Krizna Jama cave, making the rescue possible. Those rescued are in good spirits, said Igor Benko, head of the Speleological Association of Slovenia. None needed medical help and all have taken the ordeal well, a doctor said. “I think we were lucky it all ended like this,” the doctor said. The family of three adults and their two guides, all from Slovenia, did not attend the news conference. They got stuck in the cave on Saturday because of heavy rainfall. The 8km cave system with a string of emerald-colored underground lakes is accessible only by boat and raft and with a guide. The five were in a dry area about 2km inside the cave. A team of six divers carried out the hours-long rescue operation, bringing them out in a small boat.
CHINA
Lunar mission advances
The National Space Administration yesterday said that its latest lunar explorer had arrived at the launch site in preparation for a mission to the moon in the first half of this year. State broadcaster China Central Television posted photographs on its Web site of the unit under wraps as it was unloaded from a large cargo airplane earlier this week and then transported by flatbed truck to the Wenchang launch site on Hainan Island. The agency said that pre-launch tests would be carried out on its Chang’e-6 probe. The mission’s goals include bringing back samples from the far side of the moon.
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated
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