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CNN —A record-breaking Norwegian climber has hit out at what she calls “misinformation and hatred” surrounding claims she and her team climbed over a dying porter on K2 to summit the deadly peak. In a statement posted to her website on Thursday, Harila insisted she and her team did everything they could to save Pakistani mountain porter Mohammad Hassan. Pakistani mountain porter Mohammad Hassan died after slipping on K2, the world's second highest mountain. Kristin Harila/InstagramSteindl and Flämig said they later spoke with witnesses to confirm what had happened and ascertain the victim’s identity. We did not fully understand the gravity of everything that happened until later,” Harila added.

Persons: Kristin Harila, Lama –, Harila, Mohammad Hassan, Wilhelm Steindl, Philip Flämig, Flämig, ” Flämig, ”, Hassan, Steindl, ” Harila, “ Lama, Gabriel, Niranjan Shrestha, “, Lama Organizations: CNN, Austrian, Süddeutsche Locations: Austrian, Pakistani, Hassan, Base

☆ Imran Khan Appeals Prison Sentence, Kicking Off High-Stakes Legal Battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | More About Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The legal team for the former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, appealed his three-year prison sentence on Wednesday, kicking off a high-stakes and hotly contested legal fight that will determine Mr. Khan’s future and the country’s political climate as it heads into general elections later this year. Mr. Khan was arrested and jailed on Saturday after being found guilty in a corruption case, the latest twist in a stunning downfall for the leader, who has been in a political showdown with the country’s powerful military since his ouster last year. His allies argue that the court verdict, which found him guilty of hiding assets after illegally selling state gifts, was little more than a politically motivated effort to sideline him. And for many Pakistanis, the spectacle of Mr. Khan’s imprisonment offered a striking reminder that the country’s military remains the ultimate and unmoving force behind Pakistan’s politics. In the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday, his legal team argued that the conviction represented a violation of Mr. Khan’s “fundamental right to due process and fair trial” and said it was decided by a biased judge determined to convict him “irrespective of the merits of the case,” according to court documents.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan’s, Khan Organizations: Court Locations: Pakistan, Islamabad

☆ Pakistan: Imran Khan is banned from running for office for five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Sahar Akbarzai | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been disqualified from running for office for five years, according to a statement released on Tuesday from the Election Commission of Pakistan. Khan has been banned as a result of being found guilty last week in a corruption trial and sentenced to three years in prison, the statement said. The trial relates to an inquiry conducted by the election commission which found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore after the court’s ruling on Saturday and was transported to the capital Islamabad. Several senior party leaders were also detained.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan, ”, ” Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Organizations: CNN — Former Pakistan, PTI Locations: Pakistan, Lahore, Islamabad

Yet the final days of Imran Khan’s political career tell a contrasting tale. Khan’s supporters – some armed with sticks and stones – marched through cities, chanting slogans against the ruling dispensation. To his supporters, Khan was seen as a political martyr, someone they had vowed to defend till the very end. Analysts say Khan’s arrest following a yearlong showdown with the military sends a pointed message to the former prime minister and his supporters. “Imran Khan’s political will wasn’t strong enough to begin with from what we saw.

Persons: Imran Khan’s, Khan, Khan’s, –, ”, Arifa Noor, “, Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, Patrick Durand, Sygma, Pervez Musharraf, Arif Ali, Noor, “ Imran Khan’s, Shehbaz Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Mr, Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, Salaar Khan, Khawaja Asif, Khan won’t, “ Imran, ” Noor Organizations: CNN, Cricket, Getty, Oxford University, Movement for Justice, PML, AP, Pakistan’s, PTI, CNN Monday Locations: Pakistan, Lahore, Islamabad, British India, It’s, Melbourne, Australia, Khan, British, AFP, India, Afghanistan, United States, Gujranwala

☆ At least 15 killed, 40 injured after train derails in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Benjamin Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —At least 15 people were killed and 40 injured after a train derailed in Pakistan on Sunday, according to state public broadcaster Radio Pakistan. The train derailed near Nawabshah in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan, the public broadcaster reported, adding that it was heading from Karachi to Havelian. Pictures from the scene showed twisted wreckage and people clambering on the train’s roof. Pakistan’s railway system has a poor safety record, with a series of deadly accidents in recent years a tragic reminder of the country’s ageing infrastructure and safety standards. More to follow…

