News in Brief(2023-10-02)

Indian sun-monitoring spacecraft heads towards centre of solar system

NEW DELHI, Oct 01: India's Sun-monitoring spacecraft has crossed a landmark point on its journey to escape "the sphere of Earth's influence", its space agency said, days after the disappointment of its Moon rover failing to awaken. The Aditya-L1 mission, which started its four-month journey towards the centre of the solar system on September 2, carries instruments to observe the Sun's outermost layers. "The spacecraft has escaped the sphere of Earth's influence," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement late Saturday. — AFP

Afghan embassy closes in India

NEW DELHI, Oct 01: The Afghan Embassy said it is closing in New Delhi from Sunday due to a lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a recognized government in Kabul. But it will continue to provide emergency consular services to Afghan nationals, it said in a statement. "There has been a significant reduction in both personnel and resources available to us, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations," the statement said. —AP

UN mission arrives in Karabakh

BAKU, Oct 01: A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, Azerbaijan said, after almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population fled since Baku recaptured the breakaway enclave. An Azerbaijani presidency spokesman told AFP that a "UN mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning"-mainly to assess humanitarian needs. It marks the first time in about 30 years that the international body has gained access to the region. — AFP

New Pak way to boost vaccination

KARACHI, Oct 01: Authorities in one Pakistan province are turning to a controversial new tactic in the decades-long initiative to wipe out polio: prison. Last month, the government in Sindh introduced a bill that would imprison parents for up to one month if they fail to get their children immunized against polio or eight other common diseases. —AP

Nine killed in Zimbabwe gold mine collapse

CHEGUTU, Oct 01: At least nine miners were killed after a shaft in a Zimbabwean gold mine collapsed, an engineer at the site and the miners federation said Saturday. "Four bodies have been recovered so far" and five others are still stuck under rubble, Henrietta Rushwaya, president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation said. — AFP