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Saudi-led military coalition temporarily closes air, sea & land access to Yemen

Muhammad Irfan 10:56 PM | 6 Nov, 2017
Saudi-led military coalition temporarily closes air, sea & land access to Yemen
RIYADH - A Saudi-led military coalition will temporarily close all air, land and sea ports to Yemen to stem the flow of arms to Houthi rebels, it said in a statement on Monday carried by the state news agency SPA.

The move, which follows the interception of a missile fired towards Riyadh on Saturday, is likely to further worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis, which has pushed some seven million to the brink of famine and left more than half a million infected with cholera, according to the United Nations.

"The Coalition Forces Command decided to temporarily close all Yemeni air, sea and land ports," the statement on SPA said, adding that aid workers and humanitarian supplies would continue to be able to access and exit Yemen.

The United Nations and international aid organisations have repeatedly criticised the coalition in the past for blocking aid access, especially to the north, which is held by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels battling the Saudi-led coalition.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which pits the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, against the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir said on Monday his country reserved the right to respond to Iran's "hostile actions", an apparent reference to the missile fired on Saturday.

Jubeir also said on his Twitter account that Iranian interference in the region harms neighbouring countries and international peace and security.

On Sunday the coalition accused the Houthis of "dangerous escalation (which) came because of Iranian support" after Saudi air defences intercepted the ballistic missile heading towards Riyadh.

The missile was brought down near Riyadh airport without causing any casualties.

Iran rejected the accusation on Monday as "destructive and provocative".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi "referred to the war crimes and aggression of the Saudis during the past years and said the reaction by Yemenis is an independent reaction ... and not a move caused by another country's action or incitement", a ministry statement said.

US President Donald Trump also blamed Iran for the attack, but the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied the accusations on Sunday, rejecting them as "slanders".

The Saudi-led coalition has been targeting the Houthis since they seized parts of Yemen in 2015, including the capital Sanaa, forcing President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee and seek help from neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday a suicide car bomber blew himself up at a security checkpoint in the southern port city of Aden, killing 15 people and wounding at least 20, residents and a security official said.

Aden is the interim headquarters of Yemen's internationally-recognised government.

Muhammad Irfan

The writer is a staff member. He has been affiliated with Pakistan's leading English newspapers and worked as News Producer at FM 107.4. Death (as...he believes...life is a station, and death is a longest journey from seen to ...

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Rupee gains massive recovery against US dollar after SBP relaxes rules for banks

KARACHI – The Pakistani rupee experienced a significant surge in its value in the open market against the dollar.

This surge came after a recent directive from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), allowing banks to purchase dollars at the interbank market rate for international card payments. The objective of this move was to narrow the exchange rate gap between the official and informal markets.

According to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, the currency market witnessed the dollar being traded at Rs298, compared to its previous day’s closing rate of 311.

The SBP’s decision was influenced by the International Monetary Fund’s demand for Pakistan to stabilize its currency market before resuming a $6.5 billion bailout program.

In a circular, the central bank stated, “In response to the feedback received from various stakeholders, Authorized Dealers are now permitted to buy USD from the Interbank market to settle card-based cross border transactions with international payment schemes (IPS).”

Market analysts had predicted a decline in the value of the rupee following the implementation of these new guidelines.

Zafar Paracha, the General Secretary of the ECAP, expressed that the SBP’s decision was timely and appropriate. He anticipated that it would lead to a decrease of 20 to 25 rupees in the open market currency rate. Paracha also noted that aligning the rates in the official and informal markets would bolster remittance inflows.

Pracha further emphasized that significant disparities in rates between the official and informal markets encourage transactions outside of the official banking system.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/01-Jun-2023/today-s-currency-exchange-rates-in-pakistan-dollar-euro-pound-riyal-rates-on-june-1-2023

Today's gold rates in Pakistan – June 1, 2023

KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 229,000 on Thursday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs197,620.   

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs181,150 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 211,290.

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Karachi PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Islamabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Peshawar PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Quetta PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Sialkot PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Attock PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Gujranwala PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Jehlum PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Multan PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Bahawalpur PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Gujrat PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Nawabshah PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Chakwal PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Hyderabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Nowshehra PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Sargodha PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Faisalabad PKR 229,000 PKR 2125
Mirpur PKR 229,000 PKR 2125

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