Saudi-Uzbekistan council signs 10 investment agreements worth $12bn
Saudi-Uzbekistan council signs 10 investment agreements worth $12bn/node/2144766/business-economy
Saudi-Uzbekistan council signs 10 investment agreements worth $12bn
The agreements cover various sectors and include number of deals between Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and ACWA Power, a developer, investor, co-owner and operator of a portfolio of power generation and desalinated water production plants.
Saudi-Uzbekistan council signs 10 investment agreements worth $12bn
Updated 18 August 2022
Arab News
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan have signed over 10 investment agreements, worth over SR45 billion ($12 billion), during the Saudi-Uzbek Business Council in Jeddah on Wednesday.
The agreements cover various sectors and include number of deals between Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and ACWA Power, a developer, investor, co-owner and operator of a portfolio of power generation and desalinated water production plants.
“Over 10 agreements were signed between the Kingdom and Uzbekistan in several sectors, with a value exceeding SR45 billion,” Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih said.
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that a proposed visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Pakistan would prove to be a “game changer” in bilateral ties between both countries, adding the entire Pakistani nation was awaiting the high-profile visit.
Naqvi said this during his visit to the Saudi embassy in Islamabad, where he met the Kingdom’s ambassador, Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, according to the Pakistani interior ministry. The two figures discussed matters of mutual interest, including the Crown Prince’s visit, Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations and bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this month said a much-awaited visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad was “on the cards” and could materialize any time during May. But neither of the two sides has confirmed any dates.
“The historic brotherly friendship of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is turning into a beneficial economic relationship,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry.
“The people of Pakistan are looking forward to the visit of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The visit of the Saudi Crown Prince will prove to be a game changer in relations between the two countries.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have lately been working closely to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, with the Crown Prince last month reaffirming the Kingdom’s commitment to expedite an investment package of $5 billion.
A high-level Saudi business delegation, led by the Kingdom’s Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak, this month visited Pakistan to explore investment opportunities in various sectors, including mineral, energy, agriculture and petroleum.
“Saudi Arabia has supported Pakistan in every test,” Naqvi said. “The recent visit of Saudi Arabian investors to Pakistan was very successful.”
On the occasion, the Saudi ambassador said the Kingdom attached “great importance” to its relations with Pakistan, according to the Pakistani interior ministry.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense, and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as a top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.
Saudi Arabia has also often come to cash-strapped Pakistan’s aid by regularly providing it oil on deferred payment and offering direct financial support to help stabilize its economy and shore up its forex reserves.
Nearly 10,000 evacuated in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region: governor
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plays down Russia’s gains in the offensive
Moscow has been attacking several settlements including Vovchansk, just five kilometers from the border
Updated 20 min 14 sec ago
AFP
KYIV: Nearly 10,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region since a ground attack launched by Russian forces on May 10, the regional governor said.
The assault may only be the first wave of a wider offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Over a week after its launch, “a total of 9,907 people have been evacuated,” governor Oleg Synegubov said.
They were fleeing Russian soldiers who managed to advance between five to 10 kilometers (three to six miles) along the northeastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces.
Synegubov said Ukraine’s armed forces had repelled two attempts to break through defenses overnight.
The situation was “under control” with “defenders in certain areas conducting assault... and combing operations.”
Moscow has been attacking several settlements including Vovchansk, just five kilometers from the border.
“In the area of the city of Vovchansk, Ukrainian troops are reinforcing their defense,” Synegubov said.
A day earlier, he said Russian forces have started to destroy Vovchansk and all but 200 of its residents have fled due to fighting.
Russian forces have taken 278 square kilometers (107 square miles) between May 9 and 15, their biggest gains since the end of 2022, AFP calculated using data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russia’s offensive “could consist in several waves. There was the first wave” in the Kharkiv region, Zelensky said journalists.
Zelensky played down Russia’s gains in the offensive but added: “We have to be sober and understand that they are going deeper into our territory. Not vice versa. And that’s still their advantage.”
Speaking about the offensive during a visit to China on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was a response to Ukraine shelling border regions.
ISLAMABAD: Five Pakistani medical students were injured in a mob attack on foreign students in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan said on Saturday.
A number of incidents of mob violence against foreign students have been reported in Bishkek since Friday evening. The matter boiled over due to sharing online of videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz students and medical students from Egypt on May 13, the Pakistani embassy said on Facebook, citing the Kyrgyz press.
So far, a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek and private residences of international students, including Pakistanis, have been attacked. The hostels are inhabited by students from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and there have been reports of minor injuries to some Pakistani students.
“Five Pakistani students were injured in the mob violence. One of them is admitted in a local hospital with some jaw injuries, while four others were discharged after first aid,” Hasan Zaigham, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, told Arab News over the phone.
