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No casualties were reported after an "abandoned" restaurant located at Karachi's Do Darya collapsed, officials said on Monday. Videos being shared on social media showed that the deck overlooking the sea had collapsed. "A restaurant on Do Darya called Zaiqa collapsed but there were no casualties," said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) South Asad Raza. He added that police had rushed to the scene soon after receiving information of the incident on the 15 helpline. Police were told that the restaurant had been closed for the last 12 years, he said. Another officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Darakshan Rana Mohammed Dilawar, said that it was an "abandoned building" that was not in use, reiterating that no casualties were reported. Several popular restaurants are located at the Do Darya strip in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase VIII. The incident comes after heavy monsoon rainfall has laid waste to the city's infras

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached Quetta on a day-long visit on Monday to oversee relief operations in the flood-affected areas of Balochistan, which has been ravaged by rain-induced floods in recent days. The prime minister was accompanied by Defence Production Minister Israr Tareen, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Housing and Works Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay, Narcotics Control Minister Shahzain Bugti, Minister of State for Energy Mohammad Hashim Notezai, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MNA Salahuddin Ayubi and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Akhtar Nawaz. During their flight to Quetta, the NDMA chairman briefed the premier on relief and rescue activities under way in Balochistan. The prime minister will be given a detailed briefing on the situation after landing in the provincial capital. He will also visit relief camps set up in Khushnoob area of Qila Saifullah district and speak to media

Pakistan’s gross financing needs in the current fiscal year would be more than fully met under the ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme while an extra cushion of $4 billion would be arranged, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Ministry of Finance have said. A joint statement issued on Sunday noted that the country’s financing needs stemmed from a $10bn current account deficit as well as external debt repayments of around $24bn. “In order to bolster Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves position, it is important for Pakistan to be slightly overfinanced relative to these needs,” it said. Consequently, besides the $1.2bn tranche expected to be released by the IMF in the coming weeks, funding commitments amounting to $4bn were being arranged through a number of different channels, including friendly countries. The statement said Pakistan’s problems were temporary and were being forcefully addressed. Highlighting these problems, the SBP and finance ministry no

The first ship to set sail from Ukraine with grain exports since the beginning of the Russian invasion is due to leave on Monday under a guaranteed safe passage agreement, Turkey's defence ministry said, adding that more will follow. The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni will set off from Odesa port for Lebanon with its cargo of corn, the ministry said. Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24 has sparked a worldwide food and energy crisis that is shaking the global economy. The United Nations has warned of a global hunger crisis with a “real risk” of multiple famines this year. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat exports. But Western sanctions on Russia and fighting along Ukraine's eastern seaboard have prevented grain ships safely leaving ports. The Razoni's departure was made possible after Moscow, Kyiv, Ankara and the United Nations signed a grain-and-fertiliser export agreement in July. The deal aims to allow safe passage for grain

An Irishman at risk of losing his farm. An American having suicidal thoughts. An 84-year-old widow’s lost life savings: People caught in the meltdown of crypto lender Celsius are pleading for their money back. Hundreds of letters have poured in to the judge overseeing the firm’s multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy and they are heavy with anger, shame, desperation and, frequently, regret. “I knew there were risks,” said a client whose letter was unsigned. “It seemed a worthwhile risk.” Celsius and its CEO Alex Mashinsky had billed the platform as a safe place for people to deposit their crypto currencies in exchange for high interest, while the firm lent out and invested those deposits. But as the value of highly volatile crypto currencies plummeted — bitcoin alone has shed over 60 percent since November — the firm faced mounting troubles until it froze withdrawals in mid-June. The company owed $4.7 billion to its users, according to a court filing earlier this month, and the end

An Irishman at risk of losing his farm. An American having suicidal thoughts. An 84-year-old widow’s lost life savings: People caught in the meltdown of crypto lender Celsius are pleading for their money back. Hundreds of letters have poured in to the judge overseeing the firm’s multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy and they are heavy with anger, shame, desperation and, frequently, regret. “I knew there were risks,” said a client whose letter was unsigned. “It seemed a worthwhile risk.” Celsius and its CEO Alex Mashinsky had billed the platform as a safe place for people to deposit their crypto currencies in exchange for high interest, while the firm lent out and invested those deposits. But as the value of highly volatile crypto currencies plummeted — bitcoin alone has shed over 60 percent since November — the firm faced mounting troubles until it froze withdrawals in mid-June. The company owed $4.7 billion to its users, according to a court filing earlier this month, and the end

A senior official in Russian-annexed Crimea accused Ukraine on Sunday of carrying out a drone attack ahead of planned celebrations to mark Navy Day, injuring five and forcing the cancellation of festivities. The accusation comes hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to oversee Navy Day celebrations in his hometown of St Petersburg and approve Russia’s naval doctrine as Moscow presses on with its military intervention in Ukraine. “An unidentified object flew into the courtyard of the fleet’s headquarters,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, governor of Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet, wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “According to preliminary information, it is a drone.” He said Ukraine had decided to “spoil Navy Day for us”. The Ukrainian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Razvozhayev said that five employees of the fleet headquarters had been injured in the incident and that the Federal Security Service (FSB) was invest

