ISLAMABAD – An American who entered Pakistan last week after being expelled from the country five years earlier will be deported again after being interrogated, the interior minister said Friday.
Matthew Barrett, a 33-year-old Alabama native, had spent four years in Pakistan, where he married a local woman and had two children, before being kicked out of the country in 2011 after being detained near a sensitive military installation.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Barrett was never suspected of spying but was involved in “wrongdoing,” without elaborating.
HUA HIN, Thailand – Attackers using firebombs and homemade explosives struck a series of popular resort cities and beach towns across Thailand in some of the worst violence to hit the country since a military coup two years ago. At least four people were killed and dozens wounded, including 11 foreigners.
It was not clear who was behind the attacks Thursday and Friday, which followed a successful referendum held last weekend on a new constitution that critics say will bolster the military’s power for years to come.
The attacks occurred south of Bangkok and several of the blasts appeared designed to strike the tourism industry, which provides vital income to the government.
UNITED NATIONS – United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan have a robust new mandate and thousands of additional troops despite government opposition to the move, raising the possibility of clashes between blue helmets and the country’s armed forces.
The Security Council voted Friday to approve a resolution granting expanded powers to peacekeepers requiring them to use “all necessary means” to protect United Nations personnel and installations and to take “proactive” measures to protect civilians from threats. The vote was 11 in favor with four abstentions.
The resolution also adds an additional 4,000 troops from Africa.
Associated Press
