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☆ US to send additional jets, warship to Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - The United States will send additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, along with a warship to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Monday, in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months. "The (Pentagon) is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the (Strait of Hormuz) and surrounding waters," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. It was not clear where exactly the additional jets would be placed and how long they would stay in the region. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, which the West sees as a threat to Israel and Gulf Arab oil exporters.

Persons: Biden, Sabrina Singh, Donald Trump's, Joe Biden, Idrees Ali, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pentagon, White, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: United States, Hormuz, Iran, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Washington, Israel, Gulf

☆ US needs to speed up delivery of weapons to Taiwan - US general
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies need to speed up the delivery of weapons to Taiwan in the coming years to help the island defend itself, the top U.S. general said on Friday. The United States is Taiwan's most important arms supplier. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the sale of U.S. weapons to Taiwan stop, viewing them as unwarranted support for the democratically governed island that Beijing claims. Milley said Taiwan needed weapons like air defence systems and those that could target ships from land. Milley said the United States was looking at whether it needed to change where some U.S. forces were based within the Asia Pacific.

Persons: Mark Milley, Milley, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Idrees Ali, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, Taiwan, Beijing, U.S, Tokyo, Ukraine, Russian, China, Taipei, Asia, South Korea, Japan

☆ 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, ”

☆ Russian leadership suffers 'friction and confusion' since mutiny, US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"At the strategic level it is pretty clear that you have a significant amount of friction and confusion," General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a small group of reporters traveling with him in Asia. Milley said that lower-level Russian troops in Ukraine were likely more focused on the situation on the ground and surviving day to day. Since the mutiny, which posed the biggest domestic challenge to the Russian state in decades, President Vladimir Putin has so far kept Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in their jobs. In the latest surprise, the Kremlin said this week that Putin met Prigozhin and his commanders just five days after the mutiny. Lukashenko first announced Prigozhin was in Belarus, then said last week that he was back in Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, group's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Milley, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin, Lukashenko, Idrees Ali, Peter Graff Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Staff, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Moscow, Asia, Russian, decamp, Belarus

SummaryCompanies Trial of first cargo a success - ministerPrivate refinery PARCO also asked to buy Russian oil - ministerDiscounted crude a boost amid Pakistan's strained financesISLAMABAD, July 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan is negotiating to buy a second shipment of discounted Russian crude oil, its petroleum minister said on Wednesday, highlighting the success of a first deal in helping the cash-starved nation. Musadiq Malik told reporters there was no scenario under which the country was "not benefiting" from Russian crude. "It will still benefit us," he said of the Russian oil. Malik said private entity Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) had also been asked to import Russian crude. Islamabad is looking for Russian crude to account for one third of total oil imports.

Persons: Musadiq Malik, Malik, Asif Shahzad, Shivam Patel, Toby Chopra, Mark Potter Organizations: PARCO, Pakistan Refinery Limited, International Monetary Fund, Moscow, Arab Refinery, Energy, United, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Urals, Karachi, Russian, India, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Islamabad, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates

☆ US, Japan, S.Korea hold rare military meeting as N.Korea launches missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Washington has been pressing the uneasy neighbors to work more closely to better counter rising threats from China and North Korea. He said the North Korean ballistic missile had been launched towards the Sea of Japan. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology, including for satellite launches. North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday a U.S. military spy plane had entered North Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone eight times. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it appeared that North Korea's threats were largely bluster.

Persons: Mark A, Milley, Yves Herman, SMITH, Dave Butler, Mark Milley, Camp, Korea's Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Idrees Ali, Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel Organizations: Joint Chiefs, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, United, South, Reuters, North, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Hawaii, United States, North Korea, Washington, China, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Japan, Camp Smith, U.S, South Korea

☆ China has a reputation for exporting shoddy weapons, but its sales may get a boost from Russia's blunders in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If Russia's arms exports falter because of the war in Ukraine, China's appeal may only grow. Despite the drawbacks, Chinese arms exports may get a boost from the war in Ukraine. Mazhar ABID/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesQuality concerns could be one reason for a pre-Ukraine decline in Chinese arms sales. On the other hand, SIPRI also found that German and British arms sales declined 35% and Israeli sales fell 15% during the same period. "As Russia's weapons availability may change as the war continues, China is prepared for when that time arrives."

