Drazen Jorgic
@Draz_DJ
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Reuters journalist - reporting on Mexico & C. America. Previously in Pakistan 🇵🇰 & E. Africa 🇰🇪. Londoner. DMs open for tips, Signal ☎️ Drazen.jorgic @tr .com
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Joined July 2009
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5 BILLION fentanyl pills:
The wild story of how an elderly Arizona man, unwittingly, helped Sinaloa Cartel smuggle an estimated 15,000 pounds of fentanyl-making chemicals to Mexico.
Read our investigation into how the U.S. became a global hub for Chinese precursors
🧵
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Had to fight a Pashtun taxi driver from ex-FATA area to let me pay for my Careem journey. At the end of the ride he insisted I was a guest in his country.
I convinced him only when I pointed out I've lived here too long to be a guest and it's my home too. Incredible hospitality
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REUTERS -- MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKER ISMAEL "EL MAYO" ZAMBADA, CO-FOUNDER OF MEXICO'S SINALOA DRUG CARTEL, IS IN U.S. CUSTODY - TWO SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH OPERATION
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This is a story that has taken more than a year to report out.
I hope it sheds a little bit of light on modern-day Pakistan
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Pakistan election takes a dangerous turn.
Most parties -- except PTI of Imran Khan -- are alleging rigging, saying army officers are pushing their officials out of polling stations.
Whatever happens, it's going to be a mess afterwards...
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Operating in the shadows and away from the raging violence, Mexico-based Chinese ‘money brokers’ have emerged as key players in the multi-billion dollar drug empires run by Mexican cartels.
My story on this new phenomenon:
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EU observation mission chief on Pakistan election: “Most interlocutors acknowledged a systematic effort to undermine (PMLN) through cases of corruption, contempt of court & terrorist charges against its leaders and candidates”
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Pakistan is trying to convince the world that it has changed its ways when it comes to patronage of militant groups.
The appointment of ex-spy chief long accused of being close to militants makes that a harder sell.
Good work by
@Saad_Scrawls
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Death threats, secret bank accounts & narco links.
Our story on the wild political ascent of ex-Mexican soccer legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco. 🧵
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On how a secret database of more than 50m registered voters helped propel Imran Khan to power. Our story:
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A photo of legendary Mexican drug trafficker Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada after his spectacular arrest in the United States.
A former associate of El Mayo confirmed that’s him in the photo.
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Four Pakistani PML-N lawmakers described to Reuters a similar pattern of strange calls and visits from unknown men who would pretend to be well-wishers, but then make clear to them it would be in their interest to ditch PML-N and party founder Sharif
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Some personal news: after three wonderful years in Pakistan I’ll be soon leaving Islamabad to take up a new posting with Reuters in Mexico.
Very excited about joining a great team in Mexico City but sad to be leaving brilliant colleagues in Pakistan.
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I'm not hugely surprised by this. When I interviewed Nawaz on the plane on way to Lahore on July 13, it did strike me that he had lost weight & was looking more frail than the last time I saw him a year ago.
Hospitalisation of Nawaz advised
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For a quarter of a century, DEA shared tips and the most sensitive drug information with only a select group of Mexican police officers. The arrival of AMLO spelt the end of that unit.
"They strangled it," one DEA agent said.
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Suspect Pakistan may be trolling India here...
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REUTERS EXCLUSIVE: MEXICAN DRUG TRAFFICKER JOAQUIN GUZMAN LOPEZ, EL CHAPO'S SON, IN U.S. CUSTODY - TWO SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE OPERATION
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Pakistan’s 2018 elections not as good as polls in 2013, says EU mission chief. Avoids answering question about whether democracy is weaker in wake of the poll
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An allegedly neutral Pakistan PTV journalist asks EU election observation chief why he is listening to “pseudo-liberals” and backing the “old status quo” by saying systematic obstacles were placed in front of PMLN.
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Young Pakistani opposition leader
@BBhuttoZardari
in a barnstorming speech on militants in parliament. Spells out some hard truths for Pakistan's establishment, & the damage this has caused to Pakistani ppl and nation's standing in the world.
"What the hell is mainstreaming?"
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Freed Pakistani journalist
@GulBukhari
speaks out about her abduction and the increasingly toxic environment for media ahead of July 25 polls.
