Afghan Flights Delayed as Snow Blankets Kabul Airport

A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
TT
20

Afghan Flights Delayed as Snow Blankets Kabul Airport

A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)
A man cycles through Kabul as the first snow of the winter descends on the Afghan capital (AFP/Mohd RASFAN)

Flights to and from the Afghan capital were delayed or cancelled Thursday after the city was blanketed by overnight snow.

Kabul's streets were also largely empty as shop owners, government employees and workers stayed indoors to seek shelter from the freezing weather, AFP said.

The cold snap has added to Afghanistan's woes, with the United Nations and other organizations warning millions will need food and shelter from the country's harsh winter.

On Thursday, dozens of workers cleared snow from the single runway at Kabul's airport, which has slowly resumed business after being trashed in August when tens of thousands of people scrambled to evacuate as the Taliban returned to power.

"Flights have been delayed as there is snow on the runway but soon we will clear it," said Imamuddin Ahmadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.

Kabul has missed regular snowfall in recent years, as thick clouds of smog from coal and wood fires keep temperatures high in the immediate vicinity.

But the forecast for the coming days suggests temperatures will dip further in the capital and neighboring provinces.



Iran Says Technical Nuclear Meeting with US Postponed to Saturday

People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

Iran Says Technical Nuclear Meeting with US Postponed to Saturday

People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)
People walk past shops in the Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 21 April 2025. (EPA)

Iran's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a technical, expert-level nuclear meeting with the United States will be held on Saturday, several days after the date initially planned.

"Following Oman's proposal and the agreement of the Iranian and American delegations, the technical consultative meeting between the two countries, which was to be held as part of the indirect talks between the two sides on Wednesday, has been postponed to Saturday," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

US President Donald Trump has been seeking an agreement that would curb Iran's nuclear program, which Washington believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon.

American and Iranian officials have so far held two rounds of talks, one in Muscat and the second in Rome.

Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a deal is reached; Iran denies seeking atomic weapons.