Top Pakistani finance officials join IMF talks

WASHINGTON: Senior Pakistani finance officials joined talks at the International Monetary Fund in Washington on Thursday to try to work out the impact to the economy from the worst floods in decades.

IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said Pakistan’s Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Central Bank Governor Yaseen Anwar had joined the talks, which began on Monday at IMF headquarters.

He said the sides were exploring all options for salvaging Pakistan’s economy, including easing conditions on an existing $11 billion IMF loan program and financing under an IMF facility for countries hit by disasters.

Under such a facility, Pakistan stands to get just over a $1 billion in IMF funds.

The floods have wiped out villages, roads and bridges, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded or homeless, heightening concerns about a nation that is already battling

Punjab Govt starts flood damage survey

Staff Report

LAHORE: The survey of flood damage in Punjab province has been started, SAMAA reported Thursday.

According to the statement issued by the minister, Haji Mohammad Ishaq, the provincial government has issued survey forms. The army and other agencies would verify the flood survey forms.

The government would take measures after completion of the survey. SAMAA

Two Dead, One Missing in British Floods

Two Dead, One Missing in British Floods, Structural engineers and military experts begin an urgent safety review of hundreds of bridges in Britain as fears grow that Calva bridge in Workington, Cumbria is on the brink of being swept away in floods. Two people have died and one is missing as a result of the inundations.
Engineers and emergency workers checked hundreds of bridges for flood damage in Cumbria, fearful some could collapse and isolate villages, as heavy rain lashed northwest England. Five bridges have already collapsed in the area, including one in Workington which resulted in the death of Police Constable Bill Barker.

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Two Dead, One Missing in British Floods was first posted on November 23, 2009 at 8:57 pm.