Organizations: CNN, Radio Pakistan Locations: Pakistan, Nawabshah, Sindh province, Karachi, Havelian

☆ Imran Khan Sentenced to Prison, Dashing Hopes of Political Comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday after a trial court sentenced him to three years in prison, a verdict that will most likely end his chances to contest upcoming general elections. Mr. Khan was taken into custody by the police from his home in the eastern city of Lahore soon after the court decision was announced in Islamabad. He was found guilty of hiding assets after illegally selling state gifts. “The allegations against Mr. Khan are proven,” said Humayun Dilawar, the judge who announced the verdict in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. The case is related to an inquiry by the country’s election commission, which found last October that Mr. Khan had illegally sold gifts given to him by other countries when he was prime minister and concealed the profits from the authorities.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan, Mr, ”, Humayun Dilawar Locations: Lahore, Islamabad, Pakistan’s

Islamabad CNN —Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty in a corruption trial, a verdict that disqualifies him from holding political office. Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore after the court’s ruling and is now being transported to the capital Islamabad. The trial relates to an inquiry conducted by the election commission which found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The former prime minister has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing. The army has previously rejected Khan’s claims it had anything to do with past purported attempts on his life.

Persons: Islamabad CNN —, Imran Khan, Khan, Saturday Khan, ”, ” Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s, “ Imran, Maryam Aurangzeb, ” Aurangzeb, Khan’s Organizations: Islamabad CNN, PTI, Saturday, country’s Locations: Islamabad, Lahore, United States

☆ ISIS Affiliate Claims Responsibility for Deadly Attack at Rally in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | More About Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Islamic State affiliate in South Asia claimed responsibility on Monday for a suicide bombing in northwest Pakistan that killed dozens of people and injured about 200 more, in the latest bloody sign of the deteriorating security situation in the country. The death toll from the explosion on Sunday, which targeted a political rally in the Bajaur district near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, rose to at least 54 people, Shaukat Abbas, a senior officer at the provincial police’s counterterrorism department, said on Monday. The Islamic State affiliate, known as the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed on Monday that a suicide bomber had carried out the attack, characterizing it as part of the group’s war against democracy as a system of government, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The blast was among the deadliest terrorist attacks in months in Pakistan, where some militant groups operating along the border with Afghanistan have become more active over the past year. The rise in violence represents a grim shift: Since 2014, when security forces carried out a major military operation to flush militants out of Pakistan, the country has experienced relative calm.

Persons: Shaukat Abbas Organizations: Islamic State, SITE Intelligence Group Locations: South Asia, Pakistan, Bajaur, Pakistan’s, Afghanistan, State Khorasan

☆ At Least 35 Dead in Blast at Political Rally in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | More About Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An explosion at a political rally on Sunday in northwest Pakistan killed at least 35 people and injured 200 more, officials said, the latest sign of the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan, where some militant groups have become more active over the past two years since finding a haven in neighboring Afghanistan under the Taliban administration there. The blast occurred about 4 p.m. in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, said Feroz Jamal, the provincial information minister. It targeted a political rally organized by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, an Islamist party that is part of the governing coalition in Pakistan. A state of emergency has been imposed in the hospitals in Peshawar, the provincial capital. A local leader of the political party who was onstage when the explosion occurred, Maulana Ziaullah, was among those killed.

Persons: Feroz Jamal, Fazl, Mr, Jamal, Maulana Ziaullah Organizations: Jamiat Ulema, Islamic Locations: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan’s, Peshawar, Islamic State, Jamiat

CNN —Afghans who were promised a home in the United States after their country fell to the Taliban say they have waited so long for the US to process their applications that they are now being sent back to the enemy they fled. “They did not hand us over to the (Taliban) Afghan border forces,” he said. Many Afghans fled the Taliban after the August 15, 2021 fall of Kabul to the hard-line group. At least two Afghans awaiting P-2 visas have been swept up in this crackdown, CNN has learned, and complain of Pakistani police persecution. Afghans waiting in Pakistan have reported harassment by Pakistani police, including arrest and demands for money.