Persons: Cindy Zheng, AAMIR QURESHI, Zheng, —, Mazhar ABID, SIPRI, NOEL CELIS Organizations: Service, RAND Corporation, Kamra, Getty, Nigerian Air Force, Pakistan —, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany's Puma, Getty Images Arms Locations: China, Beijing, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Islamabad, Africa, South Asia, Nigeria, Soviet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Aslat, Karachi, Stockholm, Russia, AFP, Venezuela, Iran

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan expresses support for bailout deal in IMF meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hammad Azhar, a former finance minister under Khan, who attended the meeting virtually, said in a post on Twitter that the former premier and his economic team had discussed last week's staff-level deal between the IMF and Pakistan's government. The new deal, which will be vital to help stabilise Pakistan's struggling $350 billion economy, will be taken up for approval by the IMF board on July 12. Khan's government deviated from agreements under an earlier IMF programme days before he was ousted in a parliamentary vote last year, leading to a delay in the implementation of the programme and increased economic uncertainty. The meeting is the highest profile engagement for Khan and his the PTI since he was ousted from power less than four years into his five-year term. Many of Khan's key aides remain under arrest and many others, like Azhar, are in hiding.

Persons: Khan, Imran Khan, Hammad Azhar, Azhar, Nathan Porter, Esther Perez Ruiz, Shehbaz Sharif, Gibran Peshimam, William Maclean, David Holmes Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Twitter, Mission, Khan's, PTI, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Lahore

☆ Hague court rejects India's objections over water treaty arbitration
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMSTERDAM/NEW DELHI, July 6 (Reuters) - The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague rejected on Thursday India's objections to a Pakistan-initiated procedure over water use in the Indus River basin, reopening a procedure that had been blocked for many years. India called the arbitration proceeding illegal as a neutral expert was also looking at the issue and the World Bank-brokered treaty prohibits parallel proceedings. India has boycotted The Hague court proceedings and questioned the competence of the court. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, Arindam Bagchi, said India's "consistent and principled position has been that the constitution of this so-called court of arbitration is in contravention of the clear letter and spirit of the Indus Water Treaty". Pakistan's Foreign Office said that it remained fully committed to the implementation of the Indus Water Treaty and its settlement mechanism, which it termed a "foundational agreement" between the two countries.

Persons: Hague, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Krishn Kaushik, Gibran Peshimam, Richard Chang, Kim Coghill Organizations: AMSTERDAM, World Bank, Ratle Hydro, GV De, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Pakistan, India, Hague, Pakistan's, Amsterdam, New Delhi, Karachi

[1/3] Stock brokers monitor new on television screen at a booth, during a trading session at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, in Karachi, Pakistan July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroKARACHI, July 3 (Reuters) - Pakistan's benchmark share index scored its biggest single-day jump in 15 years on Monday, gaining 5.9% on the first trading session after the country secured a last-gasp funding deal from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The KSE 100 index (.KSE) closed up 2,442.06 points at 43,894.7, marking its biggest percentage gain since June 24, 2008, when it rose 8.6%, as per Refinitiv data. "Today's gain in the benchmark KSE 100 Index will likely to be highest in the history of Pakistan Stock exchange," it said. Several automakers including Pakistan Suzuki Motor Co (PKSU.PSX) had announced prolonged plant closures in 2023, citing import restrictions.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Shehbaz Sharif, Muhammad Iqbal Jawaid, Arif Habib, HCAR, Asif Shahzad, Swati Bhat, Lincoln, David Holmes Organizations: Pakistan Stock Exchange, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Topline Securities, Pakistan Stock, Pakistan, U.S ., Pakistan Suzuki Motor, Honda, Pakistan Suzuki, Indus, Toyota, Auto, Arif, Arif Habib Ltd, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, Akhtar Soomro KARACHI

It is not the end of our relationship with the IMF though, as the SBA is a short-term bridging operation. GARETH LEATHER, SENIOR ASIA ECONOMIST AT CAPITAL ECONOMICS, LONDON"The agreement of a loan deal between Pakistan and the IMF should put the economy back on a more secure footing and limit the biggest downside risks. There is a strong risk that Pakistan reneges on the deal once the immediate crisis has passed. Our target shall be that the next IMF programme should be the last one and it would be a great opportunity to correct our fiscal account once and for all." "Things would have been much better if successive governments would have invested in completing the IMF programme.

