Global tensions rise: Deadly attacks, secretive talks, and spy fears

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

• The Norwegian Coast Guard is monitoring the strange behavior 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, the AFP agency reported.

• Donald Trump's nominations as the US Secretary of State and the American Ambassador to 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 defense involved Estonian airspace, reported the Estonian armed forces' air operations center on Saturday.

• In the last two years, the number of people detained on suspicion of jihadist activities in Spain has increased. Organizations 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 traveling in veered off the road on a bridge and fell into a river. The road was slippery and dark, the temperature dropped to -2°F, and the driver was inexperienced, reported Finnish police on Saturday.

• Starting Sunday, tolls for crossing bridges and tunnels into New York City will increase. Drivers heading below 60th Street in Manhattan will pay an additional $9, and for large vehicles, it will total over $150.

Source: PAP