17 killed in bus crash

NEW DELHI: A bus crashed into a ditch killing at least 17 people in Maharashtra overnight, police said on Tuesday. An unknown number of people were also hurt in the accident that occurred en route from Amravati district to Surat in neighbouring Gujarat, the PTI reported. — AFP

Indo-Pak talks on dam

NEW DELHI: Indian and Pakistani officials on Tuesday began two days of talks here over Islamabad’s objections to a dam India is constructing in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting is taking place in the backdrop of Pakistan’s ultimatum to approach the World Bank to appoint a neutral expert for arbitration if New Delhi fails to address its concerns regarding the Baglihar dam’s design and other parameters. — HNS

3 bombs go off in Pak

QUETTA: Three bombings were reported in southwestern Pakistan within one day, the latest in a series of mysterious attacks, police said on Tuesday. No one was injured. Two bombs went off 45 minutes apart on Monday in Kalat, a town about 200 km south of Quetta, causing no damage, said Rana Javed Iqbal, a Kalat police official. Hours later, a third bomb detonated near an education office in Quetta, shattering windows, deputy police inspector-general Pervez Rafi Bhatti said. — AP

Clash on Pak-Afghan border

Islamabad: Tension flared on the hazily-defined border between Pakistan and Afghanistan following an exchange of heavy fire between the two sides, a Pakistani military spokesman said on Wednesday. The Saidgai area of Pakistan’s mountainous North Waziristan region came under fire from “heavy weapons” from across the border, military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said. “There were no casualties on the Pakistan side. We have no knowledge about any casualties on the other side,” the general said. — AFP

MiG-21 jet crashes

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday lost another of its ageing MiG-21 jets in the first crash of the year but the pilot ejected safely, officials here said. — HNS