Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar threatens Iran, China

Agencies
October 9, 2018

Hong Kong, Oct 9: Pakistan's latest announcement about Saudi Arabia's investment in an oil refinery at the port city of Gwadar has set alarm bells ringing in the international arena.

A Zerohedge article claims that Pakistan's move comes from a "desperate" need for funding to ward off a financial crisis stoked by growing debt to China.

The column, written by James Dorsey on Mid East Soccer blog, claims that Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar Port could threaten Iran's India-backed Chabahar Port, making China(and Pakistan) a part of an "all but open war" between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis may invest up to USD 10 billion dollars in the region. The deal could additionally involve deferred payments on Saudi oil supplies which will firstly, create a strategic oil reserve close to Iran, and secondly, help cash-strapped Pakistan in payments.

The Zerohedge article further stated that Pakistan will be forced to seek a USD 12 billion bailout from International Monetary Fund (IMF) if government expenditure is not brought under control -- a fact that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan has taken note of.

Islamabad's first step to curb the spending spree came in September, as funds for road projects, which are a part of CPEC's Western route that connects Balochistan with China's troubled region of Xinjiang, were not sanctioned in time. The very same road project was already grappling with delays in approval from China, with Pakistan's move bringing progress to a standstill.

Furthermore, Pakistan's Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid cut USD 2 billion dollars from a USD 8.2 billion project that aims to upgrade and expand Pakistan's railway network, a significant part of CPEC.

The article quoted Rashid who said, "Pakistan is a poor country that cannot afford huge burden of the loans. CPEC is like the backbone for Pakistan, but our eyes and ears are open."

Islamabad's latest move was inviting the oil-rich Saudi for investments in the Gwadarrefinery and mines in Balochistan. The fact that Pakistan officials denied suggestions that the Gulf country would join the CPEC was an indication to China's apprehensions with the deal.

During campaigning for the General Elections in the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had likened the CPEC to "a modern-day equivalent of the British East IndiaCompany" which eventually led to colonisation in the South-Asian subcontinent and drained the economies of the countries colonised.

The PTI also denounced Chinese-funded transit projects in Punjab and claimed that funds, which could be used for social spending, were being squandered, while "suggesting" that the projects involved "corrupt practises".

Therefore, while the Saudi engagement eases Pakistan's financial woes, it also enables Saudi Arabia to prevent Chabahar from emerging as a powerful Arabian Sea hub.

A study published last year by the International Institute for Iranian Studies claims that Iran's Chabahar port posed "a direct threat to the Arab Gulf states" that called for "immediate countermeasures."

The study, credited to Mohammed Hassan Husseinbor, further 'warned' that the India-backed port could raise foreign investment in Iran, increase government revenues and "enable Iran to increase its oil market share in India at the expense of Saudi Arabia."
Husseinbor also suggested Saudi support for a low-level Baloch insurgency in Iran's Sistan and Baluchestan province, which would "be a formidable challenge, if not impossible, for the Iranian government to protect such long distances and secure Chabahar in the face of widespread Baluch opposition, particularly if this opposition is supported by Iran's regional adversaries and world powers."

US President Donald Trump's national security advisor John Bolton had drafted a plan last year that "envisioned US support 'for the democratic Iranian opposition' including in Balochistan and Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province."

The Saudi-Pakistan deal may potentially bear ominous implications for China, who may well be able to manage Pakistan by addressing their CPEC-related reservations, however, a Saudi-Iranian conflict will be much more complicated to deal with.

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News Network
November 13,2024

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Beirut: The Israeli army on Tuesday continued to launch attacks against civilians in Lebanon, targeting them in several areas without prior evacuation warnings.

However, 13 airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in the space of only three hours were preceded by evacuation warnings.

The attacks caused no injuries but resulted in widespread destruction of residential buildings and commercial, medical and educational centers.

The airstrikes in southern Lebanon and Bekaa region, reaching Akkar in Lebanon’s far north, erased any hope of a near-term ceasefire settlement.

The strikes were accompanied by an announcement on Israel’s Channel 14 that “the Israeli army has expanded its operations in southern Lebanon to areas it had not reached since the beginning of the ground operation.”

About 50 days have passed since Israel intensified its hostile operations in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah. The death toll from these confrontations and attacks has passed 3,200, with more than 14,000 wounded.

For the first time, an airstrike targeted a mountainous area between Baalchmay and Aabadiyeh on the road leading to Aley, destroying a building housing displaced people.

The mayor of Baalchmay, Adham Al-Danaf, confirmed that “the airstrike targeted a residential building in the Dhour Aabadiyeh area.”

The initial toll from the Ministry of Health showed “five people killed and two injured.”

The raids that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in the morning, unlike nightly raids before, caused huge destruction. Those who evacuated their homes after Israeli warnings, used their phones to record the collapse of empty buildings in Sfeir, Haret Hreik, Bir Al-Abed, Mrayjeh, Laylaki and Hadath.

Israeli warplanes also targeted Tyre, where a strike on a building killed three people and injured many others, while a raid on Tefahta killed a man identified as Kifah Khalil and his family.

Attacks were widespread, with Yater and Zebqine subject to artillery shelling, a civilian being killed in Hermel, and further attacks on Bouday and an area between the towns of Srifa and Arsoun.

