NORTH KOREA'S KIM SAYS MILITARY CARRIED OUT 'SIMULATED DRILLS FOR REAL WAR'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a military drill that fired off “a powerful volley” of missiles simulating a strike on enemy airports, state-run media said Friday, just days ahead of large-scale joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S.

The exercises, held Thursday night, saw North Korea fire off at least one apparent short-range ballistic missile into the Yellow Sea from the port city of Nampo on its western coast at 6:20 p.m., Seoul said a day earlier, adding that it was also looking into the possibility of multiple simultaneous SRBMs launches from the same area.

Photos accompanying the report in the North’s official Korean Central News Agency showed that Kim, senior officials and his young daughter — who has been seen with her father at a number of major events — had observed the launches of at least six missiles that appeared to have been fired at the same time.

Kim had “examined the actual war response posture of the … the unit charged with striking the enemy’s operation airport in the direction of the western front,” KCNA said.

The report said Kim had “stressed that the fire assault subunits should be strictly prepared for the greatest perfection in carrying out the two strategic missions, that is, first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war, by steadily intensifying various simulated drills for real war in a diverse way in different situations.”

Observers said the simultaneous launches could be training for what is known as a saturation strike, which is designed to overwhelm missile defenses.

The U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific command condemned the launch on Thursday, saying it was “consulting closely” with allies and partners.

PAKISTAN POLICE BOOK EX-PM IMRAN KHAN ON MURDER, TERRORISM CHARGES AFTER VIOLENT RALLY

Former Pakistan prime Minister Imran Khan has been booked on murder and terrorism charges after a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rally left one dead and several others injured. The development comes mere days after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him over the Toshakhana case. Police officials had waited futilely at his Lahore residence to arrest the cricketer-turned-politician.

A PTI activist was killed and more than a dozen party supporters were injured during a clash with the police on Wednesday. The pro-judiciary rally had begun outside Khan's residence, with police also firing tear gas and using water cannons while the activists hurled stones.

According to an FIR, 11 police officials were injured in the clash. 400 others have been booked alongside Khan, with the police also arresting over 100 PTI workers. Top party leaders and former ministers such as Fawad Chaudhry, Farukh Habib, Hammad Azhar, and Mahmoodur Rashid have been named in the FIR.

The PTI chief has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts - including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier - at a discounted price from the state depository Toshakhana and selling them for profit. A non-bailable warrant had been issued against him last week after the former PM missed a third indictment hearing over the case.

UKRAINE WAR: RUSSIA FIRES HYPERSONIC MISSILES IN NEW BARRAGE

At least nine people have died in a new wave of strikes across Ukraine in which Russia used powerful weapons, including rare hypersonic missiles.

Russia had reportedly not fired Kinzhal hypersonic missiles - which can evade air defences - since the early months of the conflict.

The latest barrage was the most severe to hit Ukraine for weeks.

It cut power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - although it was later restored.

On Thursday Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said: "High-precision long-range air, sea and land-based weapons, including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system, hit key elements of Ukraine's military infrastructure."

It was the biggest day of Russian strikes on Ukraine since the end of January,

The Ukrainian military claimed it had successfully shot down 34 cruise missiles and four Iranian-made Shahed drones.

But it also said it had been unable to intercept the six Kinzhal ballistic missiles - nor was it able to destroy older weapons, such as Kh-22 anti-ship missiles and S-300 anti-aircraft missiles.

"This was a major attack and for the first time with so many different types of missiles," the Reuters news agency quoted a Ukrainian air force spokesperson as saying. "It was like never before."

PM-BACKED RAM CHANDRA POUDEL BECOMES NEW NEPAL PRESIDENT

Ram Chandra Poudel of the Nepali Congress was on Thursday elected President of Nepal, amid increasing political instability in the country ruled by a fragile coalition headed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. Mr. Poudel, a common candidate of the eight-party alliance that included the Nepali Congress and Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’-led CPN (Maoist Centre), received the vote of 214 lawmakers of Parliament and 352 provincial Assembly members.

“Hearty congratulations to my friend Ram Chandra Poudelji for being elected as the President,” Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba tweeted.