A special court in Lahore on Saturday summoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz on September 7 for the framing of charges in a Rs16 billion money laundering case registered against them by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). They have already been granted pre-arrest bails in the case. During the hearing today, Shehbaz and Hamza’s lawyers submitted requests for a one-time exemption on their behalf. Shehbaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz informed the court that the premier had been advised against travelling as he was not well. “The weather was unpleasant yesterday which is why he did not come today.” Meanwhile, Hamza’s lawyer Rao Aurangzeb said the PML-N leader had severe back pain and he had attached the medical report with the exemption request. FIA Prosecutor Farooq Bajwa said the agency did not have any objections to accepting the exemption applications. The FIA also submitted the death certificate of Malik Maqsood — frequently referred to as Maqsood

Philippine authorities on Friday airlifted supplies to districts that have been cut off since a powerful earthquake struck the main island of Luzon this week, as residents pleaded for food and temporary shelter. The military said it had deployed personnel and helicopters to distribute relief goods to seven isolated towns in the Abra province. Around 3,000 food packs were airlifted to the communities, Romel Lopez, spokesperson for the social welfare ministry, told DZMM radio station. Residents were still camping out in parks and open spaces in some areas, with their nerves frayed by the regular aftershocks since Wednesday’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake that killed six people and injured more than 270 in the northern part of Luzon. In Abra’s Bucloc town, which was cut off until Thursday evening, residents were worried about more landslides due to aftershocks and rain, former mayor Gybel Cardenas told Reuters . The quake damaged nearly 1,600 homes and about 100 pieces of infrastr

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly is set to elect its new speaker on Friday (today) as both the ruling coalition and the opposition alliance have pitched their candidates for the coveted post. The House in its proceedings on Thursday adopted a resolution seeking suspension of the assembly rules that authorise the governor to summon a session for the contest and also holding a vote of no-confidence against Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari at 4pm on Friday. Sibtain Khan, the PTI lawmaker from Mianwali, has been nominated by the ruling coalition comprising PTI and PML-Q for the office of the speaker, which fell vacant due to the election of Parvez Elahi , the previous holder of the post, as chief minister. Opposition parties PML-N and PPP have fielded Saiful Malook Khokhar as their joint candidate. Nomination papers of both the contestants were cleared after scrutiny by newly-appointed assembly secretary Inayatullah Lak. His predecessor Muhammad Khan Bhatti was transferred

Skipper Babar Azam stood unbeaten in Pakistan’s monumental chase of 508 but spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took two wickets on day five to help Sri Lanka sniff victory in the second Test on Thursday. Jayasuriya got Agha Salman out for four at the stroke of lunch in Galle to leave Pakistan needing an inconceivable 320 to win, or to ride out the last two sessions for a draw and a 1-0 series victory. The tourists were 188 for five with Azam batting on 76 after four wickets fell in the morning session. Pakistan resumed on 89. Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis struck on his first ball of the day to get Imamul Haq caught behind, with the left-handed batsman adding just three to his overnight 46. Jayasuriya, who took one wicket on day four, cut short Mohammad Rizwan’s stay on 35 with his left-arm spin. Fawad Alam was run out for one. The hosts are racing against time to bowl the opposition out and level the two-Test series with overcast conditions and looming rain a threat in the port city, af

PTI leaders on Thursday condemned the arrest of Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, calling it part of a “system of injustice” perpetrated by the “so-called” democratic government. Sheikh was arrested and taken into custody by officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Jamshoro yesterday in connection with a land transaction in Malir. He was later brought to Karachi and shifted to Aziz Bhatti police station. In a tweet today, PTI secretary general Asad Umar called the government “worst tyrants possible”. “The system of injustice perpetrated by them is collapsing and it’s only a matter of time before the power of the people brings this system to its end,” he added. Former minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the actions of the Sindh government showed a “clear picture” of fascism where even journalists speaking the truth were being killed. “Sindh’s money is being used to build and dismantle government of other provinces while the life of a c

For middle class families, summer is a choice between comfort and privacy — the dilemma posed by the AC wala kamra . Summer in Pakistan is a lot of things. Summer is mangoes in all their juicy varieties and summer is vacations, days spent idling around. Summer is trips to Murree, Naran, and Keenjhar and summer is scorching heat made worse by load shedding. For the middle classes, summer is also a choice, a rather difficult one at that, between comfort and privacy — the dilemma posed by the AC wala kamra . The AC wala kamra , a seasonal feature of most middle class homes, is born out of financial necessity more than anything else. The accelerating rates of inflation and electricity price hikes make it unfeasible for households to have multiple air conditioners running simultaneously. Come summer, the family grabs their mattresses and engage in their own summertime welcome ritual — relocating from their private rooms to the AC wala kamra . For many, the AC wala kamra is not j

