China hands over third submarine to Pakistan
Beijing, Aug 16: China has delivered the third of the eight new “advanced” Hangor-class submarines to Pakistan as part of Beijing’s efforts to upgrade Islamabad’s naval strength to support its growing presence in the Indian Ocean, India’s backyard. The launching ceremony of the third Hangor-class submarine was held in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei province, on Thursday, the state-run Global Times reported on Saturday. The second of the eight submarines China is building for Pakistan was handed over in March this year. This is in addition to four modern naval frigates that China supplied to Pakistan in the last few years as part of its efforts to boost Pakistan’s naval strength amid the Chinese navy’s steady expansion in the Arabian Sea, where it is developing the Gwadar port in Balochistan, as well as in the Indian Ocean. According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China supplied over 81 per cent of Pakistan’s military hardware. Some of Pakistan’s key orders in the past five years include the country’s first spy ship, the Rizwan; more than 600 VT-4 battle tanks, and 36 J-10CE 4.5-generation fighters, according to the SIPRI database. (PTI)
Thieves grab USD 2 mn in jewelry in Seattle heist
Seattle, Aug 16: Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated USD 2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Video from the West Seattle store’s surveillance cameras shows four masked suspects shattering the locked glass front door with hammers and then ransacking six display cases Thursday. One display held around USD 750,000 worth in Rolex watches, police said in a statement, and another had an emerald necklace valued at USD 125,000. A masked suspect threatened workers with bear spray and a Taser, police said, but no one was injured. “We’re pretty shook up as a staff,” Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said by phone on Friday. Police said they responded to the robbery but the suspects had already fled in a getaway car and eluded a search of the area. (AP)