Persons: MURTAZA SYED, GARETH, Shehbaz Sharif, ABDUL ALEEM, SHERANI, SHAHBAZ ASHRAF, MAHA RAHMAN, ZAFAR MASUD, MUSTAFA PASHA, SHAHID HABIB, ARIF HABIB, ZULQARNAIN, MOHAMMED SOHAIL, AHFAZ MUSTAFA, ISMAIL IQBAL, SAJID AMIN JAVED, Ariba Shahid, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Monetary Fund, South, IMF, BANK OF PAKISTAN, SBA, State Bank, EFF, Capital, UL HAQ, OF PUNJAB, Pakistan, ARIF, Thomson Locations: Pakistan, ASIA, KARACHI, ISLAMABAD, LAHORE, PAKISTAN

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

☆ Pakistan's last-gasp IMF bailout as it happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

-Nov 2023: Pakistan, IMF begin virtual engagement for the ninth review of the loan programme. -Jan 2023: Pakistan reiterates commitment to completing the IMF programme in a meeting on the sidelines of a climate conference in Geneva. -Feb 2023: Pakistan, IMF decide to resume talks virtually on steps needed to secure an agreement for the ninth review. -May 2023: IMF mission chief says continuing to work with Pakistani authorities to bring the ninth review to conclusion once necessary financing is in place. -June 26, 2023: Pakistan's central bank raises its benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points to 22% at an emergency meeting days before IMF programme expires.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Miftah Ismail, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's, Kristalina Georgieva, Ariba Shahid, Tanvi Mehta, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Pakistan, SBA, EFF, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Geneva, Paris, Pakistan's, Karachi, New Delhi

☆ Factbox: What Pakistan needs to do under the IMF programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, June 30 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund and Pakistan have struck a staff-level agreement for the provision on $3 billion in bailout funds under a stand-by arrangement (SBA). The deal comes under an SBA instead of Pakistan's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme that the country entered in 2019 and which was set to expire on Friday. MORE FUNDING- Despite the larger than expected IMF bailout, the agreement stressed that Pakistan will have to continue to mobilise multilateral and bilateral financial support. Over $9 billion in climate-related pledges were made to help Pakistan recover from devastating floods in 2022. - Pakistan needs $22 billion to fund its external payment obligations, including international debt servicing, in the financial year 2024, that starts on Saturday, July 1, and ends on June 30, 2024.

Persons: Gibran Peshimam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Monetary Fund, SBA, IMF, EFF, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China

Islamabad is racing against time to unlock $1.1 billion under the lender's ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019. -The ninth review is to release a tranche of $1.1 billion, leaving about $1.4 billion on the table in unlocked funds. It is unclear if an IMF agreement would release the entire amount. -National elections are due by November this year and the government has said the decision to enter a new IMF programme will be a decision for the incoming administration. -Hopes of a last-minute bailout rose following meetings between Sharif and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Paris this month, followed by marathon meetings between IMF staff and finance ministry officials.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Kristalina Georgieva, Ariba Shahid, Conor Humphries Organizations: Pakistani, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Pakistan, CCC, United, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Islamabad, Caa3, Fitch, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China, Sharif, Paris, Karachi

☆ Pakistan central bank raises main interest rate by 100 bps to 22%
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Karachi, PAKISTAN, June 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points to 22% at an emergency meeting on Monday, a day after the country revised its budget for the fiscal year from July 1 in a bid to rescue an IMF programme that expires in days. The central bank has now raised its main rate by 12.25 percentage points since April 2022, mainly to curb soaring inflation. "The MPC views this action as necessary to keep real interest rate firmly in positive territory on a forward-looking basis," the central bank said in a statement. On June 12 the central bank had left its key rate unchanged. The KSE100 index on the Pakistan Stock Exchange closed up 3.42% on expectations of a deal begin reached with the IMF.

Persons: Fahad Rauf, Ismail Iqbal, Shivam Patel, Sanjeev Miglani, Hugh Lawson Organizations: IMF, Analysts, International Monetary Fund, MPC, Ismail, Ismail Iqbal Securities, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Karachi, PAKISTAN, New Delhi, Shahid

[1/2] Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan block a highway, during a protest against his arrest, in Karachi, Pakistan May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoISLAMABAD, June 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's army has sacked three senior officers, including a lieutenant general, for failing to prevent violent attacks on military assets by ex-prime minister Imran Khan's supporters protesting his arrest, the army's spokesperson said on Monday. He also declined to name the senior officers who had been fired. Human rights groups have raised concerns about military trials of civilians in Pakistan that they say cannot ensure a fair defence. Chaudhry added that several relatives, including women, of senior army officers were also facing trials for allegedly being facilitators of the violence.