Persons: “, ”, Haseeb, Aafaq, ” Aafaq, “ I’m, Biden, sobbed Organizations: CNN, State Department, Pakistan’s, Interior Ministries, Afghanistan Immigrants Refugees Council, Getty, Support Center, US State Department, Foreign Locations: United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Kabul, Taliban, USA, Pakistani, Chaman, AFP, Islamabad, Turkey, Tajikistan

☆ Norwegian woman and Nepali guide set record for summit of 14 ‘super peaks’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Norwegian woman and a Nepali man smashed the record on Thursday for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre (26,000-feet) mountains, their team said in a statement. The pair surpassed Nepal-born British adventurer Nirmal Purja’s record of six months and six days, set in 2019. Purja is now attempting to set the record for the fastest ascent of all 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen, he said on Twitter. Mount Everest, the tallest of the 14 highest peaks, issued permits for a record number of climbers this year, for this spring season’s expeditions. According to Nepali officials as the spring climbing season came to an end in June, 12 people died and five were missing on Everest.

Persons: Kristin Harila, Lama –, “, Nirmal Purja’s, Nirmal Purja, Mount Everest, Nirmal, ” Lama, Everest Organizations: CNN, Twitter Locations: Norwegian, Nepal, Purja, Mount

☆ Greek migrant boat tragedy: Pakistani boy's fateful journey exposes impossible choice faced by millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Anna Coren Azaz Syed Sophia Saifi Jadyn Sham Helen Regan Rhea Mogul | Anna Coren | Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“It will all be OK,” Muhammad Abuzar told him. The boat was carrying up to 750 Pakistani, Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian refugees and migrants. His uncle had decided to try and make it to Europe and Abuzar saw his chance. More than 600 people drowned on June 14 in what would become one of the deadliest migrant boat tragedies. Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty ImagesSpeaking to CNN in Pakistan, Mohammad Tahir said his brother Mubasher Sahzad, 29, was also on the boat.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Pervez Akhtar, “, Muhammad Abuzar, ” Akhtar, gaunt, Abuzar, CNN Akhtar, –, we’ll, he’ll, Akhtar, – Abuzar, ’, “ Papa, Adriana, ” Akhthar, Rana Sanaullah, ”, Angelos Tzortzinis, Mohammad Tahir, Mubasher Sahzad, ” Tahir, Roberto Forin, ” Forin, Mia Sato, ” Sato, Forin, Qayyum Bibi’s, He’s Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, UNICEF, Hellenic Coast Guard, Pakistani Interior Ministry, Medical, Getty, Migration, International Organization, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency Locations: Gujrat, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Europe, Italy, Karachi, Dubai, Egypt, Libya, Tripoli, Tobruk, North Africa, Greece's, Greece, Kalamata, AFP, East, Asia, Africa, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, European Union, Bandali, Kashmir, ”

☆ Pakistan: IMF approves $3 billion bailout for cash-starved country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad Reuters —The International Monetary Fund’s board approved a $3 billion bailout program for Pakistan which will immediately disburse about $1.2 billion to help stabilize the South Asian ailing economy, the lender said on Wednesday. Pakistan and the fund reached a staff level agreement last month, securing a short-term pact, which got more than expected funding for the country of 230 million people. The country has faced an acute balance of payments crisis with only enough central bank reserves to cover barely a month of controlled imports. Longtime allies Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have deposited $3 billion in Pakistan’s central bank in the last two days. Sharif said China had rolled over $5 billion in loans in the last three months to save his country from default.

Persons: “, Shehbaz Sharif, ”, Sharif, Fitch Organizations: Islamabad Reuters, Monetary, IMF, “, Longtime, United, CCC Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China

Islamabad was racing against time to unlock $1.1 billion under the IMF's ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility agreed upon in 2019. The Pakistan government was expecting around $2.5 billion from the IMF, Reuters has reported. PROCESSESPakistan earlier cleared eight of the 11 listed programme reviews, with the ninth review pending since November last year. HOLE IN FINANCESThe government has earmarked $2.5 billion in external receipts from the IMF in its federal budget for FY24. Pakistan needs upwards of $22 billion to service external debt, make interest payments, and finance its current account for FY24.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, IMF’s, Reuters, Pakistan, CCC, United, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Islamabad, PAKISTAN, Caa3, Fitch, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China, Karachi

☆ India heatwave: Humans approaching limits of 'survivability' as sweltering heatwaves engulf parts of Asia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Sunil Ghosh/Hindustan Times/ShutterstockThe rain in Uttar Pradesh is likely to continue this week, bringing cooler temperatures to the region. In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) last week before weekend rain brought some relief to the region. Last April, India experienced a heatwave which saw temperatures in capital New Delhi go beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for seven consecutive days. Last week, Beijing’s temperature soared above 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit), setting a new record for the capital’s hottest day in June. According to the country’s meteorological observatory, Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shandong will “continue to be baked by high temperatures.”

