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Militants firing from inside Afghanistan killed at least five Pakistani soldiers at a border post in northwestern Kurram district on Sunday, the Pakistan military said, the second such attack since Taliban militants took over Kabul in August, Reuters reported.

The army said it retaliated, causing heavy casualties, but independent confirmation was not immediately possible because the districts along the mountainous Afghan border are off limits to journalists and human rights organisations.

“Militants from inside Afghanistan across the international border opened fire on Pakistani troops in Kurram district,” the military’s media wing said in a statement.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or Pakistan Taliban, which renewed an allegiance with the Afghan Taliban after the fall of Kabul, claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack.

The Afghan government denied the firing had come from within Afghan territory.

"We assure other countries, especially our neighhours, that no one will be allowed to use Afghan land against them," Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, told Reuters.

The Afghan Taliban late last year played the role of facilitator in talks between the TTP and the Pakistan government.

Those talks fell apart in December, since when there have been a series of attacks on Pakistani forces along the border.

The military statement said Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by militants for activities against Pakistan and expects that interim Afghan government to halt such acts in future.

Pakistani security forces had just a day earlier completed a three-day operation against militants who had attacked two military bases in the southern province of Balochistan. At least nine soldiers were killed in those attacks.

“As per its promises, Taliban government should stop such cross-border militants attacks,” Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Pakistan’s interior minister, said in a statement.

Nepali Congress has appointed Prakash Sharan Mahat as the party spokesperson.

President Sher Bahadur Deuba appointed him as the party spokesperson, party Chief Secretary Krishna Chandra Paudel said.

Bishwo Prakash Sharma has been given the responsibility of spokesperson after the 13the general convention.

The party decided to give responsibility of spokesperson to Mahat after Sharma was elected as the general secretary of the party from the 14th general convention.

Mahat, who is close to President Deuba, had filed candidacy for the post of general secretary in the general convention.

North Korea cyber attacks don tiff millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to get money for di kontri missile programmes.

Dis na according to one United Nations report wey dem release give tori pipo.

Investigators find out say from 2020 to di middle of 2021, cyber-attackers bin tiff pass $50m of digital assets.

Dem say dis type of attacks na "important revenue source" for Pyongyang nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

Na on Friday dem bin give dis findings to di UN sanctions committee.

Di cyber attacks bin target at least three cryptocurrency exchanges from North America, Europe and Asia.

Di report bin also touch one study by Chainalysis wey tok say North Korea Cyber attacks fit don make dem reach $400m worth of digital assets last year.

And for 2019, di UN bin report say North Korea don gada about $2bn with cyber attacks so dem go fit pay for dia weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Di UN Security Council bin ban North Korea from nuclear testing and ballistic missile launch but di kontri don even boost di number of tests and launches dem dey do even with di severe sanctions.

Di US, on Friday tok say, North Korea, wey also be di Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), bin do nine missile tests last month alone.

Dis na as China and Russia refuse say dem no go join sign statement wey condemn di amount of missile launches North Korea dey do on Friday.

On Sunday, di US howeva say dia special representative for North Korea go meet wit Japanese and South Korean officials later in di week.

Dis UN report bin also hala say di humanitarian situation for North Korea don bad scata. Say e fit be sake of say di kontri bin close dia borders during di pandemic.

Di report say because of di lack of information for di hermit kingdom no fit let them no how e don bad reach.

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has proposed to hold discussions on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) only after the local level elections.

He made such proposal during a meeting held with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and main opposition CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma in Baluwatar on Sunday.

During the meeting Maoist Centre Chairman Dahal said that it would be appropriate to hold discussions on the MCC only after the civic polls, UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel told the journalists after the meeting.

Dahal said that the MCC should be tabled in the Parliament after the local level elections as they are just round the corner.

Saying that the MCC should be endorsed from the Parliament right away, Prime Minister Deuba urged Dahal and Oli to help ratifying the compact.

In response, Oli said that his party would clear its position on the MCC after the government  make public its views.