KABUL: The Afghan Taliban on Saturday announced a three-day cease-fire over the Eid holiday at the end of this week, their first offer of its kind, following a cease-fire announced by the government on Thursday.
The militants said foreign forces would be excluded from the cease-fire and that operations against them would continue. They also said they would defend themselves against any attack.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced an unconditional cease-fire with the Taliban on Thursday, coinciding with the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, but excluding other militant groups, such as Daesh.
Ghani’s decision came after a meeting of Islamic clerics declared a fatwa, or ruling, against suicide bombings, one of which, claimed by Daesh, killed 14 people at the entrance to the clerics’ peace tent in Kabul.
The clerics also recommended a cease-fire with the Taliban, who are seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their ouster in 2001, and Ghani endorsed the recommendation, saying it would last until June 20.
It was not immediately clear when the Taliban cease-fire would begin, as Eid starts when the moon is first sighted on either the 29th or 30th day of Ramadan, and the moon appears at different times across the country.
Ghani has urged cease-fires with the Taliban before, but this was the first unconditional offer since he was elected in 2014.
In August, US President Donald Trump unveiled a more hawkish military approach to Afghanistan, including a surge in air strikes, aimed at forcing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
Afghan security forces say the impact has been significant, but the Taliban roam huge swaths of the country and, with foreign troop levels of about 15,600, down from 140,000 in 2014, there appears little hope of outright victory.
Afghan Taliban announce Eid cease-fire after president’s unconditional offer
Afghan Taliban announce Eid cease-fire after president’s unconditional offer
- The militants said foreign forces would be excluded from the cease-fire and that operations against them would continue
- Afghan security forces say the impact has been significant, but the Taliban roam huge swaths of the country and, with foreign troop levels of about 15,600, down from 140,000 in 2014
Trump envoy in Russia for talks with Putin about Ukraine
The Izvestia news outlet released video of Witkoff leaving a hotel in Russia’s second city St. Petersburg, accompanied by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy.
Witkoff has emerged as a key figure in the on-off rapprochement between Moscow and Washington amid talk on the Russian side of potential joint investments in the Arctic and in Russian rare earth minerals.
Putin was also in St. Petersburg on Friday to hold what the Kremlin called an “extraordinarily important” meeting about the development of the Russian Navy, which is in the throes of a major modernization and expansion drive.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down the planned Witkoff-Putin meeting, telling Russian state media the US envoy’s visit would not be “momentous” and that no breakthroughs were expected.
The meeting will be their third this year and comes at a time when US tensions with Iran and China — two countries with which Russia has close ties — are severely strained over Tehran’s nuclear program and a burgeoning trade war with Beijing.
Witkoff is due in Oman on Saturday for talks with Iran over its nuclear program after Trump threatened Tehran with military action if it does not agree to a deal. Moscow has repeatedly offered its help in trying to clinch a diplomatic settlement.
Putin and Trump have spoken by phone but have yet to meet face-to-face since the US leader returned to the White House in January for a second four-year term.
US and Russian officials said they had made progress during talks in Istanbul on Thursday toward normalizing the work of their diplomatic missions as they begin to rebuild bilateral ties.
However, US-Russia dialogue aimed at agreeing a ceasefire ahead of a possible peace deal to end the war in Ukraine appears to have stalled over disagreements around the conditions for a full pause in hostilities.
Trump, who has shown signs of losing patience, has spoken of imposing secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is dragging its feet on a Ukrainian deal.
A February meeting between Witkoff and Putin culminated with the US envoy flying home with Marc Fogel, an American teacher Washington had said was wrongfully detained by Russia.
A Russian-American spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia, was exchanged on Thursday for Arthur Petrov, whom the US had accused of forming a global smuggling ring to transfer sensitive electronics to Russia’s military.
The US lists several Americans — some dual citizens — who are in jail in Russia, including Stephen Hubbard, another teacher whom Washington has officially declared as wrongfully detained.
Etihad Airways announces new Peshawar route, expanding Pakistan network
- Five weekly flights to Peshawar will launch in September, increasing to daily service from November
- Peshawar will become Etihad’s fourth gateway to Pakistan and its sixteenth new destination in 2025
ISLAMABAD: Etihad Airways said this week it would launch a new route to Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city in September as part of a broader expansion of its global network.
