2 killed, 11 injured in Jhapa container truck-bus collision
Two persons, including a minor died and 11 others were injured when a container truck collided with a bus at Naya Basti in Kankai Municipality-3, Jhapa along the East-West Highway on Thursday.
The deceased have been identified as 40-year-old Sushma Rajbanshi of Bhadrapur Municipality-8 and her son 18-month-old Aarut Rajbanshi.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Khagendra Bahadur Khadka of the District Police Office, the accident occurred when the container (Me 1 Cha 4515), heading towards Maidhar from Biratamode, collided head-on with the bus (Na 5 Kha 2149) this morning. .
The condition of some of the injured is reported to be serious.
Police are searching for the bus driver, while the container driver, Jaqeer Hussain (39) of Biratamode Municipality-6, has been taken into police custody for further investigation.
Russia expels British diplomat over allegations of spying
A British diplomat has been ordered to leave Russia, with officials accusing the man of being an intelligence agent working undercover at the embassy in Moscow, BBC reported.
The man, who has not been identified, has been stripped of his accreditation and must leave the country within two weeks, Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry added that it had summoned British charge d'affaires Danae Dholakia over the matter, according to BBC.
Iran reopens airspace after temporary closure forced flights to reroute
Iran reopened its airspace after a near-five-hour closure amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights, Reuters reported.
Iran closed its airspace to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission at 5:15 p.m. ET (2215 GMT) on Wednesday, according to a notice on ‌the US Federal Aviation ‌Administration website.
Trump administration halts immigrant visa processing from 75 countries
The Donald Trump administration has indefinitely suspended immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries, marking one of its most expansive efforts yet to restrict legal pathways to the United States, The Guardian reported.
The freeze, which takes effect on 21 January, targets applicants officials deem likely to become a “public charge” – who they describe as people who may rely on government benefits for basic needs.
The state department wrote on social mediathat it “will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates”.
