Pak forms special force for security of Chinese experts

Islamabad: Pakistan Navy has raised a special marine battalion to provide security to Chinese engineers and workers at the strategic Gwadar Port being developed by China under the $46 billion economic corridor project that will give the Communist giant access to the Arabian Sea. The ambitious 3,000-km China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project was launched last year to link western China to southern Pakistan through a network of roads, railways and pipelines.
Pak to sell 8 fighter jets to Lanka, inks agreements
Colombo: Pakistan on Tuesday sealed a landmark deal to sell JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Sri Lanka as the two countries signed eight agreements to boost cooperation in areas such as trade promotion, and science and technology, besides combating money laundering and terror financing. On the second day of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Colombo, Pakistan agreed to sell eight aircraft to Sri Lanka. PTI
Taskforce formed in Nepal to end political crisis
Kathmandu: Nepal’s agitating Madhesi Front and the three major parties on Tuesday formed a taskforce to find a common ground and narrow their differences over the new Constitution in a bid to end the political crisis. Hridayesh Tripathi of Terai Madhes Democratic Party, Rajendra Shrestha of Federal Democratic Forum Nepal and Ram Naresh Raya, senior leader of Terai Madhes Sadhbhawana Party, are the members of the taskforce. PTI
Tensions surge as China lands plane on artificial island
BEIJING: China’s first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing’s facilities in the disputed region are being completed on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, foreign officials and analysts said. China has confirmed that a test flight by a civilian plane landed on an artificial island built in the Spratlys, the first time Beijing has used a runway in the area. Reuters
Missing Hong Kong bookseller is British citizen: UK
Hong Kong: One of five missing Hong Kong booksellers feared detained by Chinese authorities is a British citizen, the UK’s foreign office confirmed on Tuesday, saying it was “deeply concerned” over the disappearances. The case has sparked fury from lawmakers and activists in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, adding to growing unease that freedoms in the city are being eroded.