Attack in NW Pakistan kills four troops
PESHAWAR, May 29: An army officer was among four soldiers killed in an attack in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where terrorists opened fire on a security forces check post. The incident occurred late Wednesday, and the Army’s media cell, Inter-Services Public Relations, has not commented on the incident. Four terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the province’s Musakhel district, while two policemen were killed and three others injured in a terror attack in Banny district. Pakistan has experienced an increase in terror activities over the past year, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces, following the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ceasefire in November 2022. A policeman was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bannu earlier this month. (PTI)
Five dead, 27 injured in bus accident in SW Pakistan
KARACHI, May 29: A passenger bus in the Bolan area of the Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan tragically crashed into a deep ravine, killing at least five people and injuring 27 others. The accident occurred near Haji town on the Bolan-Quetta highway in the early hours of the day. The bus, which was traveling from Sadiqabad to Quetta, lost control due to over-speeding at a sharp bend in the mountain terrain. A rescue operation is ongoing to move the injured passengers, including women, to a district hospital in Bolan. Balochistan province has one of the highest fatal accident rates in the country, with around 20,000 accidents reported in 2024, resulting in nearly 450 fatalities on highways. (PTI)
Ex Sri Lankan ministers imprisoned for corruption
COLOMBO, May 29: Sri Lankan former ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando have been sentenced to 20 years and 25 years in prison for corruption cases linked to the 2015 presidential election. Aluthgamage was sentenced to 20 years for his role as sports minister from 2010 to 2015, while Fernando was sentenced to 25 years for his role as trade minister from 2022 to 2024. The two were convicted of causing a loss of LKR 53 million to the state by purchasing sports equipment for distribution during the 2015 presidential polls. The case was initially filed in 2019 but was withdrawn in 2022 due to technical issues. The current NPP government has pledged to revive corruption cases. (PTI)
Two convicted in trafficking case involving Indian family
NEW YORK, May 29: Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Anthony Shand were sentenced in the US for smuggling Indian nationals, causing an Indian family’s death from freezing near the US-Canada border in 2022. Despite blizzard warnings, they organized the risky crossing. Both were convicted of conspiracy, human trafficking, and endangering lives for profit in this deadly operation. (PTI)