TEHRAN: Iran’s official IRNA news agency is reporting that the country’s foreign ministry has summoned the Pakistani envoy to protest an attack on Iranian guards near the border with Pakistan that left nine dead.
The Friday report said the Iranian side demanded “essential and serious” action by Pakistan to punish the “terrorists” and applying measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Iran says the attackers opened fire Wednesday from the Pakistan side on the guards and killed nine. An earlier report put the death toll at 10. Three others were injured.
The area in southeast Iran is the scene of occasional clashes between Iranian forces and the Sunni militant group Jaish-ul-Adl, as well as armed drug traffickers. It lies on a major drug smuggling transit route.
Iran summons Pakistani envoy over attack on borders guards
Iran summons Pakistani envoy over attack on borders guards
World’s oldest person dies at 116 in Japan
- Tomiko Itooka was born on May 23, 1908 in the commercial hub of Osaka, near Ashiya
- As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people who were 100 or older
TOKYO: The world’s oldest person, Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, has died aged 116, the city where she lived, Ashiya, announced on Saturday.
Itooka, who had four children and five grandchildren, died on December 29 at a nursing home where she resided since 2019, the southern city’s mayor said in a statement.
She was born on May 23, 1908 in the commercial hub of Osaka, near Ashiya – four months before the Ford Model T was launched in the United States.
Itooka was recognized as the oldest person in the world after the August 2024 death of Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera at age 117.
“Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life,” Ashiya’s 27-year-old mayor Ryosuke Takashima said in the statement.
“We thank her for it.”
Itooka, who was one of three siblings, lived through world wars and pandemics as well as technological breakthroughs.
As a student, she played volleyball.
In her older age, Itooka enjoyed bananas and Calpis, a milky soft drink popular in Japan, according to the mayor’s statement.
Women typically enjoy longevity in Japan, but the country is facing a worsening demographic crisis as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labor force to pay for it.
As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people who were 100 or older – 88 percent of whom were women.
Of the country’s 124 million people, nearly a third are 65 or older.
French Algerian actress Sofia Boutella begins year with ‘SAS Rogue Heroes’
DUBAI: French Algerian actress Sofia Boutella started the new year on a high note with the premiere of season two of the BBC series “SAS Rogue Heroes.”
“Happy New … SAS season 2 is out … and Happy New Year,” she wrote on Instagram this week, sharing on-set pictures of herself and her co-stars from the military drama, which chronicles the exploits of the British Army’s special forces unit.
Series two, created by Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), picks up with British troops in the spring of 1943 during World War II.
Returning for the sequel are actors Jack O’Connell, Connor Swindells, Dominic West and Sofia Boutella, who reprises her role as French intelligence agent Eve Mansour.
Commissioned by the BBC, the show is based on Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book of the same name, with season two having been directed by Stephen Woolfenden.
Boutella most recently starred “The Killer’s Game,” which hit cinemas in September, and Netflix’s “Rebel Moon — Part 2: The Scargiver.”
In the sci-fi adventure — a sequel to last year’s “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire” — a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force.
Kora, played by Boutella, has assembled a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds.
Boutella drew on her history as an immigrant. She grew up in Algeria during its civil war and later moved to France and found herself navigating the complexities of adapting to a different culture.
“Having left Algeria young, when I go back there I don’t feel like I belong to Algeria. And then, in France, I don’t feel like I belong to France because I didn’t grow up there,” she told Arab News in a previous interview.
Boutella has learned to embrace her rootlessness, though. “I feel like I belong to this planet. I have the freedom to travel wherever I want, without any limitation,” she said. “But sometimes, I miss the proximity and attachment that people have to their country.”
Kora was not Algiers-born Boutella’s first role as a sword-wielding extraterrestrial. The actress, who at the age of 10 fled to Paris with her family during the Algerian civil war, is known for her breakout performance in the Oscar-nominated film, “Star Trek Beyond,” in which she portrayed the fierce alien warrior, Jaylah.
‘Beautiful Saudi Arabia’: Tammy Abraham thanks local fans for inspiring Milan semifinal win over Juventus
- AC Milan scored twice in the final 20 minutes to beat Juve 2-1 in the EA Sports FC Italian Supercup in Riyadh; face city rivals Inter in Monday’s final at Al-Awwal Park
- ‘It was a beautiful atmosphere in a beautiful country. We’re so happy to be here and we can hear the fans singing the whole game’ – Tammy Abraham, AC Milan
RIYADH: Tammy Abraham thanked the fans at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh for inspiring AC Milan to the EA Sports FC Italian Supercup final with a comeback 2-1 win over Juventus, as he called Saudi Arabia “a beautiful country.”
England striker Abraham made a big impact with his forward play after coming on for the last half hour to help AC Milan overturn a 1-0 deficit and seal a spot versus city rivals Inter in Monday night’s final.
Juventus had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Kenan Yildiz thudded high past AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan at his near post after being played through by Samuel Mbangula.
