Pak tests Shaheen-II missile again
Pakistan on Monday test-fired the Shaheen-II long-range ballistic missile for the second time in three days, which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads and hit targets within India.
The Shaheen-II or Hatf-VI surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which has a range of 2,000 km, was launched for the first time during a field training exercise by the army's Strategic Forces Command, the military said in a statement.
All previous launches of the nuclear-capable missile had been conducted by defence scientists and engineers.
Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir witnessed Monday's launch along with senior military officials. The statement did not say where the launch was conducted.
The Shaheen-II is Pakistan's longest range ballistic missile. It is a two-stage solid fuel missile that can carry nuclear and conventional warheads with high accuracy.
The last launch of the missile on Saturday was "part of the process of validation and technical improvements to consolidate and verify various land-based strategic missile systems".
The Shaheen-II was first tested in 2004. Pakistan conducted a series of missile tests between December last year and February in the run-up to the general election that was swept by President Pervez Musharraf's opponents in the Pakistan People's Party and PML-N.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Google to delete user location history on US abortion clinic visits
"If our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit," Jen Fitzpatrick, a senior vice president at Google, wrote in a blog post. "This change will take effect in the coming weeks."
-
Two Indo-Canadian academics honoured with Order of Canada
Two Indo-Canadian academics, working on research to advance the betterment of mankind, have been honoured with one of the country's most prestigious awards, the Order of Canada. Their names were in the list published by the office of the governor-general of Canada Mary Simon. Both have been invested (as the bestowal of the awards is described) into the Order as a Member. They are professors Ajay Agrawal and Parminder Raina.
-
Elon Musk's Twitter hiatus, in 2nd week now, generates curiosity
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, has not tweeted in about 10 days and it can't go unnoticed. The 51-year-old business tycoon has 100 million followers on the microblogging site, which he is planning to buy. Since April, he has been making headlines for the $44 billion deal and his comments and concerns about the presence of a large number of fake accounts on Twitter.
-
Taliban's reclusive supreme leader attends gathering in Kabul: Report
The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada joined a large gathering of nationwide religious leaders in Kabul on Friday, the state news agency said, adding he would give a speech. The Taliban's state-run Bakhtar News Agency confirmed the reclusive leader, who is based in the southern city of Kandahar, was attending the meeting of more than 3,000 male participants from around the country, aimed at discussing issues of national unity.
-
July 1: Canada to mark 155th anniversary of its formation
As the country prepares to celebrate the 155th anniversary of the formation of the Canadian Confederation, Canada Day, the traditional centre of festivities, Parliament Hill in Ottawa, will be off limits as protesters linked to the Freedom Convoy begin gathering in the capital for the long weekend. Various events have been listed by protesters including a march to Parliament Hill on Friday.