A raid on the town of Siddiqin killed two people and injured several others, while an attack on the Mechref farm led to one fatality and multiple injuries.

The search for those missing after an Israeli raid on the town of Ain Yaacoub in Akkar, in the northernmost part of Lebanon, continued until dawn.

During the operation, 14 bodies were retrieved, identified as those of residents displaced from the town of Arabsalim in the Iqlim Al-Tuffah area of the south, along with members of a Syrian family, a mother and three of her children. Additionally, there were 10 people in critical condition.

The targeted residence belongs to a Lebanese citizen, Hussein Hashim, who is reported to be a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.

An airstrike on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon region on Monday night resulted in yet another tragedy.

It appeared that the intended target was the Shoumer family, who just days before lost Hussein Amin Shoumer and his two sisters in a drone strike near Al-Awali River.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued additional evacuation warnings for towns in the southern region along the Litani River, which, according to estimates from the mayors, are currently 90 percent uninhabited.

In the meantime, Hezbollah announced its continued efforts to “combat the intrusions of Israeli forces and to strike military installations and towns in the north.”

Hezbollah said in a statement that it confronted “an Israeli Hermes 450 drone in the airspace of Nabatieh and forced it to leave Lebanese airspace.”

The party also announced that it targeted “Kfar Blum settlement with a rocket salvo.”

On the Israeli side, air raid sirens sounded in areas of Upper and Western Galilee and in the town of Kiryat Shmona and its surroundings.

The Israeli army confirmed that “a drone exploded in Nesher, east of Haifa, without activating the air raid sirens,” and that “a drone launched from Lebanon crashed into a school in Gesher HaZiv, north of Nahariya.”

Israel’s Channel 13 reported the Israeli military’s assessment regarding Hezbollah’s military strength, claiming that the group currently possesses approximately 100 precision missiles, thousands of artillery shells, and hundreds of rockets. Additionally, it was highlighted that “there are around 200 Lebanese towns that remain unvisited.”

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News Network
November 4,2024

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Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar once known for being a chain smoker, has revealed that he has finally kicked the habit. The revelation came during an event organized by his fan clubs in Bandra to celebrate his 59th birthday on Saturday. 

In a video shared by fans on X, Shah Rukh mentioned, "There’s a good thing – I’m not smoking anymore, guys. I thought I wouldn’t feel so breathless after quitting, but I still do. Inshallah, that will also improve."

The actor has faced criticism for his smoking in the past, most notably in 2012 when he was seen smoking during an IPL match between his team, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Rajasthan Royals. Shah Rukh was fined a modest Rs 100 after pleading guilty in court in Jaipur for smoking in public.

During the same event, Shah Rukh held an Ask SRK session where fans asked questions. One fan inquired about what he has learned from his children. In his signature witty style, Shah Rukh recounted his birthday morning with charming anecdotes: "I woke up late after a dinner last night, spent time with my little one whose iPad wasn’t working, then my daughter had issues with her outfits... and then my elder son." The actor’s relatable details entertained the crowd, as always.

Shah Rukh went on to say, "I learn a lot from my family. The more children you have, the more patient you become! That’s what I carry with me to work – patience, love, and care. Whether at home, on set, or in the office, I’m there to fix things for everyone. Patience is the biggest lesson my family has taught me."

Shah Rukh Khan’s career continues to soar after an impressive comeback, with blockbuster hits like Pathaan and Jawan. His recent film Dunki received a more mixed response from the audience.

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News Network
November 7,2024

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The Israeli regime has killed at least 40 people during new airstrikes against eastern Lebanese areas, besides targeting the country’s capital Beirut with fresh acts of aggression.

Lebanon’s health ministry announced the fatalities on Wednesday, saying 53 other people had also been wounded during the aerial attacks that targeted the country’s Bekaa Valley, including the city of Baalbek.

In early Thursday, the regime was also reported to have attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs, including a site adjacent to Rafiq Hariri International Airport.

The attacks came after the regime issued short-notice evacuation orders apparently directed at the residents of the areas, claiming that the areas contained facilities belonging to Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement.

Tel Aviv has been using similar claims on countless occasions since last October, when it markedly intensified its deadly acts of aggression against Lebanon, in order to try to justify the escalation. Hezbollah has, however, invariably refuted the claims.

Also on Wednesday, the United Nations warned in its most recent flash report on the humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli atrocities targeting Lebanon that the aggression had “reached a critical point.”

The attacks have claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people, which was “58 percent more than the 1,900 fatalities” that were caused by the regime’s 2006 war against Lebanon, the report said.

“Additionally, an estimated 1.3 million people have been displaced, both within Lebanon and into neighboring countries, 33 percent more than the number of people displaced in 2006,” it added.

Women comprised the majority of those who had been rendered homeless within Lebanon as a result of the Israeli attacks, the report noted.

It also regretted that the Israeli attacks had featured 78 assaults on healthcare facilities across the country that had claimed the lives of 130 health workers and injured 111 others.

In response to the aggression, Hezbollah has been staging hundreds of retaliatory strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli forces trying to advance on southern Lebanese areas.

The movement has vowed to sustain its strikes until the regime ends the escalation.

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