Persons: Sunil Ghosh, ”, Chandni Singh, “, ” Singh, Kevin Frayer Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Hindustan Times, CNN, Indian Meteorological Department, IMD, Indian Institute for Human, University of Cambridge, Beijing Locations: Hong Kong, India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Noida, Bihar, heatstroke, China, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, New Delhi, heatwaves, Assam, Pakistan, Beijing, Tianjin, Heibei, Shandong

☆ OceanGate Expedition: Debris scattered across ocean floor could provide clues into the final moments of the Titanic-bound submersible
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Rob Frehse | Elizabeth Wolfe | Rob Frehse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“Those of us in the community that work at that depth know that that’s always a risk,” Sohnlein told CNN. “I’ve broken some rules to make this,” Rush told travel blogger Alan Estrada of the Titan in 2021. Victims grieved as intrepid adventurers, beloved family membersFrom left, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush. Bill Diamond, a friend of Shahzada Dawood, told CNN Wednesday that his friend was intelligent and perpetually curious. He said he didn’t think of Shahzada Dawood as an adventurist but believes he was aware of the Titan trip’s risks.

Persons: John Mauger, Shahzada, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Mauger, “, ” Mauger, ’, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ”, Aileen Marty, Guillermo Sohnlein, that’s, ” Sohnlein, ” OceanGate, Sohnlein, Rush, ” Rush, Alan Estrada, Josh Gates, ” Gates, OceanGate, Shahzada Dawood, Nargeolet, Harding, Suleman, Dawood Hercules, Hussain Dawood, Kulsum, Bill Diamond Organizations: CNN —, Titanic, US Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, OceanGate Expeditions, Navy, CNN, Florida International University, Titanic Inc, Aviation, Dawood Hercules Corp, “ Locations: British, French

☆ Two of the Passengers Are a Prominent Businessman and His 19-Year-Old Son
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The British businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19, are aboard the missing submersible, according to a statement from the Engro Corporation, based in Karachi, Pakistan. The elder Mr. Dawood, a scion of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families, is a vice chairman of Engro and has a background in textiles and fertilizer manufacturing. He has served on boards of directors in a variety of industries, according to the World Economic Forum website. Mr. Dawood and his son are British subjects. Mr. Dawood and his wife, Christine, also have a daughter, Alina.

Persons: Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Dawood, King Charles III’s, Hussain, Christine, Alina Organizations: Engro Corporation, Economic, Global, Prince’s Trust Locations: Karachi, Pakistan

☆ China and Pakistan sign $4.8 billion nuclear power plant deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Pakistan and China signed a $4.8 billion deal on Tuesday to build a 1,200-megawatt nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, hailing the investment by a country that Pakistan views as its most dependable ally. Pakistan’s total nuclear energy production capacity rose to 1,400 mw, when the country’s sixth nuclear power plant opened two years ago. It is unclear whether the new investment is part of the $65 billion that China has pledged in infrastructure building for Pakistan under its Belt and Road Initiative. Instead, he said, the Chinese had disbursed an initial $104.53 million (30 billion Pakistani rupees) to start the project. CNN has reached out to China National Nuclear Cooperation and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, ” Sharif Organizations: PTV, China National Nuclear Cooperation, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, “, Initiative, CNN, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Pakistan, China, Punjab, Karachi

☆ What to Know About the Missing Titan Submersible and the Race to Find It
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Yonette Joseph | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Images of the vessel show those onboard would have limited space to stand or sit. The company has taken people on tours of the Titanic site since 2021, and guests have paid $250,000 to travel to the wreckage. As of Tuesday morning, three of them had been identified: Hamish Harding, a British businessman and explorer, and the Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman. Where is the Titanic wreck, exactly? Once the biggest steamship in the world, the Titanic hit an iceberg four days into its first voyage, in April 1912, and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic.

