WASHINGTON: The IMF said Thursday it was "exploring all options" to help flood-battered Pakistan as the country sought to ease terms of a nearly 11-billion-dollar loan.

SINGAPORE: Oil prices dipped below 73 dollars in Asian trade Friday as concerns over weak US economic data pervaded crude markets, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for October delivery, fell 37 cents to 72.99 dollars per barrel.
Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October shed 33 cents to 74.69 dollars.
Crude prices reversed gains made late Thursday as weak data from the US Federal Reserve of Kansas City released Thursday showing manufacturing activity slowing in the region weighed down markets, analysts said.

KARACHI: Pakistani stocks ended almost flat on Friday as cautious investors stayed on the sidelines awaiting a clear picture on the economic costs of floods and on talks between the International Monetary Fund and Pakistan.
The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.10 percent, or 9.34 points, higher at 9,598.71 on turnover of 35.4 million shares.
"With no constructive details on the talks between IMF and Pakistan and clarity on the loss to GDP caused by the floods, investors preferred to stay out of the market ahead of the weekend," said Asad Iqbal, chief investment officer at Faysal Asset Management Ltd.

KARACHI: Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell to $16.11 billion in the week ending on Aug. 20, from $16.29 billion the previous week ago, the central bank said on Thursday.
Reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) fell to $12.35 billion from $12.46 billion a week earlier, while those held by commercial banks also fell to $3.76 billion from $3.83 billion, said Syed Wasimuddin, the SBP's chief spokesman.
"There were some debt payments as well last week," said Wasimuddin.

KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was mulling to impose a five percent surcharge to cope with the damages incurred by floods, FBR spokesman Israr Rauf told Geo News.
Rs 138 billion were expected to be generated via this duty.

THATTA: Officials in flood-ravaged Pakistan ordered nearly half a million people to evacuate towns Thursday as the United Nations vowed to forge ahead with relief operations despite threats against foreign aid workers.
Torrential monsoon rains triggered massive floods affecting a fifth of the volatile country -- an area roughly the size of England -- where US officials have reported threats by the Taliban.
But UN humanitarian chief John Holmes pledged relief operations would continue.

WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday it has brought the total of US flood relief for Pakistan to 200 million dollars after diverting 50 million dollars from its long-term aid package to the country.
Before returning home Thursday from a visit to Pakistan, US Agency for International Development administrator Rajiv Shah revealed Washington will release the extra funds, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
The funds will be used to provide relief after the flood waters recede, Crowley told reporters.

QUSOOR: Water level in River Sutlej has further rose to 18-feet high as flow of water at Ganda Singh Wala bordering Qusoor District, is seen in high flood while standing crops stretched on hundreds of acres farmland and several villages have been washed away as a result, Geo News reported.
According to Flood Warning Center (FWC) that people stranded at various place have been rescued to safer places.

SAEEDABAD: Hakim Machhi has been camped out on a river bank for three days, waiting in vain for Pakistani aid workers to pluck him to safety after stinking flood waters swallowed up his home.
About 50 families lived in the remote village of Alan Suhebjo, 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Hyderabad in southern Sindh province, but their homes have disappeared under water in Pakistan's worst humanitarian disaster.
Around 10 kilometres from the nearest town of Saeedabad, the village is largely isolated from the state-sponsored and mainstream independent relief operations straining to cope with a crisis that has hit 17 million.

LAHORE: The trust deficit between the Centre and the Punjab government seemed to be widening when PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif expressed reservations over the procedure of distribution of aid by the federal government.
PML-N leader feared that the federal government may bypass provincial governments in disbursement of Rs 20000 of aid per person.
He was addressing a meeting held to review flood situation at CM Punjab House. He suggested to the Punjab government to collect as more funds as possible.

DADU: Raging floodwaters from Hamal Lake may enter Dadu district anytime today, Geo News reported Friday.
DCO Iqbal Memon told Geo News that people of 391 villages of 18 union councils of Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Juhi, districts of Dadu, have been directed to leave.
The capacity of MNV Drain was of 3500 cusecs while the maximum water it can pass was 5000 cusecs.
The rise in water level in Hamal Lake was also recorded while the maximum capacity of the lake was 80000 acre-feet.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif Friday demanded of the Federal Government to give at least Rs100,000 each to the families affected by the devastating floods across the country.
Talking to reporters after meeting of PML-N here, Nawaz Sharif said the entire world would have rushed to offer help, had the Prime Minister accepted the former’s proposal of dealing together with the challenges of the flood.
Nawaz Sharif also called for setting up a judicial commission to probe into the breaking of embankments and dykes.

ISLAMABAD: The death toll from Pakistan's floods, which have officially claimed 1,600 lives, will rise as waters recede and the number of missing are counted, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Friday.
The country's worst ever-natural disaster has affected more than 17 million Pakistanis, with more than eight million dependent on aid as rescue operations continue to evacuate swathes of the south still under threat.
Since the floods began a month ago, triggered by monsoon rains, the death toll has risen little from an early estimate of 1,500 people, but that is likely to change "significantly" once the seasonal rains end, said a spokeswoman for the NDMA.

 LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif Friday said floods wreaked havoc on 850,000 acres land in Punjab.
Briefing a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-N held here at Chief Minister House, Shahbaz Sharif said the government is in the process of chalking out a plan to compensate the damage caused by the unprecedented floods in the country.
He said arrangements have been put place for vaccination of livestock in the flood-stricken areas. However, he said that floods caused irreparable loss to cotton, sugarcane and other ripe crops while the land ready for next season’s crops also became useless for the time being.

MANSEHRA: An alleged terrorist was killed when he was planting a time bomb in a hotel in Bafa area of District Mansehra, Geo News reported Friday.
According to DPO Mansehra Sohail Khalid, the alleged terrorist was planting a bomb in a room in an upper floor of Ahmed Khan hotel in Bafa. Two kilograms of explosives were packed in the time bomb which went off, he added.
He said the aim of the terrorist activity was to target the people who were to gather in this room in the evening.

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Friday put the death toll from the countrywide rains and deluge at 1600 and the total number of affectees at 17 million.
Spokesman of NDMA said that rains and floods killed 1068 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; 183 in Gilgit-Baltistan; 109 in southern areas of Sindh; 103 in Punjab; 71 in Kashmir and; 48 people in Balochistan.
He said the toll is feared to mount further as the water level recedes in flooded areas.
The NDMA spokesman said 8 million people are in need of food on emergency basis.

GILGIT: The ground links between Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan and various areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continue to remain disconnected for the past one month.
The supplying of medicines and relief items to Madin, Behreen and Kalam was carried on with the help of helicopters due to the clear climate. However, link roads and power supply could not be restored even after the passage of one whole month.
Water is still standing in different areas of Nowshehra and Charsadda which are proving to be breeding grounds for many diseases.

THATTA: Hundreds of thousands of residents of Dadu and Thatta are moving out to safer places in fear of imminent floods on self-help basis while citizens are also taking part voluntarily in the effort to strengthen an under-construction protective dyke in Shahdadkot to save their city.
The flood stream coming from Shahdadkot, after wreaking havoc in several villages, is expected to enter Hamal Lake and MNV drain anytime now.
Thousands of families from 391 villages located in Tehsil KN Shah, Mehar and Juhi are relocating to safer places.