With the support from eight political parties, 78-year-old Mr. Poudel’s victory was certain. His rival Subas Chandra Nebmang had the support of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma-led CPN-UML.

This is the third presidential election in Nepal since the country became a republic in 2008.

The tenure of the current President, Bidya Devi Bhandari, will end on March 12.

Election Commission spokesperson Shaligram said 518 provincial Assembly members and 313 Members of Parliament cast their votes in the presidential election.

SEVERAL DEAD IN SHOOTING AT JEHOVAH'S WITNESS CHURCH IN HAMBURG

A number of people have been killed in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witness meeting hall in the north German city of Hamburg.

Police say the gunman acted alone and is thought to be dead. It is unclear if the attacker is among the six or seven fatalities reported by German media.

As yet, "there is no reliable information on the motive", police say.

A number of people were also injured in the shooting on Deelböge street in the city's Gross Borstel district.

Police say they found a dead person at the scene who they believe may have been a perpetrator and investigations are continuing.

Police were called around 21:15 (20:15 GMT) to reports that shots had been fired in the building, police spokesman Holger Vehren said.

Officers who went in found people who "may have been seriously injured by firearms, some of them fatally", he said.

"The officers also heard a shot from the upper part of the building and went upstairs, where they also found a person. So far we have no indications that any perpetrators fled."

He said police had not yet identified the victims and work at the crime scene continued.

"All we know is that several people have died here, several people have been injured, they have been taken to hospitals," Mr Vehren said.

The reasons behind the shooting were "still completely unclear".

An alert was sent on the federal warning app, NINAwarn, at around 21:00 (20:00 GMT) telling locals that "one or more unknown perpetrators shot at people in a church".

AFGHANISTAN BLAST: TALIBAN GOVERNOR KILLED IN HIS OFFICE

Islamabad : The governor of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province perished on Thursday in a suicide blast as he was entering his office, the most senior Taliban official to be killed since it assumed power in August 2021.

Mohammad Dawood Muzammil and another person died while many were reportedly injured in the 9. 30am blast that has not been owned up by any group so far. But suspicion fell on Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the IS regional affiliate that has become the biggest security challenge for the Taliban.

Muzammil had led the fight against ISKP in his previous stint as governor of the eastern province of Nangarhar before being moved to Balkh in October last year. Thursday’s strike came a day after Muzammil had, according to an Afghan government statement, hosted the country’s two deputy PMs and other officials to review a major irrigation project in the area. That meeting had coincided with local Taliban authorities’ claims that they had killed eight “rebels and kidnappers” in Mazar-e-Sharif while not specifying which “rebel” group they were allegedly affiliated to.

“The suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vest,” an official source told TOI from Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital, on Thursday. A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a post on Twitter that the governor had been “martyred in an explosion by the enemies of Islam” while adding that an investigation is under way.

MUST ELEVATE ARMED FORCES TO WORLD-CLASS STANDARDS QUICKLY: XI

Beijing : China’s leader Xi Jinping has called for “more quickly elevating the armed forces to world-class standards,”

in a speech just days after atop diplomat warned of the growing possibility of conflict with the US unless Washington changes course. China must maximise its “national strategic capabilities” in a bid to “systematically upgrade the country’s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realise strategic objectives,” Xi said on Wednesday.

His remarks to delegates in the ceremonial parliament representing the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, and the paramilitary People’s Armed Police, were carried by the official Xinhua news. Xi issued a series of calls to accelerate the buildup of self-reliance in science and technology, bolster strategic capabilities in emergency fields, make industrial and supply chains more resilient and make national reserves “more capable of safeguarding national security”.

Xi mentioned the need for “achieving the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027,” a date by which, according to some US observers, China intends to have the capability of conquering selfgoverning Taiwan, a US ally, by military means.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, General Laura J Richardson, commander of the US southern command testified before the House Armed Services Committee that China and Russia were “malign actors” that are “aggressively exerting influence over our democratic neighbours”. China is “wielding its economic might, and conducting grey zone activities to expand its military and politicalinfluence,” she said. “This is a risk we can’t accept. ” Among other activities, China has built an embassy in the Bahamas, just 80km off the coast of Florida. “A secure western hemisphere is critical to homeland defence,” she said.