Briefly

INDONESIA

Landslide leaves 11 dead; dozens missing

A landslide caused by torrential rain killed at least 11 people and left dozens of others missing on an island in Indonesia's remote Natuna region on Monday, disaster officials said. Tons of mud fell from surrounding hills onto houses in Serasan village in Natuna. Rescuers recovered at least 11 bodies and authorities fear that the death toll will rise, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said. He estimated that about 50 people were still missing. Seasonal downpours cause frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or in fertile flood plains.

AFGHANISTAN

Universities reopen but women still barred

Male students trickled back to their classes on Monday after universities reopened following a winter break but women remain barred by authorities. The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 and has sparked wide outrage. The Taliban government imposed the ban after accusing women students of ignoring a strict dress code and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative to and from campus. Most universities had already introduced gender-segregated entrances and classrooms, as well as allowing women to be taught only by female professors or old men.

PAKISTAN

Suicide bombing kills 10 officers, injures 12

A suicide bomber riding on a motorcycle rammed into a police truck in Pakistan's southwest, killing at least 10 police officers and wounding 12 others in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in recent months, authorities said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, which took place on a bridge in the district of Sibi in Baluchistan Province, but Baluch separatists and local militants have been blamed for previous such attacks. Mahmood Notenzai, a local police chief, said the officers were on a routine patrol when the attack happened.

Agencies - Xinhua