The rupee continued to slide against the dollar on Wednesday, hitting another low of Rs237 in the interbank market. According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the local currency fell Rs4.07 to Rs237 from yesterday’s close of Rs232.93 at 11:50am. FAP chairman Malik Bostan highlighted that there was a need to increase dollar inflows as it would stabilise the rupee. “The central bank should take strict measures against exporters who are not bringing back their proceeds to the country in due time,” he said. He further stated that the local currency should be used for trade with Afghanistan as it would save $2 billion in foreign exchange. Presently, Bostan continued, Pakistan’s inflows were short. “In such a situation, the transfer of $2 billion to Afghanistan [for imports] is increasing our difficulties,” he added. Komal Mansoor, head of strategy at Tresmark, told Dawn.com that the pressure on the rupee would persist as long as there was a shortage of dollars. “Exc

The rupee continued to slide against the dollar on Wednesday, hitting another low of Rs236 in the interbank market. According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the local currency fell Rs3.77 to Rs236.70 from yesterday's close of Rs232.93 at 11:30am. FAP chairman Malik Bostan highlighted that there was a need to increase the inflow of dollars as it would stabilise the rupee. "The central bank should take strict measures against exporters who are not bringing back their proceeds to the country in due time," he said. He further stated that rupees should be used for trade with Afghanistan as it would save $2 billion on foreign exchange. Presently, Bostan continued, Pakistan's inflows were short. "In such a situation, the transfer of $2 billion to Afghanistan [for imports] is increasing our difficulties," he added. Meanwhile, Komal Mansoor, head of strategy at Tresmark, told Dawn.com that the pressure on the rupee would persist as long a

After rejecting the government’s plea for a full court bench yesterday, the Supreme Court resumed hearing petitions related to the recently held Punjab chief minister’s re-election on Tuesday. The hearings commenced shortly after 11:30am. The ruling coalition said it would boycott the proceedings in protest. Lawyers for both sides had arrived in court earlier. The developments so far SC rejects govt request for full court Ruling alliance announces boycott of proceedings PTI says won’t let apex court be ‘ blackmailed ’ Counsel for ruling parties asked to come prepared for arguments on Elahi’s plea today A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, will hear arguments on the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Mohammad Mazari, which proved to be instrumental to Hamza Shehbaz’s victory. During the election, Mazari had decided against counting the votes of 10 PML-Q lawmakers

After rejecting the government's plea for a full court bench yesterday, the Supreme Court will shortly resume hearing petitions related to the recently held Punjab chief minister’s re-election . The proceedings will commence at 11:30am, which the coalition said it would boycott in protest. A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, will hear arguments on the ruling of Punjab Assembly's Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari, which proved to be instrumental to Hamza Shehbaz's victory. During the re-election, Mazari had decided against counting the votes of 10 PML-Q lawmakers, which were cast in Elahi’s favour, citing a letter written by PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in which he had instructed them to vote for Hamza instead. This handed Read : Key takeaways from SC’s order on Elahi’s plea on Punjab CM election During the hearing on Saturday, the court had allowed Hamz

Court order triggers back-and-forth from PML-N; PTI blasts PML-N for "undermining state institutions". The Supreme Court on Saturday placed limits on Hamza Shehbaz’s powers as Punjab chief minister and made him a “trustee” to the role till Monday, when it will take up the case again. The order came on a petition filed by PML-Q’s Chaudhry Parvez Elahi challenging Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari’s deciding the chief minister’s re-election in Hamza Shehbaz’s favour on the basis of the court’s May 17 interpretation of Article 63-A . Mazari refused to count the votes of 10 PML-Q MPAs which would have taken Elahi over the finish line, citing a letter he had received from party head Chaudhry Shujaat, in which he reportedly orders his party lawmakers not to vote for Elahi. As the closely watched Saturday proceedings came to an end, the PML-N started publicly pushing for a full court bench — while questioning the “one-sidedness” of the decision from a “

The US Supreme Court on Thursday imposed limits on the federal government's authority to issue sweeping regulations to reduce carbon emissions from power plants in a ruling that will undermine President Joe Biden's plans to tackle climate change. The court's 6-3 ruling restricted the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal and gas-fired power plants under the landmark Clean Air Act anti-pollution law. Biden's administration is currently working on new regulations. The court's six conservatives were in the majority in the decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, with the three liberals dissenting. The ruling is likely to have implications beyond the EPA as it raises new legal questions about any big decisions made by federal agencies. The Supreme Court's conservative majority has signalled ongoing scepticism toward expansive federal regulatory authority. Conservative legal acti

More than 80 per cent of the population in Pakistan faces "severe water scarcity". Without change, this is projected to increase. With the water crisis looming over the country, Umer Karim, a development sector professional, sat down with The Third Pole . Umer Karim is an expert in irrigation and water management Karim has been working in the field of irrigation and water management for more than 20 years and is a consultant with public and private sector organisations, as well as a regular guest speaker and media commentator. He discussed dams, Pakistan’s water and energy crisis, and the challenges of managing data and water. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Can you explain the debate around dams in Pakistan? In 2010, all the provinces had a consensus on the Diamer Bhasha dam [a dam being built in northwest Pakistan, which will be one of the highest in the world when finishe