PM Modi conferred Ghana's national honour
Accra (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’, the country's national honour, for his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership".
Modi received the award on Wednesday from the Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
"Honoured to be conferred with ‘The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana’," the prime minister said in an X post.
In his acceptance speech, Modi said the award was a matter of great pride and honour for him.
"I humbly accept the award on behalf of the 140 crore Indians," he said, dedicating it to the aspirations and bright future of the youth of the two countries, the historical ties between Ghana and India, and their rich cultural traditions and diversity.
"This honour is also a responsibility; to keep working towards stronger India-Ghana friendship. India will always stand with the people of Ghana and continue to contribute as a trusted friend and development partner," he said in an X post.
The award was conferred on the prime minister in recognition of his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.
Thanking the people and government of Ghana for the special gesture, the prime minister noted that the "shared democratic values and traditions of the two countries would continue to nurture the partnership".
He said the award "further deepens the friendship between the two countries and places new responsibility on him to embrace and advance bilateral ties."
Modi asserted his confidence that his "historic" state visit to Ghana would impart a new momentum to India-Ghana ties, according to the MEA.
"A testament to the deep & long-standing India-Ghana ties, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Earlier, Modi held wide-ranging talks with Mahama, after which India and Ghana elevated their ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership.
The prime minister is in Ghana on the first leg of his five-nation tour.
It is the first prime ministerial visit from India to Ghana in three decades.
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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
