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Karachi’s iconic Regent Plaza hotel gets Rs14.5bn offer from SIUT

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erty owned by Pakistan Hotel Developers Limited (PHDL) into a tertiary-care general hospital, according to documents seen by The News.

Speaking to the publication, SIUT Trustee Syed Shabbar Zaidi confirmed that they had offered to buy the hotel, saying it was a 47,000 square feet built structure, which could be converted into a healthcare facility within a span of one year.

“Karachi badly needs another tertiary-care health facility and constructing a large health facility by acquiring land would take years. In these circumstances, it is the best option to acquire a built structure in the heart of the city and convert it into a health facility,” said Zaidi.

He maintained that it was close to most of the health facilities, including the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).

Responding to a query, he said the deal is yet to be accepted by the PHDL but hoped that they would accept the offer in the interests of the people of Pakistan as well as other countries who come to Karachi for treatment of various complicated ailments.

Regarding the availability of funds for the purchase of the property, he vowed to take loans and raise funds from the public to acquire the facility.

In September, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) was informed that the SIUT Trust intends to conduct due diligence on the five-star hotel in Karachi built on a plot measuring 13,200 square yards.

The PHDL also owns two other pieces of land in Thatta with a total area of about 14 acres.

The hotel comprises 400 rooms with an occupancy rate of 20% for the 2021-22 fiscal year, the latest data available showed. This rate was 9% in the previous year due to COVID-19.

In the first nine months of 2022-23, PHDL reported a net profit of Rs45.5 million, i.e. a 38.3% decrease from the previous year.

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Pakistan’s gold prices are still declining; see the most recent

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The price of 10-gram gold reduced by Rs943 to settle at Rs207,733, while the price of gold dropped by Rs1200 to close at Rs242,300 a tola, according to the Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

In the global market, the price of the precious metal fell by $10 to $2,349 per ounce, resulting in losses.

At 04:48 GMT, the spot price of gold had dropped by 0.2% to $2,354.77 per ounce. In the previous session, prices reached a two-week high.

American gold futures dropped 0.6% to $2,361.

Spot silver decreased by 0.4% to $28.03 per ounce, while palladium remained steady at $978.03 and platinum decreased by 0.1% to $992.89.

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Pakistan and the IMF begin talks for a new loan.

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Pakistan is requesting a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender over the next three to four years to address its financial troubles.

A mission team led by Nathan Porter, the IMF’s Mission Chief in Pakistan, is meeting with a Pakistani delegation led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Islamabad may face more difficult options, such as raising power and gas bills.

Mr. Aurganzeb informed the IMF team that the country’s economy has improved as a result of the IMF loan package, and Islamabad is ready to sign a new loan programme to further develop.

The IMF mission expressed satisfaction with Islamabad’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy.

The IMF praised Pakistan’s economic growth in its staff report earlier this week, but warned that the outlook remains challenging, with very high downside risks.

The country nearly avoided collapse last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized since the end of the last IMF program, with inflation falling to roughly 17% in April from a record high of 38% last May.

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Petrol prices are likely to drop significantly beginning May 16.

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According to sources, the government is set to decrease petrol prices by Rs 14 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 10 on May 16 for the next fortnight’s revision.

Last month, the government reduced the price of fuel and high-speed diesel by Rs5.45 and Rs8.42 per fortnight, respectively.

The current fuel price is Rs288.49 per litre, while the HSD price is Rs281.96.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell further on Monday, as signs of sluggish fuel consumption and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials dimmed optimism for interest rate reduction, which may slow growth and reduce fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices down 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $82.54 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.07 per barrel.

Oil prices also declined on signals of poor demand, according to ANZ analysts, as gasoline and distillate inventories in the United States increased in the week before the start of the driving season.

Refiners throughout the world are dealing with falling diesel profitability as new refineries increase supply and warm weather in the northern hemisphere and weak economic activity reduce demand.

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