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Old-school censorship in Pakistan.
The empty space on the New York Times front page is where the paper published an op-ed written by the leader of a Pakistani rights movement, which has been critical of military abuses.
(Op-ed in full: )
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You know you’ve been living in Pakistan long enough when you intuitively comprehend a story about the military...without the word “military”, or “army”, appearing anywhere in the story.
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Imran Khan will Make Pakistan Grate Again...
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U.S. issues statement on "flaws" in Pakistan election:
"These included constraints placed on freedoms of expression and association during the campaign period that were at odds with Pakistani authorities’ stated goal of a fully fair and transparent election" -- State Department
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Pakistani stock market shoots up nearly 2 percent on news Imran Khan is now likely to be next PM and be able to form a fairly strong government.
The markets had dreaded the thought of a weak coalition government.
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In light of Pakistan being whacked with a whopping $6 bln fine by a World Bank tribunal for chasing away international mining companies, re-plugging this article about the fabled Reko Diq copper & gold mine and the high-stakes machinations behind the scenes.
This is a story that has taken more than a year to report out.
I hope it sheds a little bit of light on modern-day Pakistan
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Really disappointing to see Islamabad’s new airport deteriorate at such a rapid pace. For example, the toilets have become pretty grubby.
This morning, there was piss all over floor of most male cubicles & none had any toilet paper. My wife says women’s loos in same sorry state
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Reports that Nawaz Sharif has been detained are not true, according to a person next to him in First Class Lounge. Frantic journo pack inquires if he’s under arrest?
Source replies:
“No, he is having lunch” 😂
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About to land in Lahore. Nawaz Sharif still not been arrested, as some expected
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“You can see the network, who is connected to who, who likes who, who is promoting who”
Wow, they got me red handed here! The conspiracy has been exposed....
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From creating 10 million jobs to building an Islamic welfare state and restoring Pakistan’s tattered image abroad, new premier Imran Khan is facing a problem of his own making: runaway expectations raised by his lofty rhetoric.
Our take...
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WOW!
Mexico's state oil company has lost a staggering $23.6 BILLION in the first quarter of the year. Just incredible.
How long can Pemex continue like this before it sinks Mexican govt finances? Last year, Pemex's net loss was $18.3 billion.
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N.Korea's small embassy in Pakistan imported 10,542 bottles of French Bordeaux wine; 17,322 cans of Heineken and Carlsberg beer, as well as 646 bottles of champagne over nine month period- acc to confidential documents obtained by Reuters!
INSIGHT: In Pakistan, North Korean diplomat's alcohol stash raises bootlegging suspicions by
@Draz_DJ
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Once again, Pakistan vows to go against militant groups using its soil to attack other countries.
We've been here before...
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EU scathing about “political environment” in Pakistan in run up to and during 2018 General Election. Criticises media censorship and judicial environment
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Across the globe Facebook and Twitter platforms are being turned into online battlefields, and in South Asia these social networks themselves are getting caught in the cross-fire of the India-Pakistan information war.
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This lengthy story tracks the life of one such Chinese businessman and a money laundering ring operating out of Guadalajara.
The broker allegedly helped launder tens of millions of U.S. dollars for multiple Mexican gangs, including the famed Sinaloa cartel, U.S. sources say.
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Scoop: Mexico’s army jacked up clandestine drug lab raid figures covering AMLO’s presidency
The new figures are not credible, security sources say.
Our story w/
@jackie_botts
@SEisenhammer
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More serious allegations about election rigging. This time by Pakistan's outgoing Defence Minister
Blatant, callous, shameless rigging
Results of hundreds of polling stations in NA-81 are held up
Presiding officers refusing to issue official result of count
Troops attempting to push out
#PMLN
polling agents
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This story has taken me more than a year to report out.
It details how Nicaragua’s Ortega family has built a media empire, propped up by govt cash, that works to line the family’s pockets and stifle dissent.
With the brilliant
@lopezismael
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An unintended consequence of Pakistan's anti-corruption drive is that the government has stopped functioning properly, to the detriment of the economy...
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Holy shit! This is mental:
“Trump has made 1,950 misleading or simply false claims since being sworn in as President on January 20, 2017. That's an average -- average -- of 5.6 a day. Every day he has been President.”
