Stranded Chinese space station crew to return Friday after debris strike

China says the three astronauts stranded aboard its Tiangong space station after their return craft was damaged by space debris will finally return to Earth on Friday.

The crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—had been scheduled to depart four days after their replacements arrived on November 1. However, their planned return was aborted when the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, meant to ferry them home, was reportedly struck by a small piece of orbital debris.

According to state media, the astronauts will now return aboard Shenzhou-21, the same craft that transported the incoming crew.

READ ALSO:

• Three Nigerians arrested in Kenya over alleged cyberfraud
• Nigeria’s terrorists have no religion, says Christian pilgrims commission
• Jetour to showcase full SUV line-up, hybrid vehicles at 2025 Abuja motor fair

The trio, who travelled to Tiangong in April for a six-month rotation, remain “in good condition, working and living normally,” the China Manned Space Engineering Office said on Tuesday.

China has pushed ahead with its space ambitions since launching its first crewed mission in 2003. The country has since completed its own space station and set a target of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030.

The current Shenzhou-21 mission also marked a milestone for Chinese space science, carrying mice to Tiangong for biological experiments — a first for the programme.

Stranded Chinese space station crew to return Friday after debris strike

(Xinhua/NAN)

Pakistan arrests suspects over deadly Islamabad bombing 

Pakistani security agencies have arrested several suspects linked to this week’s deadly suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad, which killed 12 people and heightened tensions with neighbouring Afghanistan.

According to security sources on Thursday, those arrested include an alleged handler and a facilitator of the suspected Taliban bomber who detonated explosives in front of a court complex earlier in the week.

Two intelligence officials confirmed that the arrests were made in separate operations in Rawalpindi — adjacent to Islamabad — and in the north-western province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a known hub for Taliban activity.

“It seems there was a whole network behind the bombing. We are very close to making more headway and arrests,” one official told dpa under condition of anonymity.

READ ALSO:

• FCTA officials allege Naval threat during enforcement at illegal construction site in Abuja
• MUSWEN refutes Trump’s genocide claim, says Nigeria not in religious war
• Police arrest three suspected child traffickers, rescue 17 children in Kaduna

The rare suicide attack in the Pakistani capital has deepened strains between Islamabad and Afghanistan’s Taliban government, following a recent escalation of cross-border violence.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban — a distinct group from the Afghan Taliban but aligned in ideology and tactics. Afghan authorities, however, have denied the accusations, urging dialogue instead.

Tensions between the two countries flared last month after deadly border clashes and a series of militant incursions that Islamabad blamed on fighters based in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, confirmed on Thursday that the suicide bomber was an Afghan national, describing the incident as part of a “growing trend” of foreign militants carrying out attacks inside the country.

Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, speaking to Geo News, warned that Pakistan could again resort to cross-border airstrikes targeting alleged militant hideouts in Afghanistan if such attacks persist.

The Islamabad bombing, which struck a crowded area near a judicial complex, was one of the deadliest to hit the capital in recent years, raising fresh concerns over Pakistan’s fragile security situation and its strained ties with Kabul.

Pakistan arrests suspects over deadly Islamabad bombing

Jerusalem, Nov. 13 (dpa/NAN) — Radical Israeli settlers have reportedly vandalised and set fire to a mosque in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Thursday.

According to the report, the attack occurred in a village in the north-western part of the territory in the early hours of the morning. The assailants allegedly sprayed racist slogans on the mosque’s walls before setting parts of the building ablaze.

Other media outlets said some of the graffiti contained insults against Prophet Mohammed written in Hebrew.

READ ALSO:

• Defence Minister faults Wike’s handling of Naval land dispute
• BYD unveils ‘Atelier BYD’, creative hub blending innovation, sustainability, lifestyle in Lagos
• AU Chief dismisses Trump’s genocide claim, says Nigeria faces complex security crisis

The Israeli military said it had launched an investigation into the incident. There were no immediate reports of injuries, though video footage circulating in both Palestinian and Israeli media showed significant damage to the mosque.

Acts of vandalism and violence by radical settlers against Palestinians have risen sharply since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, which followed the Hamas-led attacks on Israel.

The period has also seen an overall increase in deadly clashes involving Palestinians and the Israeli army across the West Bank.

Human rights groups and Palestinian officials have frequently accused the Israeli military of failing to curb settler violence, which they say contributes to growing instability in the occupied territory.