Today’s outlook: Petrol price hike, Delta variant and rains

Here are some of the stories we will be following today, July 16:

• Heavy rain was reported in several areas of Karachi last night. People were stuck in traffic for hours. Many complained of power outages lasting hours.
• The government has increased the petrol price by Rs5.4 per litre. The price of diesel is up by Rs2.54 per litre and that of Kerosene rose by Rs1.39.
• Pakistan reported 1,327 cases and 31 deaths from the novel coronavirus on Thursday. NCOC chief Asad Umar has said that the number of patients of the Delta variant in the country is increasing.
• A conference for the Afghan peace process will be held in Islamabad. Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will meet. Pakistan has intensified all efforts for peace in Afghanistan.
• The PM will attend multiple ceremonies and forums in Uzbekistan.

In case you missed it:

The use of two different vaccine brands to be immunised from the coronavirus is useless, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said. “Double-locking” is needless and the World Health Organization has also warned against it

Initial investigations have confirmed traces of explosives in the Dasu bus explosion in Upper Kohistan, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry revealed. On Wednesday, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, died when a passenger van carrying them to the Dasu hydropower plant fell into a ditch after a blast.

Follow SAMAA English on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.