News in Brief (2022-03-17)
Thursday, 17 March 2022
4 soldiers killed in Pakistan attack
ISLAMABAD, Mar 15: Four soldiers were killed and at least eight others injured when a bomb went off in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Tuesday, an official said. A convoy of paramilitary troops Frontier Corps (FC) was on its way to a check post when an improvised explosive device exploded in the Sangan area of Sibi district of the province, Assistant Commissioner of Sibi Muhammad Ismail Mengal told Xinhua. — Xinhua
Iran frees British-Iranian woman
LONDON, Mar 16: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman detained in Iran nearly six years ago, is on her way to the UK, her MP has said. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was at the airport in Tehran, Tulip Siddiq told BBC News. She has been in a holding room with fellow British-Iranian detainee Anoosheh Ashoori, she said. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 - accused of plotting to overthrow Iran's government, which she denied. Mr Ashoori was arrested in 2017 and accused of spying, a claim he denied. — BBC
Slovaks charge 2 with spying for Russia
PRAGUE, Mar 16: Slovak authorities have broken a Russian spying network that was operating on Slovak territory, officials said on Tuesday. Stefan Hamran, the country's chief police officer said four Slovak nationals have been detained in the case with two of them facing spying and bribery charges. Prosecutor Daniel Lipsic said the two face up to 13 years in prison if tried and convicted. "We're talking about serious cases," Lipsic said. — AP
Landslide in Peru buries dozens of homes
LIMA, Mar 16: A landslide on Tuesday in the northern Peruvian town of Retamas has buried dozens of homes and trapped at least 15 people, according to authorities. A video circulating on social media shows a hill's collapse, and the person filming can be heard screaming "No! God! It's all buried." Manuel Llempen, the governor of the La Libertad region where Retamas is located, told RPP radio that "the landslide has buried, according to the preliminary report, approximately 60 to 80 houses." — AFP