Deadly separatist attack in Balochistan; Regional tensions rise

• At least six people died on Saturday in an attack carried out by separatists in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. Among the victims are soldiers and civilians, local authorities reported. More than 25 people were injured.

• The Norwegian Coast Guard is monitoring the strange behaviour of the Panamanian-registered gas tanker "Mulan" - Norwegian press reported on Saturday. Under the North Sea floor, where the vessel has been for several days, there are cables and pipelines connecting Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

• Israel confirmed on Saturday the resumption of indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar, aimed at freeing hostages held in the Gaza Strip, AFP agency reported.

• The nominations of Donald Trump as the US Secretary of State and the American Ambassador in Madrid are a message to Latin American dictatorships that the new White House administration will take a tough line against them, wrote the Spanish daily "El Mundo" on Saturday.

• Neither the Ukrainian drone attack on the port of Ust-Luga nor the response of the Russian air defence utilised Estonian airspace, reported the Estonian armed forces' air operations centre on Saturday.

• In the last two years, the number of people detained on suspicion of jihadist activities in Spain has increased. Organisations from Central Asia pose the greatest current threat, wrote the Catalan daily "La Vanguardia" on Saturday.

• Four people aged 17-19 died in a car accident near Helsinki. The car they were travelling in veered off the road on a bridge and fell into a river. The road was slippery and dark, the temperature dropped to about -19°C, and the driver was inexperienced, reported Finnish police on Saturday.

Source: PAP