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Switzerland Seeks Answers from Iran after Traveler Dies in Prison

A Swiss flag is pictured on the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland December 7, 2018. (Reuters)
A Swiss flag is pictured on the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland December 7, 2018. (Reuters)
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Switzerland Seeks Answers from Iran after Traveler Dies in Prison

A Swiss flag is pictured on the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland December 7, 2018. (Reuters)
A Swiss flag is pictured on the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland December 7, 2018. (Reuters)

Switzerland has demanded more information from authorities in Iran after a Swiss citizen died in prison there.
A Swiss national who was arrested in Iran and accused of spying took his own life in prison on Thursday, the chief justice of Iran's Semnan province was quoted as saying by the Iranian judiciary news agency Mizan.
The Swiss foreign ministry said on Friday it had been informed by Iran about the arrest of the 64-year-old man on suspicion of espionage on Dec. 10, reported Reuters.
He had been travelling in Iran as a tourist and had not resided in Switzerland for almost 20 years, the ministry said, adding that he had been living in southern Africa.
The Swiss embassy in Tehran had tried to obtain more information and to speak to the man but the request was denied because of the ongoing Iranian investigation, it said.
"Switzerland is demanding that the Iranian authorities provide detailed information on the reasons for his arrest and a full investigation into the circumstances of his death," the ministry said in a statement.
It said it was seeking the repatriation of the man's body, and this was expected in the next few days.
Nournews, which is affiliated with a top state security body, said the man was arrested "while collecting information and taking soil samples in the central desert of Iran."
Nournews said his arrest coincided with Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military targets on Oct. 26, and that he committed suicide "using his previous training at the spy service".
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have in recent years arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Rights groups accuse Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran denies this.
Switzerland plays an intermediary role between Washington and Tehran as it represents American interests in Iran and passes messages between the two countries.
France's foreign ministry said separately that Iran's ambassador had been summoned over French nationals it described as "hostages" of Iran.

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World

Russian Missile Kills Three on Bus in East Ukraine

This photograph shows residential buildings heavily damaged by a Russian air strike at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, where more than 50 people were killed, in the center of the city of Izium, Kharkiv region on March 10, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This photograph shows residential buildings heavily damaged by a Russian air strike at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, where more than 50 people were killed, in the center of the city of Izium, Kharkiv region on March 10, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russian Missile Kills Three on Bus in East Ukraine

This photograph shows residential buildings heavily damaged by a Russian air strike at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, where more than 50 people were killed, in the center of the city of Izium, Kharkiv region on March 10, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This photograph shows residential buildings heavily damaged by a Russian air strike at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, where more than 50 people were killed, in the center of the city of Izium, Kharkiv region on March 10, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A Russian strike in eastern Ukraine on Friday killed three people on a bus near the embattled town of Kupiansk, which Moscow's army is battling to recapture, investigators said.

The wider Kharkiv region, which borders Russia, was partly occupied when Russian forces invaded in February 2022, but was largely liberated by Ukraine months later.

"Three people were killed as a result of the strike: the bus driver and two passengers," local investigators announced.

The bus was near the village of Nova Oleksandrivka when it was hit by an Iskandr missile, they added. Investigators posted images of a red bus with its windows blown out.

There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, which claims its forces do not target civilians.

Peace talks spearheaded by the United States aiming to halt more than four years of fighting have been derailed by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Russia's invasion sparked the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II, forcing the displacement of millions and leaving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides.

World

Türkiye Says Third Ballistic Missile from Iran Shot Down

This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
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Türkiye Says Third Ballistic Missile from Iran Shot Down

This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released on March 9, 2026, by Turkish news agency DHA (Demiroren News Agency) shows part of a second Iranian ballistic missile destroyed by NATO in Turkish airspace. (Photo by Handout / DHA (Demiroren News Agency) / AFP)

Türkiye’s defense ministry on Friday said a ballistic missile from Iran had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO forces in the third such incident of the Middle East war. 

"A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean," a ministry statement said. 

Hours earlier, sirens wailed at Türkiye’s southern Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed, state news agency Anadolu reported. 

Local media also reported sirens in Batman, 600 kilometers (370 miles) further east. 

NATO air defenses shot down a first ballistic missile fired from Iran on March 4, with a second intercepted on Monday. 

Residents of the southern city of Adana, next to Incirlik, were woken by sirens at 3:25 am (0025 GMT) and several posted footage of a fast-moving object that appeared to be on fire, the Ekonomim business news website reported. 

Separately, sirens sounded in Batman around 4:00 am, with reporters saying the alarm appeared to be coming from a military drone base next to the city's airport. 

Monday's incident prompted Washington to close its consulate in Adana and urge all US citizens to leave southeastern Türkiye. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denied the missile had been fired from Iran in a phone call to Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Since the US-Israeli war on Iran started on February 28, Tehran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East. 

Incirlik is an important NATO facility used by US troops for decades, but which also hosts military personnel from Spain and Poland, its website says. 

US troops are also stationed at Kurecik, a base in the central Malatya province, where they man an early-warning radar system NATO describes as a "key element" of its missile shield that can detect Iranian missile launches. 

Although Ankara has categorically denied radar data has ever been used to help Israel, its presence has rattled Tehran. 

On Tuesday, Türkiye said a Patriot missile defense system was being deployed in Malatya just days after NATO moved to strengthen its "alliance-wide ballistic missile defense posture". 

World

Russia Says It Doesn't See Iran Crisis Reducing US Interest in Ukraine Peace Talks

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
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Russia Says It Doesn't See Iran Crisis Reducing US Interest in Ukraine Peace Talks

FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/File Photo

Russia is not concerned at this point that the Iran crisis will reduce US interest in mediating ‌peace talks ‌on Ukraine, ‌Kremlin ⁠spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ⁠on Friday.

"No, there are no such concerns at ⁠this time; our ‌contacts with ‌our American ‌counterparts provide ‌no grounds for such doubts," Peskov told reporters in ‌response to a question.

Russia is ⁠expecting ⁠a new round of negotiations, but has nothing to announce yet on the timing, he said.