The route will link Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport with Bacha Khan International Airport in Peshawar starting September 29.
Etihad, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, already operates flights to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, making Peshawar its fourth nonstop destination in Pakistan.
“We are thrilled to further expand our presence in Pakistan with the launch of our daily service between Abu Dhabi and Peshawar,” Antonoaldo Neves, the airline’s chief executive officer, said.
“This new route reflects our commitment to providing vital connectivity for travelers between Pakistan and the Gulf, Africa, Europe and North America,” he added.
Etihad will initially operate the route five times a week using Airbus A320 family aircraft, with daily service beginning November 22. The aircraft will feature eight Business Class and 150 Economy Class seats.
The announcement comes amid a busy year for the airline, which has added 16 new destinations in 2025, including Prague, Warsaw, Algiers, Tunis, Atlanta and Addis Ababa.
Etihad is also boosting frequency to Karachi to 17 flights a week starting October 1 and expanding service to major European cities such as Paris, Milan and Frankfurt.
Passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi will also have access to the airline’s Stopover program, offering up to two complimentary nights at premium hotels in the UAE capital.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan says aid entry to Gaza cannot be linked to a ceasefire
- Prince Faisal also said international community must pressure Israeli government to allow aid deliveries
- Was speaking at joint press conference in Antalya following Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee meeting on Gaza ceasefire
ANTALYA: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday aid entry to Gaza cannot be linked to a ceasefire.
Prince Faisal also said the international community must pressure the Israeli government to allow aid deliveries to Gaza.
The Saudi minister was speaking at a joint press conference in Antalya following a meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on a Gaza ceasefire.
The summit discussed the developments in the enclave, as well as efforts to achieve an immediate and sustainable ceasefire.
The Saudi minister said any displacement of Palestinians is categorically rejected. He added that the Kingdom appreciated the efforts of Egypt and Qatar in the ceasefire negotiations.
Prince Faisal said the people of Gaza were being “deprived of the most basic necessities of life,” and held international community responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
The meeting also emphasized the need for efforts to continue to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inherent rights.
The minister also condemned Israeli violations of international law in the West Bank, including settlement expansion, home demolitions, and land seizures.
Norris turns on the heat at sweltering Bahrain practice
- World championship leader Lando Norris topped the timesheets in a baking hot opening practice ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday
SAKHIR: World championship leader Lando Norris topped the timesheets in a baking hot opening practice ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday.
It was hunt-some-shade time on a sweltering afternoon in the Gulf kingdom — 35 degrees celsius and track temperature nudging 50 degrees.
As a consequence the relevance of the opening session on the rest of the weekend will be minimal, with second practice later Friday, Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself all staged at sunset and in cooler temperatures.
That was one main factor in teams using ‘FP1’ to give a half dozen rookies a shot as a ‘Friday driver’ as per the governing body’s guidelines.
As a result, four-time world champion Max Verstappen, one point adrift of Norris in the driver’s standings after his win in Japan last weekend, had some down time with Ayumua Iwasa taking the wheel of his Red Bull.
Dino Beganovic was handed the keys to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Other new faces were Fred Vesti (in for Mercedes’ George Russell), Luke Browning (Williams/Carlos Sainz), Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin/Fernando Alonso) and Ryo Hirakawa, in for Ollie Bearman at Haas.
Williams team principal James Vowles explained the reasoning behind running Browning rather than Sainz, third to Verstappen in last year’s race for Ferrari.
“It’s much, much warmer than it will be so it is unrepresentative, and (Sainz) has done many hundreds of kilometers around here. It’s always painful, but it is less painful to run a Friday driver here.”
Browning had a scary moment with his temporary teammate Alex Albon, the pair coming close with a quarter of an hour left of the session.
The stewards immediately announced they were investigating the incident and summoned both drivers to appear at an inquiry before second practice.
“Wow that was close,” said Drugovich who had a close-up view of the incident in the Aston.
Kimi Antonelli was reporting loss of power in his Mercedes over the team radio early on with the Italian teenaged rookie, who has made such a bright start to his career, forced back into the garage, missing almost the entire session.
