Cash-trapped Pakistan is looking to secure a $3 billion loan from China and investments in half a dozen sectors during PM Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing this week, according to a media report. Khan will visit the Chinese capital on February 3 to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and to also meet the top Chinese leadership on the sidelines for bilateral talks. A finance ministry official said the government was considering requesting China to approve another loan to the tune of $3 billion in China’s state administration of foreign exchange so as to boost its foreign exchange reserves. China has already given $11 billion to Pakistan in the shape of commercial loans and foreign exchange reserves support initiatives.
Taliban come to help of NZ reporter
A pregnant New Zealand journalist says she turned to the Taliban for help and is now stranded in Afghanistan after her home country has prevented her from returning due to a bottleneck of people in its coronavirus quarantine system. In a column published in New Zealand Herald, Charlotte Bellis said it was “brutally ironic” that she’d once questioned Taliban about their treatment of women and she was now asking the same questions of her own government. “When Taliban offers you - a pregnant, unmarried woman - safe haven, you know your situation is messed up,” she said.
US may get first black woman on SC bench
The US will be on the cusp of another historic political and judicial moment soon, with President Joe Biden finding an opening to nominate the first black woman to the US Supreme Court following the announcement that Justice Stephen Breyer is stepping down. Like the US Senate, the SC has also been a white male bastion in the 230+ years of its existence. There have been 120 SC justices, and only two are African-American, both men - Justices Thurgood Marshall (1967-1991) and Clarence Thomas (1991-present). Biden has publicly committed to nominating a black woman to the apex court, a call stemming from, among other factors, a 90+% support for Democrats from that demographic. The hot favourite to succeed Breyer is Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Man claims he has fathered 129 by sperm donation
A man has claimed that he could be the “world’s most prolific sperm donor” after fathering 129 children in nine years. Retired maths teacher Clive Jones, 66, said nine more babies are on their way and that he plans to keep going until he reaches 150. He said he offers his services for free - despite health experts warning that donors and patients should be treated at a licensed clinic. “I might continue for another few years. . . get to 150 anyway,” he said. “I feel the happiness it brings. I do it for free, though sometimes I ask a bit for petrol,” he said. He said he was unable to become an official donor because sperm banks have an age limit of 45, and he began at the age of 58.
US fires 45 sailors for refusing Covid vaccines
The US navy has kicked out 45 sailors for refusing to be vaccinated against the coronavirus - the first dismissals of navy personnel since the deadline for active-duty sailors to be inoculated passed on November 28. All of the sailors were given either honorable or entry-level discharges for disobeying a lawful order obligating them to be vaccinated. Nearly half were within their first six months of service. The Navy announced the news noting that 5,035 active-duty sailors and 2,960 reservists remained unvaccinated.
Libyan health minister remanded in custody
The Libyan health minister, Ali Zenati, and his number two were remanded in custody as part of an investigation into alleged corruption, judicial sources said. The Minister and Deputy Minister of Health were "heard about the failure to comply with the regulations applied in administrative contracts ..., especially regarding the sale of oxygen production units, with a markup of up to 1000% of the purchase price," said the Attorney General in a statement. The same source also cites "the signing of contracts directly with companies founded on August 10, 2021, which do not meet the requirements of solvency and expertise to carry out the work subject to the contracts."
Russia puts Navalny on list of terrorists
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and a handful of his allies were added to an official list of “terrorists and extremists”, the latest in a series of moves by Russian authorities to stamp out their opposition to President Vladimir Putin. The “terrorist” listing means Navalny and the members of his team are subject to limits on bank transactions and need to seek approval every time they want to use their accounts.
US states sue Google over privacy breach
The District of Columbia and three other states - Texas, Indiana and Washington - are suing Google for allegedly deceiving consumers and invading their privacy by making it nearly impossible for them to stop their location from being tracked. In the lawsuit filed in a District of Columbia court, DC attorney general Karl Racine alleges Google has “systematically” deceived consumers about how their locations are tracked and used. He also says the internet search giant has misled users into believing they can control the information the company collects about them. “In reality, consumers who use Google products cannot prevent Google from collecting, storing and profiting from their location,” the lawsuit says.
N Korea tests longest-range missile
North Korea last week fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested since President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from the US and neighbours amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. The Japanese and South Korean militaries said the missile was launched on a lofted trajectory, apparently to avoid the territorial spaces of neighbours, and reached a maximum altitude of 2,000hm and travelled 800 km before landing in the sea. The flight details suggest the N Korea tested its longest range ballistic missile since 2017, when it twice flew intermediate-range ballistic missiles over Japan and, separately, three intercontinental ballistic missiles that demonstrated the potential to reach deep into the American homeland.
Coup bid in Burkina Faso condemned
The African Union (AU) has condemned the "coup attempt" in Burkina Faso, calling on the national army and security forces "to ensure the physical integrity of the president" Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and his government. In a statement issued by the organization, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat "calls on the national army and security forces of the country to strictly adhere to their republican vocation, namely the defense of the internal and external security of the country. This source said that "the situation is confused", a confusion fueled by the absence of any statement from the mutinous soldiers or those close to the head of state.
Ugandan novelist detained again
Lawyers for a Ugandan satirical novelist charged with insulting the country’s ruling family said their client was unlawfully detained in defiance of a court order for his release issued just hours earlier. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was expected to be released after a court in Kampala had granted him bail and ordered that he not speak to reporters before the conclusion of his trial. Rukirabashaija, who won the PEN Pinter Prize International Writer of Courage award last year, was arrested on December 28 on charges of offending President Yoweri Museveni and his powerful son on Twitter.
