• C-130J “lands” at 13,000 feet Mudh-Nyoma station in Ladakh.
• New airbase capable of fighter operations: Air Marshal (retd) Kapoor.
• airbase will add new challenge for both of “our adversaries”:  Kapoor.
  

NEW DELHI: India’s air force chief made the inaugural landing of a military transport aircraft at a new airbase capable of fighter jet operations close to the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defence official said on Thursday.

The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Air Chief Marshal A P Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 13,000 feet (4,000m), added the official, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.

The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30km (19 miles) from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

“This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of fighter operations, will add a new challenge for both of our adversaries,” retired Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor wrote on X, referring to neighbours China and Pakistan.

China has an airfield at a similar height, he added.

Mistrust persists between China and India despite the thaw, Indian analysts and officials say, with the Indian Army chief pointing this year to continued heightened troop presence and infrastructure build-up on the border by both sides.

India and China share a poorly demarcated border that stretches 3,800km (2,400 miles) and has been disputed since the 1950s. They fought a brief but brutal war over it in 1962.

Ties soured after a deadly border clash in 2020, before their 2024 pact brought a thaw and easing of some curbs, allowing resumption of direct flights and two-way visits.

Iran and Qatar on Thursday expressed deep concern over the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, urging regional countries to play a constructive role in preserving peace and stability.

The development came during a telephone conversation between Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani.

“The foreign ministers of Iran and Qatar, while expressing concern over tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressed the importance of the continued good offices of regional countries to preserve peace and stability in the region,” read a statement issued by Iran’s foreign ministry.

Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban-led administration in Kabul have further deteriorated after Pakistan witnessed two major terrorist attacks in recent days — one targeting Cadet College Wana in South Waziristan and another in Islamabad.

Tuesday’s suicide bombing struck the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing 12 people and injuring at least 36 others. The victims included lawyers and petitioners who were present at the court building.

The Islamabad blast occurred on the same day that Pakistani forces cleared Cadet College Wana in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal district of South Waziristan, killing all Fitna al-Khawarij militants— a term used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan— who had infiltrated the educational institution.

The statement further said that Araghchi and Thani also discussed and exchanged views on bilateral ties and regional developments.

The two sides emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in all areas of mutual interest, it added.

They also discussed the latest developments in Gaza and the recent US draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council, underscoring the need to continue consultations to prevent violations of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly their right to self-determination.

This is a developing story and is being updated with more details. 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Thursday she only sleeps for between two and four hours every night, while she also faces criticism for encouraging people to overwork.

The revelation about how little she sleeps came after Takaichi raised eyebrows last week by arranging a 3am staff meeting in her office to prepare for a parliamentary session.

“I sleep about two hours now, four hours at the longest. I feel it’s bad for my skin,” she told a legislative committee, where she had been asked about the importance of reducing Japan’s notoriously long work hours.

Japan has long struggled to strike a healthy work-life balance, with many workers facing heavy pressure at the office.

It even has a word— “karoshi” — for people who die from overwork.

Takaichi was also asked to explain her government’s discussions about possibly extending the upper limit on overtime work in order to encourage economic growth.

She defended the discussion, saying that workers and employers have different needs. Some people choose to work two jobs to make ends meet, she said, while businesses impose strict limits on overtime.

Takaichi stressed that any change would ensure that workers’ health would be protected.

“Indeed, if we can create a situation where people can properly balance childcare and caregiving responsibilities according to their wishes, and also being able to work, enjoy leisure time, and relax — that would be ideal,” she said.

Takaichi came to power last month as Japan’s first woman prime minister.

She pledged after her election as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party to “discard the term ‘work-life balance’ for myself. I will work, work, work, work, and work”.

She has since kept a busy calendar, attending regional meetings as well as holding bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.