Headline News 31/08/2022

Headlines:

• Iran Delivers Drones Delivery to Russia
• IMF Board Releases Over $1.1 Billion in Pakistan Bailout Funds

Details:

Iran Delivers Drones Delivery to Russia

Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of carrying munitions for an attack role have arrived in Russia and could be used in combat in the near future. The drones in question are two models of Shahed drones, the Shahed-129 and Shahed-191, as well as the Mohajer-6. The deliveries fill a glaring gap in Russia's drone capabilities, as Russia has relatively few attack drones that can strike targets precisely deep inside enemy territory. Early testing of the drones experienced numerous failures and it remains to be seen how effective they will be for Russia. As the war in Ukraine has passed 6 months Russia has failed to hit a knockout blow to Ukraine as the war has not turned onto a protracted conflict.

IMF Board Releases Over $1.1 Billion in Pakistan Bailout Funds

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) board approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Pakistan's bailout programme, allowing for a release of over $1.1 billion to the cash-strapped economy, the fund and the government said on Monday. The funds will be a lifeline to the South Asian country now also suffering from devastating floods that have already killed more than 1,100 people and inflicted at least $10 billion of damage according to the country's planning minister. In a statement, IMF Deputy Managing Director Antoinette Sayeh said adhering to scheduled increases in fuel levies and energy tariffs was "essential" with Pakistan's economy being "buffeted by adverse external conditions". As many in Pakistan reel from the devastating floods, Pakistan government has bene busy begging the IMF for money. The fact that none of debt money has been used in infrastructure or for the development of the country begs the question why successive Pakistan government seek the loans.