Persons: OceanGate, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Harding, Dawood Organizations: Blue Origin, Engro Corporation Locations: British

☆ Pakistan Declares Day of Mourning for Migrant Ship Disaster Off Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan declared Monday a day of mourning for Pakistanis who died after a fishing boat crowded with migrants capsized off the coast of Greece last week, and ordered a crackdown on the people involved in trafficking Pakistanis to Europe. That would make the tragedy among the deadliest of its kind. At least 104 Pakistanis were confirmed to be among those killed, according to the Pakistani police, though officials expect the toll from the disaster to rise. Many of the missing were from the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir, the region long contested between India and Pakistan, and nearby in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province. Mr. Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, said on Twitter on Sunday that law-enforcement agencies had been asked “to tighten the noose around individuals involved in the heinous act of human smuggling.” He also announced a committee to investigate people-trafficking networks.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, “ Organizations: Twitter Locations: Pakistan, Greece, Europe, Kashmir, India, Punjab, Pakistan’s

The chairman of of Pakistan’s Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, disclosed the numbers in a statement Sunday, sending condolences to grieving families of the dead. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you, and we pray that the departed souls find eternal peace,” Sanjrani said. Pakistan is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades. The boat capsized off the Greek coast last week while traveling from Libya to Italy. “They are not sending them to Europe, they are sending them to death.

Persons: Pakistan CNN —, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, ” Sanjrani, Shehbaz Sharif, ” Sharif, Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, Johansson, ” Organizations: Pakistan CNN, European Union, Pakistan’s, Greece Coast Guard, United Nations Migration Agency, Home Affairs Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Greece, European, Europe, Libya, Italy

☆ Pakistan’s Military Tightens Grip With Broad Clampdown on Opposition, Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Saeed Shah | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

Islamabad and New Delhi CNN —Tropical Cyclone Biparjoy has made landfall in India’s western Gujarat state, close to the Pakistan border, unleashing powerful gusts of wind that ripped up trees and toppled electricity poles. At landfall, Biparjoy was equivalent to a strong tropical storm with winds of 65 mph (100 kph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Heavy rainfall warnings are expected to remain in place for northwest India through Saturday. Akhtar Soomro/ReutersBefore the storm, both India and Pakistan implemented mass safety measures to ensure minimal damage and loss of life. A man rides a motorcycle through a waterlogged street in Mandvi before the arrival of cyclone Biparjoy in the western state of Gujarat, India, June 15, 2023.

Persons: Biparjoy, Akhtar Soomro, Francis Mascarenhas Organizations: New Delhi CNN —, Typhoon Warning, Reuters, Livestock, PIA, National Disaster Management Authority, Residents, Getty, Shenzhen Institute of Meteorological, Chinese University of Hong Locations: Islamabad, New Delhi, India’s, Gujarat, Pakistan, India, Sindh, floodwater, Mumbai, Karachi, Mandvi, Pakistan's Sindh, AFP, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Asia

June 15 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s recently presented budget, a blow for the cash-strapped country which has only two weeks left until its bailout programme expires. However, the draft FY24 Budget misses an opportunity to broaden the tax base in a more progressive way," Esther Perez Ruiz, the IMF's resident representative for Pakistan, said in a text message to Reuters. "The new tax amnesty runs against program’s conditionality and governance agenda and creates a damaging precedent," added Perez Ruiz. She said that measures to address the energy sector’s liquidity pressures could be included alongside the broader budget strategy. Added Perez Ruiz: "The IMF team stands ready to work with the government in refining this Budget ahead of its passage," implying the country still has a chance to unlock its ninth IMF board review prior to the end of the EFF programme.

Persons: Pakistan’s, Esther Perez Ruiz, program’s, Perez Ruiz, Bharat Govind Gautam, Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, Fund, FX, Staff, Reuters, EFF, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, Bengaluru, Shahid, Karachi

☆ He Was a Revolutionary at the Birth of a Nation. Does Anyone Care?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Alex Traub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Ma?” Mr. Khan called. Mr. Khan’s family had already held his funeral. Bangladeshi politics lost the secular progressivism of Mr. Khan’s poem and split into bitter divisions. Mr. Khan became a rebel again, only to find himself imprisoned and tortured. Years passed, and Mr. Khan became a well-connected businessman with the reputation of a war hero.

Persons: Khan, Mr, Khan’s, Rahman Locations: India, Pakistani, Bangladesh

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