Pakistani student receives treatment at the National Hospital in Bishkek on May 18, 2024, following a brawl among foreign and local students in Kyrgyz capital early Saturday. (Photo courtesy: 24.KG News Agency)
“No Pakistani is killed or raped in the violence,” he said, rebutting rumors on social media. “The situation is under control now as Bishkek authorities have dispersed all the miscreants.”
The ambassador said they had advised Pakistani students to stay indoors and get in touch with the embassy in case of any urgency. “We are in touch with the local law enforcement authorities to ensure safety of our students,” he said.
Around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in different institutes in Kyrgyzstan and nearly 6,000 of them are residing and studying in Bishkek where the violence erupted Friday night, according to Zaigham.
He said some Egyptian students had a brawl with the local people earlier this week, after which videos of the fight were shared online, inciting violence and mob attacks by the local people in Bishkek against all foreign students living in different hostels in the city.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his concerns over the violence around student hostels in Bishkek and asked his country’s embassy to help Pakistani students in the city.
“Deeply concerned over the situation of Pakistani students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I have directed Pakistan’s Ambassador to provide all necessary help and assistance,” Sharif said on X. “My office is also in touch with the Embassy and constantly monitoring the situation.”
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokeswoman for the Pakistani foreign office, said the Pakistani embassy had responded to hundreds of queries by students and their families. She said Pakistan’s envoy and his team were available on the emergency contact numbers: +996555554476 and +996507567667.
“In case the numbers do not connect because of phone traffic, please text/WhatsApp,” Baloch said on X.
The Pakistani embassy earlier said it had been able to contact over 250 students and their family members in Pakistan, adding the violence appeared to be directed at all foreign students and was not specific to Pakistanis.
It said this was an evolving situation and they would inform the Pakistani community in Kyrgyzstan and their relatives in Pakistan about any further developments.
Oil tanker hit by missile off Yemen: security firm
The vessel and crew are safe and continuing to its next port of call: UKMTO
The incident occurred 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) off Yemen’s Hodeidah
Updated 18 May 2024
AFP
DUBAI: A crude oil tanker was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen’s rebel-held city of Mokha overlooking the strategic Bab Al-Mandeb strait, maritime security firm Ambrey said Saturday.
“A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker was reportedly ‘attacked’” about 10 nautical miles southwest of Mokha, Ambrey said, adding that information “indicated the vessel was hit by a missile and that there was a fire in the steering gear flat.”
The British navy’s maritime security agency had earlier said it received a report of a vessel “sustaining slight damage after being struck by an unknown object.”
“The vessel and crew are safe and continuing to its next port of call,” United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) added.
It said the incident occurred 76 nautical miles (140 kilometers) off Yemen’s Hodeidah, without specifying the type of vessel involved.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have launched dozens of attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.
The milita attacks have prompted reprisal strikes by US and British forces and the formation of an international coalition to protect the vital shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Nepal latest to ban Indian spice brands over safety concerns
Hong Kong, Singapore last month banned products from Everest and MDH after tests detected presence of ethylene oxide
Besides its use as a pesticide, ethylene oxide is used to sterilize medical equipment and as a sterilising agent in spices
Updated 18 May 2024
AFP
KATMANDU: Nepal has become the latest jurisdiction to ban the import and sale of two popular Indian spice brands after reports that some of their products contained a cancer-causing pesticide, officials said Friday.
Hong Kong and Singapore last month banned products from Everest and MDH — two brands popular in India and exported worldwide — after tests detected the presence of ethylene oxide, according to media reports.
Besides its use as a pesticide, ethylene oxide is used to sterilize medical equipment and as a sterilising agent in spices to prevent illnesses caused by salmonella and E. Coli bacteria.
Regular exposure to the colorless and odourless compound increases the “risk of cancers of the white blood cells,” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Matina Joshi Vaidya, chief of Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, told AFP that the Himalayan country had also decided to halt the sale of the spice blends.
“It is an issue of public health,” she said. “We have its banned import and sale from Thursday.”
Nepal has banned four products — three variants produced by MDH and one by Everest.
“We do not have the lab resources to run the tests in the country. The ban will be lifted when Indian authorities declare it safe,” Vaidya said.
Everest and MDH are India’s top two spice brands with a market share of 16 and 10 percent respectively in 2022, according to consumer research monitor Statista.
Both companies have put out statements denying their products pose a health hazard to consumers after the Singapore and Hong Kong import bans.
“We clarify and state unequivocally that these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence,” MDH said last month on social media platform X.
India’s food regulation agency has asked for state authorities to carry out random testing of spice products, broadcaster NDTV reported.