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The rise of El Chapo's narco princelings:
Once dismissed as bungling "narco brats", the four sons of El Chapo have morphed into some of the most powerful drug lords on the planet.
My deep dive... 🧵
via
@SpecialReports
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Pakistani diplomacy at work...
This time perhaps you shd bring a less arrogant and hostile mindset when you visit Islamabad!
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To clarify, PMLN are alleging army pushing polling agents out of key/close races. Not across the country.
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Nigerian Commonwealth observer mission chief Abdulsalami Abubakar takes offence when Pakistani journalist tells him Nigerian military has bad reputation on human rights. He gives him a history lesson telling him it was him who ended military rule in Nigeria.
Crowd applauds after
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The tools of their trade? Code words, burner phones, encrypted messaging apps, Chinese banking applications, and an authentic $1 bill. (Read the story!)
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With Pakistani army heading to Balakot, the site of the Indian airstrike.
Pakistani army is taking group of journalists to show how little damage was caused by India, which claims many terrorists were killed.
Competing narratives likely to continue for domestic audiences
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Chinese loans to Pakistan: ex-Finance Minister Miftah Ismail shed light on repayment terms
30-year tenor
5-year grace period
2 pct interest rate (weighted average)
Debt & repatriation repayments to be below $1 bln until 2023
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Brutal.
“The biggest feudal lord and landowner in the villages of Pakistan is the military. Tens of thousands of farmers work as sharecroppers on the land owned by the military. They vote the way the generals want them to.”
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An $8.2 billion revamp of a colonial-era rail line snaking from the Arabian Sea to the foothills of the Hindu Kush has become a test of Pakistan's ability to rethink signature Chinese "Silk Road" projects due to debt concerns.
Our story:
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The Chinese brokers have been slowly squeezing out Colombian and Mexican moneymen who have long dominated the money laundering trade fueled by Latin American cartels, DEA and other U.S. officials say.
Their advantage over traditional players? They’re cheaper!
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PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto speaks out against meddling in the upcoming elections by the Establishment in a Reuters interview:
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Is there a way to block all references of this bloody Dam Fund on my timeline?
So much has been written about the stupidity of the idea, including by the BBC, and yet it shows no signs of buggering off...
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Imran Khan spent years on the fringes deriding the influence of powerful dynastic families as a symptom of a dishonest and venal political system. Now he defends his alliance with notorious "electables" politicians as necessary to get him into power.
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Pakistani journalist
@gulbukhari
says her abduction in a military area sent a message that “nobody is untouchable, no one is immune” ahead of July 25 polls.
“It was very audacious, it was very visible. If there was a sense of fear, now it is complete."
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Reko Diq is a tragic failure of Pakistan’s system over 15 years, with everyone to blame: Baluchistan’s provincial authorities, federal politicians in Islamabad, activist judiciary, the media that peddled falsehoods, and last but not least, the military.
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Indian PM Modi calls Imran Khan to congratulate him on election win, though I can't help but interpret this line as a bit of a dig at Pakistan:
"Prime Minister (Modi) expressed hope that democracy will take deeper roots in Pakistan. "
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks to Imran Khan, Chairperson of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party
@narendramodi
@ImranKhanPTI
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Gan Xianbing, the Chinese businessman who founded a seafood export business out of Guadalajara, denies money laundering.
He claims he was set up by U.S. agents in a sting operation. But a jury in Chicago found him guilty.
Now he faces 20 years in jail.
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Media blackout in Pakistan continues. Quite staggering.
Vital press conference by PM Abbasi not shown live on TV, not even by state-run broadcaster. For Pakistani media, a sense of deja vu, no doubt...
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By routing the drug proceeds of Latin American cartels via China, these brokers have upended the global narcotics trade, and made it harder for U.S. agents to ‘follow the money’.
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I should clarify this is EU mission “statement”, not comment by mission chief.
EU observation mission chief on Pakistan election: “Most interlocutors acknowledged a systematic effort to undermine (PMLN) through cases of corruption, contempt of court & terrorist charges against its leaders and candidates”
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Imran Khan’s “New Pakistan” sounds awfully like the Pakistan of old...
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U.S. law enforcement officials say they receive v. little help from China in these money laundering investigations, which makes it incredibly hard to infiltrate such crime groups.
