Iran summons Pakistan envoy over killing of border guards
Islamabad, April 28 (IANS): Pakistan’s envoy in Iran was summoned by Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday over the killing of 10 Iranian border guards in an attack on the Pakistan-Iran border last week, Dawn news reported. “Unfortunately, Pakistani side of Iran’s borders are the most insecure ones and we expect Islamabad to honour its previous promises and prevent a repetition of such attacks,” the Dawn quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Qasi as telling Ambassador Asif Ali Khan Durrani. At least 10 border guards in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province were killed in an attack by militants along the Pakistani border’s zero-point. Iran urged Pakistan to adopt “strict measures” to ensure that no such incident takes place again, the daily said. “
US Senate confirms Acosta as Labour Secretary
Washington, April 28 (IANS): The US Senate confirmed one of the final members of President Donald Trumps Cabinet, Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta, the media reported. Acosta, Trump’s second choice to run the Labour Department, was confirmed on Thursday evening by a 60-38 vote, just ahead of the President’s 100th day in office, The Hill magazine reported. The former Republican member of the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) takes the helm of the department at a time when worker tensions are rising across America. Trump scrambled to find a replacement after his first pick to run the Labour Department, restaurant executive Andrew Puzder, dropped out in February. Trump nominated Acosta the following day. Puzder withdrew his nomination after it became apparent he did not have enough Republican support to be confirmed by the Senate.After his confirmation, Trump’s pick for US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, is now the final Cabinet-level nominee awaiting Senate confirmation, reports The Hill magazine.
‘US to deport 7,000 Ghanaians’
Accra, April 28 (IANS): The United States would deport 7,000 Ghanaians this year for breaching terms of their visa agreement, a US diplomat said on Thursday. US Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson said the Ghanaians had overstayed their permits and were currently at different stages of their deportation process, Xinhua news agency reported. “About 7,000 of them are currently at different stages of the deportation process, and we are not apologetic about that,” Jackson said at an event in the Brong Ahafo region, 400 km from the capital, Accra. “We have a lot of Ghanaians who have overstayed their visas in the US and I think that they need to be concerned about whether they would be allowed to remain illegally,” Jackson said. “My guess is they will be given some options but the President will be serious about asking those who’ve violated their visa status to depart.”
300 students fall sick due to food poisoning in France
Paris, April 28 (IANS): More than 300 students were taken ill on Thursday due to suspected food poisoning in Rouen city in France, regional authorities said. Children, aged between 3 and 12, reported symptoms of vomiting and nausea after eating school lunches prepared at the same central canteen, Xinhua news agency reported. “The children were treated by a group of one hundred healthcare workers including, doctors, nurses and rescue teams in 41 schools and 6 nurseries,” Jean-Marc Magda, Director of Normandy and Seine prefect’s office, was quoted as saying by local media. Twenty five kids were sent to emergency services while the others were undergoing treatment at their schools after noting that many were stricken. “The children are cared for, then comes the time of the investigation. At this stage, one can imagine everything: insufficient cooking, bad handling, rules of hygiene not respected,” Magda said.
Turkey urges coalition, US to clear IS out of Syria
Istanbul, April 28 (IANS): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged coalition forces and the US to clear the Islamic State (IS) militants from Manbij and Raqqa towns in Syria. “Together with the coalition led by the US, Turkey and the Free Syrian Army can clean the area all together,” Xinhua news agency quoted Erdogan as saying at a meeting here. Currently there are around 2,500 to 5,000 terrorists in Raqqa, Erdogan said. “It is not difficult for us,” he remarked. “Why do we exist if we cannot succeed?” Turkey has suggested a joint operation to retake Raqqa on condition that the US keeps away the Syrian Kurdish fighters, who are seen by Ankara as the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party but treated by the US as a reliable ground force against the IS. Backed by the rebel Free Syrian Army, the Turkish military launched an operation in Syria in August 2015 and managed to clean about 2,500 square km area. Turkish troops’ move against Kurds-held Manbij, however, was blocked by the US and Russia. “We should hand over Manbij to Arabs, who are its real owners,” Erdogan said.
2,000-year-old tombs excavated in China
Beijing, April 28 (IANS): More than 20 funeral artefacts were unearthed during the excavation of two 2,000-year-old tombs in Hunan province of China, the media reported on Friday. The tombs, thought to be from either the late West Han (206 BC-24 AD) or early East Han (24-220 AD) dynasties, were discovered in November at a construction site in Huaihua city, Xinhua news agency reported. The larger tomb was equipped with a drainage ditch, an unusual feature of tombs in the area. Archaeologists found pottery utensils such as boxes, buckets, kettles and pots as well as copper coins and golden ornaments in the tombs.“From the size of the tomb and variety of artefacts, we think that it could have belonged to a wealthy family,” said Yang Zhiyong, curator of Huaihua city museum.