Ferrari have brought upgrades to Bahrain but Lewis Hamilton was quickly complaining about lack of balance.
With tire compounds set up for the cooler evening temperatures drivers were complaining of lack of grip.
Liam Lawson described it as “shocking” in his second run out for RB after being demoted by Red Bull.
Hamilton was asked if he wanted to have another lap before a quick return to the pits but the reply was short, sharp and an unambiguous ‘no’
“It feels horrendous, mate,” said Hamilton.
Alpine, the only team arriving at this desert track still pointless, will have been encouraged by Gasly’s effort in jumping to lead the timesheets late on.
But Norris quickly asserted control with a lap of 1min 33.204s, from Gasly at 0.0238
Seven-time champion Hamilton’s afternoon improved as he ended up with the third quickest time after switching to the faster softs.
Yuki Tsunoda replaced Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate last weekend and the Japanese driver came in ninth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, winner in China.
India’s ‘drone sisters’ navigate change in farming and social roles
- ‘Drone Didi’ program equips women-led self-help groups with drones for agricultural services
- Women say they earn about $150 a month by drone-spraying fertilizer and pesticide on farms
NEW DELHI: Rajveer Kaur enjoys the attention she receives whenever she goes out to the fields to operate her drone. Once a housewife and mother, the 29-year-old is now an independent woman, known in her region as a “drone didi” or “drone sister,” helping fertilize farmland and protect it from pests.
Kaur was working with a self-help group in her village in Faridkot district of Punjab when she was selected to join a government program providing women with drone technology for agricultural services.
“Then the central government gave us drones after giving training for a few weeks. It’s now almost a year since it has happened. I get good responses from the farmers. I also got the name of a woman operating a drone in the field,” she told Arab News.
“I was a housewife before becoming a drone pilot. My husband supports me, and it feels really good that a woman who has been a housewife can now step out and become a productive force.”
She also gets a sense of financial independence and can contribute to her household’s budget, earning on average $150 a month.
“There’s also a message in this — that a woman, even while being a housewife, can earn and become independent. She can show that she can be a pilot too — even if it means a drone pilot,” Kaur said.
“Sometimes farmers bargain, but generally I earn $4 for spraying one acre of land. It takes only five minutes. In the last eight months since I started working as a drone pilot, I’ve earned close to 100,000 rupees (around $1,160).”
She is one of the thousands of women in rural India who joined the government’s scheme to empower women-led self-help groups.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2023, the “Drone Didi” program aims to distribute 15,000 drones among the groups by the end of this year.
The 25–30 kg industrial drones are designed for agricultural use — to spray pesticides and fertilizers on farmland.
Kaur’s job involves filling the drones’ canisters with chemicals and then remotely navigating the devices over the fields to spray the crops, covering several hectares a day.
Farmers were initially reluctant, but they soon realized that the method works. Kaur’s neighbor, Manjinder Singh, was one of the first farmers to participate in the program when he sowed his field in December and had five and a half acres of land sprayed by drones.
“That was the first time I got my field sprayed by a drone. It was a new experience. It took less time, and it was very smooth,” he said.
“In terms of cost, I don’t see much difference, but it saved a lot of time and physical effort.”
What convinced farmers to rely on the services of the drone operators is that remote spraying uses much less water and is safer for the crops.
Drone operators do not walk through the fields and do not cause physical damage to the crops. They also reduce the probability of crops being infected.
“Bacterial illnesses do not get transferred from one field to another when you use a drone. You are not carrying the bacteria from one field to another because you’re not physically walking through the fields,” Roopendra Kaur, a 29-year-old drone pilot from Firozpur district, explained.
Her main job is in large fields during the sowing seasons. But in between the seasons, drone operators are active too, only their tasks are smaller — like spraying vegetable fields or chili plantations. Since getting her drone in March last year, she has earned about $1,200.
“We have got a sense of purpose in life and to be a drone didi is really a respectable profession. Farmers were initially hesitant, but they appreciate our work,” Kaur said.
“This was the first time I have stepped out of the house. I have been a housewife all my life and this is my first independent work.”