Persons: Imran Khan, Akhtar Soomro, Imran Khan's, Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, Chaudhry, Asif Shahzad, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Toby Chopra, Christina Fincher, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Karachi, Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, Rawalpindi

☆ Greece boat tragedy: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. The FIA has been tasked by the Pakistan government with handling investigations into the tragedy. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The FIA said 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested in Pakistan so far over the case.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar, Gibran Naiyyar, Sudipto Ganguly, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Libya, Kashmir, Pylos

☆ 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

ISLAMABAD, June 20 (Reuters) - 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. Located in the southern port city of Karachi, that 1,100 mw plant was also constructed with Chinese assistance. 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 30 billion Pakistani rupees ($104.53 million) to start the project.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Sharif, Asif Shahzad, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: PTV, China National Nuclear Cooperation, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Initiative, Thomson Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, China, Punjab, Karachi

Those aboard the submersible called Titan, the highlight of a tourist expedition that costs $250,000 per person, included British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his son Suleman. The wreckage of the Titanic that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg lies at about 12,500 feet (3,810 metres). OceanGate Expeditions, the private company that operates the submersible, said it was "mobilizing all options" to rescue those aboard the Titan. Reuters GraphicsBILLIONAIRE ABOARDThe expeditions to the Titanic start in St. John's, Newfoundland, before heading out about 400 miles (640 km) into the Atlantic to the wreckage site, OceanGate's website says. Harding's stepson later wrote on Facebook that Harding had "gone missing on submarine" and asked for "thoughts and prayers".

Persons: Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, John Mauger, Harding, Dawood, Joseph Ax, Kanishka Singh, Ismail Shakil, Edmund Blair, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Discovery, U.S . Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, Expeditions, Twitter, Reuters Graphics, Action Aviation, Facebook, Engro Corporation, SETI, Thomson Locations: Nova Scotia, Canada, U.S, ., Cape Cod, St, John's, Newfoundland, UAE, California, Britain, Washington, Shahid, Karachi

☆ Who is on the missing Titanic sub?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Courtesy of Jannicke Mikkelsen/via REUTERS/File PhotoJune 20 (Reuters) - A five-person submersible vessel taking wealthy adventurers on a $250,000 trip to see the wreckage of the 1912 Titanic disaster 12,500 feet (3,800m) undersea is missing in the Atlantic off Canada. The British billionaire and chairman of aviation consultancy Action Aviation is among those missing, according to his stepson. The 77-year-old French explorer, whom media say is one of the five on board, is director of underwater research at a company that owns the rights to the Titanic wreck. The founder and CEO of the vessel's U.S.-based operating company OceanGate is also on the submersible, according to media reports. "It is an amazingly beautiful wreck," Rush told Britain's Sky news of the Titanic earlier this year.

Persons: Hamish Harding, Jannicke Mikkelsen, HAMISH HARDING, Harding, Buzz Aldrin, Aldrin, SHAHZADA DAWOOD, SULEMAN, Shahzada, PAUL, HENRI NARGEOLET, Rush, Britain's, OceanGate, Ariba Shahid, Kate Holton, Dominique Vidalon, Yousef Saba, Andrew Cawthorne, Christina Fincher, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Titanic, WHO, Action Aviation, Engro Corporation, SETI, French Navy, France Bleu, STOCKTON RUSH, Britain's Sky, Reuters, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Atlantic, Canada, British, Dubai, Newfoundland, fertilisers, California, Britain, U.S, Everett, Washington State, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Karachi, London, Paris

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

☆ Greece boat disaster: 12 Pakistanis among survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, June 17 (Reuters) - Twelve Pakistanis were among survivors from a boat packed with migrants that capsized off the coast of Greece this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the government was unable so far to verify the number of Pakistanis who died, or their identities. People seeking missing relatives were urged to share with the ministry identity documents and DNA reports from authenticated laboratories, she said. Greek authorities have said 104 survivors and 78 bodies of the dead were brought ashore in the immediate aftermath. Most of the people on board were from Egypt, Syria and Pakistan, Greek government officials have said.

Persons: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Ariba Shahid, Frances Kerry Organizations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: KARACHI, Pakistan, Greece, Pylos, Egypt, Syria, Karachi

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