Pope urges International mediation over North Korea crisis
London, April 30 (IANS): Pope Francis has called for international mediation to ease escalating tensions over North Korea’s nuclear activity, the media reported on Sunday. Speaking to the media on Saturday aboard his plane after a visit to Egypt, Pope Francis said: “There are so many facilitators in the world, there are mediators who offer themselves, such as Norway for example,” the BBC reported. He warned that the situation had become “too hot” and said: the “path is the path of negotiations, of a diplomatic solution”. He warned the crisis risked sparking a devastating war in which “a good part of humanity” would be destroyed. His comments come hours after North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile on Saturday, which the US and South Korea confirmed that it exploded shortly after take-off. The missile was fired from a site in South Pyeongan province, north of Pyongyang.
43 militants killed in Afghan operation
Kabul, April 30 (IANS): At least 43 militants were killed in military operations in Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. “In the past 24 hours, Afghan National Defence and Security Forces launched eight counter-terrorism operations in Kunar, Wardak, Nangarhar, Zabul, Logar and Kunduz provinces,” Xinhua news agency cited a ministry statement as saying. Among the killed, 17 were Islamic State (IS) fighters, it said. Eight persons were wounded in the raids. The statement did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces side. The Afghan security forces have beefed up operations against militants recently as spring and summer known as fighting seasons are drawing near in the mountainous Asian country.
11 die in Pakistan accident
Islamabad, April 30 (IANS): At least 11 persons were killed on Sunday when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, police said. Many others were injured in the accident near Lowari Top, The News International reported. The injured have been rushed to a hospital. According to the police, the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn in the mountainous terrain. The bus was carrying over 20 persons and was on way from Rawalpindi to Chitral. Traffic accidents frequently happen in Pakistan due to poorly maintained roads, violation of road safety rules and reckless driving. According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, over 9,000 road accidents take place every year in the country, killing about 5,000 people. Traffic police officials say 90 per cent of the accidents are caused merely due to human errors.