The match turned on its head, however, in the final 20 minutes. Firstly, Christian Pulisic blasted home from the penalty spot, then AC Milan substitute Yunus Musah’s low cross from the right took a wicked deflection off Federico Gatti and spun into the far corner of the net.
The turnaround was first inspired and then greeted with raptures by the AC Milan fans packed into the 25,000 capacity Riyadh stadium on Friday night — and Abraham was very grateful.
Abraham said: “Thank to you everyone who came to watch the game and supported us today. It was a beautiful atmosphere in a beautiful country, a beautiful support. We’re so happy to be here and we can hear the fans singing the whole game. We’re so thankful for them supporting us.
“It’s my first time in this beautiful country and I’m so happy to be here. I knew how beautiful it was before I arrived but coming here you see more and I feel we’re very privileged to host this tournament in this country and the support, like I said, has been amazing. See you all in the final on Monday!”
Abraham’s contribution from the substitutes’ bench delighted Sergio Conceicao in his debut as AC Milan manager. The Portuguese, who took over from compatriot Paulo Fonseca, now has the opportunity to win a trophy in just his second match in charge.
Conceicao said: “We did many mistakes in the first half, but we changed the game in the second half. We need to be brave and believe in what we do. We changed strategy and that was a good one. I noticed strong teamwork, the players united, and I’m happy about that.”
Conceicao was denied the opportunity of playing against son Francisco, the Juventus winger. Juventus manager Thiago Motta said that during the warm-up the No. 7 sustained “a little muscular issue, and he couldn’t play.”
The Juve wideman was instead replaced by Yildiz who, as well as his goal, tested Maignan with a fizzing drive in the first half from outside of the box that was palmed away by the French keeper.
AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez passed up a gilt-edged chance in the 55th minute when he spooned wide after a ricochet from a corner.
After Pulisic and the own-goal put AC Milan in front, however, the Rossoneri could have extended their lead when Michele Di Gregorio superbly saved the American’s dink following excellent work from Tammy Abraham.
The last kick of the match saw Gatti’s close-range shot deflected wide to leave Juventus defeated and AC Milan delighted.
Juventus manager Motta added: “We did a great first half, we took control and scored. In the second half we were able to close the game, but some mistakes were crucial. We need to work every day in order to improve. I truly believe that we have the abilities to perform better. Right away in a defeat, it is hard to find something positive. We will analyze the whole performance and we will do our best to improve.”
The EA Sports FC Supercup is being staged in Saudi Arabia for the fifth time. AC Milan entered the competition as runners-up of last season’s Serie A, while Juventus were included as Coppa Italia winners. Serie A champions Inter Milan, the current Supercup holders and going for three trophies in a row in Riyadh, won Serie A, while Atalanta, who Inter beat 2-0 on Thursday, lost to Juve in May’s Coppa Italia final.
‘Rested’ India skipper Rohit says not retiring from Test cricket
- The acclaimed opener has had a poor series, with critics suggesting his omission from Tests
- ‘This decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to step aside,’ Rohit Sharma says
NEW DELHI: India captain Rohit Sharma said Saturday he stood down from the decisive ongoing fifth Australia Test because he was not in form but insisted he was not retiring.
The acclaimed opener has had a poor series, with critics suggesting his omission from the Test — with the visitors down 2-1 going into the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground — was the end of his red-ball career.
But the 37-year-old has hit back, telling Indian broadcaster Star Sports at the SCG: “I’m not going anywhere.”
“This decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to step aside from the game,” he added.
Rohit missed the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child and has not looked fully engaged since, failing to get past 10 runs in any of his five innings.
Rohit, speaking in Hindi, said that he had told the coach and selectors that he was “not in form” and that for the critical final Test, the team needed “a player in form.”
His recent lacklustre performances come on the back of a similarly poor return during India’s 3-0 home series loss to New Zealand during October-November.
Rohit quit T20 international cricket last year after lifting the World Cup.
Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah insisted at the coin toss on Friday that Rohit had “opted to rest” for the good of the team rather than being forced out.
Rohit on Saturday called Bumrah “absolute class.”
Palestinian health ministry says one dead in Israel West Bank raid
- Israeli raids refugee camp, with the military saying it had opened fire at ‘terrorists’
- Israel has occupied the West Bank since conquering it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: The health ministry in the occupied West Bank said one person was killed and nine injured in an Israeli raid on a refugee camp, with the Israeli military saying Saturday it had opened fire at “terrorists.”
An 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, “was killed by bullets from the (Israeli) occupation in the Balata camp” in the territory’s north, the Palestinian health ministry said in a late-night statement, adding that nine people were injured, “four of whom are in critical condition.”
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the raid began on Friday night and triggered violent clashes.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops entered the camp from the Awarta checkpoint and “deployed snipers on the rooftops of surrounding buildings.”
In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said that during the “counterterrorism” operation, “terrorists placed explosives in the area in order to harm (military) soldiers, hurled explosives, molotov cocktails, and rocks and shot fireworks at the forces.”
“The forces fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified,” the statement said.
Violence in the West Bank has intensified since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Since then, at least 815 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
In the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have killed at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since conquering it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
