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Republic of Korea proposed Friday military talks with North Korea to "mutually confirm the precise location" of their border and discuss restoring communication channels, after an explosion in the DMZ further strained relations.Tensions between the two Koreas have soared since the Seoul last month blamed the blast inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the countries on landmines laid by the North, an accusation it has fiercely rejected.The Korean defence ministry "formally proposes holding military talks with North Korea to mutually confirm the precise location of the land Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and discuss ways to restore military communication lines and prevent accidental clashes in border areas," Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defence minister for policy, told reporters Friday.The proposal comes days after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, announced that Pyongyang had moved new troop units into "firing position" along the border.Seoul's defence ministry said Friday it was difficult to predict "what further incidents could occur if this situation is allowed to continue unaddressed".The ministry said that "three-way talks involving the United Nations Command would also be possible"."Specific dates and locations could be discussed through Panmunjom," said Kim, referencing the symbolic truce village where troops from both Koreas stand face-to-face.He added they hoped for "a positive response from North Korea".The Korean defence ministry also noted that talks proposed last year with the North did not get a response from Pyongyang.Seoul's military on Tuesday accused Pyongyang of attempting to shift the blame for escalating military tensions, while confirming the use of loudspeakers and warning shots as "legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL and to drive back troops that have crossed it".Jin Yong-sung, chairman of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, also ordered the military to "respond with firm resolve" should North Korea use Seoul's actions as a pretext for aggressive action.Michael Bosack, founding director of the Parley Policy Institute and a former UN Command official, told AFP on Friday that Pyongyang was unlikely to accept the latest overture as it "did not specifically address the North Korean demands related to warning broadcasts and warning shots"."Given the game of chicken the two sides are playing with their statements and threats, it has the potential to escalate further if gone unchecked," he added, while noting Pyongyang's language was aimed at controlling the "pace and nature of escalation"."To date, the Kim (Jong Un) regime has signalled its willingness to take steps that draw Seoul's ire without reaching the threshold of direct military action," Bosack said.Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected claims it was behind the explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers inside the DMZ, while mockingly dismissing calls for an apology.Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.Since 2024, after Kim Jong-un designated Korea his country's "principal enemy", Pyongyang's military has laid mines and built anti-tank barriers along the frontier as part of efforts to permanently seal it off.North Korea on Monday called the border situation "grave", saying it was considering deploying additional "tactical strike means" to the area.On Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said the North would place loudspeakers on standby along the border "within days" and had put unspecified "new counter means" on alert.Korea's foreign ministry, meanwhile, said on Thursday it planned to send a letter to the president of the UN Security Council over the landmine incident, which it called a "clear violation of the armistice agreement".President Lee Jae Myung has previously called for the North to return to dialogue, a suggestion Kim Yo Jong slammed as "the climax of the farce". 

Gondolas floated above a cityscape in the southeastern suburbs of Paris Saturday as the first urban cable car in the French capital's region was unveiled.Officials inaugurated the C1 line in the suburb of Limeil-Brevannes in the presence of Valerie Pecresse, the head of the Ile-de-France region, and the mayors of the towns served by the cable car.The 4.5km route connects Creteil to Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and passes through Limeil-Brevannes and Valenton.The cable car will carry some 11,000 passengers per day in its 105 gondolas, each able to accommodate ten seated passengers.The total journey will take 18 minutes, including stops along the way, compared to around 40 minutes by bus or car, connecting the isolated neighbourhoods to the Paris metro's line 8.The €138mn project was cheaper to build than a subway, officials said."An underground metro would never have seen the light of day because the budget of more than €1bn could never have been financed," said Gregoire de Lasteyrie, vice-president of the Ile-de-France regional council in charge of transport.It is France's seventh urban cable car, with aerial tramways already operating in cities including Brest, Saint-Denis de La Reunion and Toulouse.Historically used to cross rugged mountain terrain, such systems are increasingly being used to link up isolated neighbourhoods.France's first urban cable car was built in Grenoble, nestled at the foot of the Alps, in 1934.The iconic "bubbles" have become one of the symbols of the southeastern city. 

India and Bhutan Tuesday expanded their energy ties during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Himalayan nation where he extended a Rs40bn ($455mn) line of credit and inaugurated a hydroelectric power project.India’s outreach to Bhutan is seen as an effort to grow its influence in the region and draw the country wedged between China and India closer to New Delhi as Beijing steps up its engagement to resolve a long-running border dispute with Bhutan and establish diplomatic relations.Modi is on a two-day visit to the country and Tuesday addressed a gathering to mark the birthday celebrations of Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s father. “The partnership of trust and development between India and Bhutan stands as a model for the entire region,” he said. “As both our countries progress rapidly, our energy partnership is further accelerating this growth.”Modi said his visit would deepen ties and that their partnership was a “key pillar” of India’s “neighbourhood first” policy.Later in the day, he inaugurated the India-funded 1,020-megawatt Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric power project, which he said would increase Bhutan’s hydropower generating capacity by nearly 40%.It is the fifth Indian-backed hydropower project in the country which altogether generate a total of nearly 3,000 megawatts of power. The line of credit extended by India Tuesday is also aimed at funding energy projects, the Indian government said.Lok Nath Sharma, a former minister for energy in Bhutan, said the excess energy will be exported to India after meeting local demand which is about 1,000 megawatts.

New clashes broke out on Wednesday between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the Durand Line between the two countries, following recent airstrikes and rising tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. Afghanistan's Khaama Press said that clashes also erupted in Shorabak district of Kandahar province and continued into early Tuesday morning. Neither Kabul nor Islamabad has released official figures on casualties or damage. The latest border confrontation follows Pakistani airstrikes last week targeting areas in Kabul and Paktika provinces.

His Excellency Minister of Interior, Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Police Academy Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani attended on Thursday the graduation ceremony of 13 officers of the first batch of the second-line leadership program at the Police Officers Institute at the Academy's headquarters.During the ceremony, His Excellency handed out certificates to the graduates in the presence of a number of leaders and heads of the country's security and military agencies.The program aimed to prepare a new generation of security leaders capable of contributing to the development of institutions and facing future challenges. The program was implemented in cooperation with the IE University in Spain, which specializes in leadership.