Beijing rejects claims it doesn’t help.
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A lot of Pakistanis dismiss the FATF threat by saying 'we've been there before'. But the global banking system has changed since 2012-2015, with most foreign banks no longer willing to work in riskier countries for fear of huge fines...
Pakistan beware...
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The Chinese brokers' rise to prominence has been partly fueled by events on the other side of the world, in China, where increased prosperity has led to a rising number of rich Chinese bidding to smuggle their wealth OUT of China.
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Terrifying.
Punjab's population is 110m. To get 10% there is an incredible achievement -- and shows the depths of Pakistan's tilt towards extreme ideology.
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China has strict limits on how much money can be taken out of the country every year ($50k), so rich Chinese nationals use informal channels to get their money out of China and gain access to cash in places like New York, London, Paris.
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Virtually unheard of a decade ago, now U.S. prosecutors in Chicago say Chinese money brokers based in Mexico “have come to dominate international money laundering markets.”
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Funnily enough, one of the complaints leveled against the military by PTM leader
@manzoorpashteen
is that authorities censor local newspapers and black out coverage of his rights movement.
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To clarify, in my tweet I’m trying to say PTI kept secret the existence of the app and their soft-copy database. (As we say in the story)
The ECP voter lists are publicly available (again, as we say in the story)
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PMLN spokesman says:
"--> The security apparatus has taken over the polling stations.
---> PMLN polling agents have been kicked out of the polling / count rooms
---> Most of the Islamabad results have been withheld "
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Scoop: In a fresh hit to security cooperation, the DEA has withdrawn from Mexico a plane that was used for counter-narcotics operations for decades.
Mexico revoked DEA's parking space.
‘It will bring operations to a halt,’ said one source.
🧵👇
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Seriously impressive helicopter skills by Pakistani military pilots! Amazing footage
Not often do you see mountaineers rescued from a height of 5,800 metres by a heli -- a Pakistan Army helicopter rescues British mountaineers Timothy Miller and Bruce Normand stranded enroute to 7,388 metres high Ultar Sar in Gilgit-Baltistan
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In truth, Chinese brokers have long been helping other Chinese nationals illegally move money out of China.
But by plugging Mexican drug money into their schemes, they’ve disrupted the global drugs money laundering trade and come into the crosshairs of U.S. agents.
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Who has plenty of dollars, euros and other hard currencies sitting in the U.S., Europe and other parts of the world?
That’s right, Latin American drug organizations who sold their drugs in those very same countries.
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FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), banning the country from international competition with immediate effect
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Familiar feeling?
Pakistan seems IMF help, the country’s 13th bailout since late 1980s
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Our latest on the brazenly dynastic transition of power in Pakistan: "Ousted PM lines up brother to take over"
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Corruption, from politicians as well as institutions operating outside their mandate, has been one of the biggest problems.
But to me, it’s all about the failure of the political system as a whole. Dread to think how many schools & hospitals have not been built as a result...
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On how Trump’s administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training programs that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for more than a decade.
Great scoop by
@idreesali114
&
@phildstewart
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Investigating the president’s family for corruption is fraught with danger.
For Luis Javier Santos, a Honduran prosecutor, it didn’t end there. He also took on the country’s elites, triggering a ferocious backlash.
Our story...
#Thread
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Surprisingly strong words by the normally timid EU observers. Commonwealth Observers press conference next...
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REUTERS ALERT: U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee blacklists head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-E-Mohammed after China drops obstruction - Diplomatic sources
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My brother-in-law, who is Lithuanian, is making contingency plans with his parents about what to do in case Russia invades Lithuania, an EU & NATO member state.
Just incredible. Huge fear in parts of Europe where Soviet era thuggery lingers in peoples’ minds
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A spokesperson for Reuters said: “We stand by our reporting.”
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Imran Khan's first major decision: who to seek a bailout from?
China or IMF?
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Opposition alleges widespread rigging, but stock markets welcome what seems likely to be an unexpectedly strong mandate for Imran Khan's PTI
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Nuestro artículo exclusivo sobre cómo el gobierno de López Obrador cerró una elite unidad de investigación que trabajó con la DEA durante un cuarto de siglo.
Si trabajaste en esa unidad, ponte en contacto. Mis datos de contacto están en mi perfil
#REUTERS
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