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Blue Origin spacecraft lifts off with ‘Star Trek’s’ William Shatner
Actor William Shatner soared aboard a Blue Origin rocketship on a suborbital trip and landed in the Texas desert on Wednesday to become at age 90 the oldest person ever in space as U.S. billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos's company carried out its second tourist flight.
Shatner was one of four passengers to journey to the edge of space aboard the white fully autonomous 60-foot-tall (18.3 meters-tall) New Shepard spacecraft, which took off from Blue Origin's launch site about 20 miles (32 km) outside the rural west Texas town of Van Horn.
The four astronauts experienced about three to four minutes of weightlessness and traveled above the internationally recognized boundary of space known as the Karman Line, about 62 miles (100 km) above Earth. The crew capsule returned to the Texas desert under parachutes, raising a cloud of dust.
The four astronauts, all wearing blue flight suits with the company's name in white letters on one sleeve, climbed into the crew capsule atop the spacecraft before the launch and strapped in after ascending a set of stairs accompanied by Bezos. Each rang a bell before entering the capsule, with Bezos then closing the hatch. Before that, they rode a vehicle with Bezos at the wheel to the launch pad.
Winds were light and skies were clear for the launch, which was conducted after two delays totaling roughly 45 minutes.
Joining Shatner - who embodied the promise of space travel in the classic 1960s TV series "Star Trek" and seven subsequent films - in the all-civilian crew were former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, clinical research entrepreneur Glen de Vries and Blue Origin vice president and engineer Audrey Powers.
It marked the second space tourism flight for Blue Origin, billionaire U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos's company founded two decades ago.
The flight represents another important day for the nascent space tourism industry that, according to UBS, could reach an annual value of $3 billion in a decade. The flight, previously scheduled for Tuesday, was pushed back a day for wind-related reasons.
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Girls’ education conference in Islamabad is a ‘propaganda move’: Khalilzad
Pakistan organizing an Islamic conference on women’s education is not out of any sincere concern for Afghan women, but rather is a propaganda move as part of ongoing conflict with the Islamic Emirate, former US special envoy for Afghanistan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Saturday.
Khalilzad, however, also criticized the Islamic Emirate’s restrictions on girls’ education.
“But sometimes, even your enemy can end up doing you a favor. It is true that the Taliban (IEA) leader's draconian restriction on women's education is un-Islamic, harmful to the country's national interest, and a violation of human rights,” he said on X.
“When will the sensible elements of the Taliban (IEA) and other Afghans stand up against the ill-guided decisions from Kandahar? Ultimately, it falls on the Afghans to solve this problem,” he added.
The International Conference on Girls' Education in Muslim Communities is scheduled to begin today (Saturday) in Islamabad.
It comes as the girls’ education beyond the sixth grade is suspended in Afghanistan.
Pakistani government has announced that it has also invited the Islamic Emirate to the conference.
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Iran’s president calls Afghans ‘brothers’, vows to pursue water rights
Calling Afghans as brothers, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Tehran will pursue the issue of water rights with Afghanistan through dialogue.
“Afghans are our brothers, a Muslim is a brother to a Muslim, not an enemy. When the Messenger of God conquered Makkah, all the leaders of infidels surrendered. The Messenger of God said, all Muslims are brothers, he did not say that they had just converted to Islam. If we are Muslims and accept the Sunnah of the Messenger and the Book of God, we are all brothers,” Pezeshkian said during his visit to Sistan and Baluchistan Province.
“Let’s help each other so that both sides develop. Everyone benefits and everyone wins. If we correct our perspective, all Muslims will achieve dignity,” he added.
Speaking in an interview with IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian also said that Iranian officials will discuss the issue of water rights with the Islamic Emirate so that “we can have our share of water rights.”
Iranian officials have repeatedly called on the Islamic Emirate to ensure the country’s water rights.
The Political Deputy Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, in meeting with Iran’s acting ambassador to Kabul, recently said the issue of water rights between the two countries has been resolved through mutual understanding and irresponsible statements on this matter could negatively affect the relations between Kabul and Tehran.
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Pakistan sees surge in sugar exports to Afghanistan
Pakistani media has reported that over the past six months, Islamabad has exported $211.8 million worth of sugar to Afghanistan.
According to these reports, the total value of all Pakistani exports to Afghanistan in the last six months amounts to $573.8 million, reflecting a 52 percent increase in exports.
At the same time, the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce has stated that Afghan exports to Pakistan have decreased.
Meanwhile, the private sector has emphasized the need to develop economic and trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, adding that Pakistan should also open pathways for Afghan exports.
Officials from the Ministry of Economy have stated that Afghanistan supports the expansion of economic and trade relations with all countries, including Pakistan.
However, private sector members have indicated that if the existing issues hindering economic relations are resolved by Pakistan, there is potential for billion-dollar investments and economic ties between the two countries.
Pakistani media has also reported a significant increase in sugar exports from Pakistan to Afghanistan, amounting to $211.8 million over the past six months.
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