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Pakistan in talks with Saudi Arabia, China for financial support: report

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Pakistan in talks with Saudi Arabia, China for financial support: report


US dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. — Reuters
  • UAE loan repayment due by month end.
  • Saudi minister visited Islamabad recently.
  • China remains Pakistan’s largest bilateral creditor.

Pakistan is holding talks with Saudi Arabia and China to secure financial support as it prepares to repay a roughly $3 billion loan to the United Arab Emirates, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported.

The talks, The News reported, citing Bloomberg, involve loans and investment, the people said, asking not to be identified because the talks are private. The amount of support under discussion is more than $3.5 billion, one of the people said.

Pakistan failed to reach an agreement with the UAE to roll over the debt for the first time in seven years. Islamabad will now repay the amount by the end of this month, putting significant strain on its foreign exchange reserves, which stand at about $16 billion, enough to cover just three months of imports.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Media didn’t immediately respond to requests for information. Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan was in Islamabad on April 10 to hold talks with officials just before Pakistan hosted high stakes peace talks between the US and Iran this weekend. In his meeting with the Saudi minister, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “strong commitment to expanding its cooperation with the kingdom in all spheres, particularly in trade, investment, and economic development,” according to an official readout from his office.

The two countries have steadily increased their economic and security ties in recent months, at the same time that relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have frayed. Saudi Arabia announced on the weekend that Pakistan had sent fighter jets to the kingdom under their mutual defence pact to bolster security in the country and the region.

Iran has targeted the kingdom and other neighbours in the Middle East with missile strikes in retaliation for their ties with the US.

The UAE hasn’t disclosed the reasons for calling in its loan to Pakistan. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought to downplay media speculation that it was linked to a possible political fallout between the two countries, saying last week the move was a “routine financial transaction.”

A person familiar with the matter said the UAE had requested a rollover period of less than a year, which Pakistan didn’t accept. Pakistan also has close economic ties with China, its biggest lender, to whom it owes more than $25 billion. Islamabad is making attempts to start the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative as a follow-up to the about $60 billion first phase initiated more than a decade ago.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also reached an initial agreement with Pakistan last month for the disbursement of a loan instalment of about $1.2 billion from a $7 billion funding program. Pakistan has received about two dozen bailouts from the global lender since the 1960s.





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President Zardari lauds Pakistan’s untiring efforts in facilitating US-Iran dialogue

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President Zardari lauds Pakistan’s untiring efforts in facilitating US-Iran dialogue


Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calls on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad, on April 14, 2026. — Screengrab via X/@PresOfPakistan
  • PM Shehbaz briefs Zardari on peace negotiation progress.
  • Zardari urges continued engagement with global powers.
  • PM, DPM, CDF praised for diplomatic coordination efforts.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari lauded Pakistan’s untiring efforts in making the diplomatic initiative of hosting peace negotiations between Iran and the United States a great success.

Islamabad emerged as a key mediator in the US-Iran conflict after PM Shehbaz helped secure a two-week ceasefire on April 8. Following the temporary truce, delegations from Washington and Tehran arrived in Islamabad at his invitation and held over 20 hours of negotiations over the weekend.

However, despite the extended talks and intensive diplomatic engagement, the discussions concluded without reaching a final agreement.

The conflict, which began on February 28 following coordinated US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran’s leadership and infrastructure, has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and widespread regional instability. Tehran responded with retaliatory operations, including the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Israeli and US targets in the region.

The international community has broadly welcomed Pakistan’s diplomatic role, backing its efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions and facilitate negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace.

In today’s meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Zardari and PM Shehbaz reviewed the prevailing security and diplomatic situation in the region, noting its far-reaching implications for global security, economic stability, and geopolitical dynamics.

The prime minister briefed the president in detail on the stages of the US-Iran dialogue, progress achieved through Pakistan’s mediation, and his upcoming visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye aimed at further advancing peace efforts.

President Zardari praised PM Shehbaz, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and all state institutions for their sustained diplomatic efforts in facilitating peace negotiations, calling the initiative a notable success in advancing regional stability.

He noted that the seamless coordination between all stakeholders was instrumental in facilitating this high-level engagement.

The president highlighted the historic role Pakistan has played in promoting global peace and regional stability.

He remarked that by providing a platform for such a critical dialogue, Pakistan has reaffirmed its position as a responsible and pivotal state in the international community and proved its peace making credentials to the world once more.

President Zardari said that PM Shehbaz and DPM Dar should remain proactively engaged with Washington and Tehran, as well as major regional and global powers, to ensure the sustainability of the peace process and regional harmony.

The meeting was attended by the DPM Dar and PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Rana Sanaullah, while the president was assisted by former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Senate Sherry Rehman and former Senate chairman Nayyar Bukhari.





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Kim Kardashian makes major move amid dating buzz with Lewis Hamilton

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Kim Kardashian makes major move amid dating buzz with Lewis Hamilton


Kim Kardashian is expanding her résumé yet again, making her Broadway producing debut with The Fear of 13.

Kardashian has joined the producing team of The Fear of 13, a stage adaptation of the 2015 documentary about Nick Yarris, who spent 22 years on death row before being exonerated through DNA evidence.

Starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson, the play explores wrongful conviction and systemic failures in the justice system.

“For the past decade, criminal justice reform has been a deeply personal mission of mine,” Kardashian said in a statement.

“I couldn’t be prouder to make my Broadway producing debut with a project that carries such vital weight.”

The move builds on her advocacy work and her recent acting turn in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair, where she starred alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts, and Niecy Nash-Betts.

Meanwhile her personal life is also drawing attention after a high-profile outing with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton at Coachella 2026.

Offstage, Kardashian’s relationship with Lewis Hamilton is making headlines.

The pair, who reportedly began dating earlier this year, were spotted together at Coachella 2026 during Justin Bieber’s headlining set.

Kardashian, dressed in a sleek black bodysuit and leather pants, kept a low profile with a scarf, while Hamilton stayed close by her side.

Adding to the buzz, Kardashian’s daughter North West joined them, making the outing a family affair. 





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Moya Brennan, Clannad star, face of Irish folk music, dies aged 73

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Moya Brennan, Clannad star, face of Irish folk music, dies aged 73


Moya Brennan, Clannad star, face of Irish folk music, dies aged 73

The face of Irish folk music, Moya Brennan, Clannad star has died at age 73.

Brennan was widely recognized as the voice of Celtic Ireland.

The singer, harpist and songwriter passed away in Donegal surrounded by her loved ones.

Moya Brennan, who was the face of Irish music, best known as part of the Irish family band, which emerged in the 1970s and later won a Bafta and a Grammy for their folk albums.

She was born in West Donegal as Maire Philomena on August 5, 1952, the eldest of nine children in the famous O’Braonain family.

Moya Brennan rose to fame when she started performing with her family in Clannad.

Moya and her siblings, Pol and Ciaran, along with their twin uncles Noel and Padraig O Dugain, started singing regularly at the family’s pub in Min na Leice.

The band went by the name Clan as Dobhar (Family from Dore) but shortened their name to Clannad in 1973.

Their big breakthrough arrived in 1982, when their theme buzzing song for the TV series Harry’s Game became a worldwide sensation.

For context, it was the first Irish-language track to reach the UK charts, which they performed on Top of the Pops.

The song won an Ivor Novello Award, with a Grammy and a Billboard Music Award later coming its way.

Clannad didn’t stop there, they again crashed the charts with another number one duet with Bono, Once In a Lifetime.

The band would go on to release 25 albums and sell 20 million records globally.

She is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, and their two children, Aisling and Paul.





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