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Pakistan's cultural capital sees record rainfall, flooding streets and affecting daily life

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Pakistan's cultural capital sees record rainfall, flooding streets and affecting daily life
News

News

Pakistan's cultural capital sees record rainfall, flooding streets and affecting daily life

2024-08-02 12:59 Last Updated At:13:11

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s cultural city of Lahore saw record-high rainfall early Thursday, leaving at least three people dead, while flooding streets, disrupting traffic and affecting daily life, officials said, as the death toll from rain-related incidents over the past month surpassed 100.

In July, 99 people died in rain-related incidents and most of the deaths were reported in eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, the National Disaster Management Authority said.

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Motorcyclists drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry vegetables through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry vegetables through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists and cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists and cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A motorcyclist drive through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan triggered flash flooding, killing at least 14 people, 11 from the same family, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

A motorcyclist drive through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan triggered flash flooding, killing at least 14 people, 11 from the same family, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

The latest spell of downpours started before dawn and is expected to continue for a week at intervals, according to the NDMA. In an advisory, it said the rains are likely to cause flash flooding and landslides.

The monsoon rains also lashed Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and other areas.

The latest spell of rains in Lahore was so heavy that it quickly flooded many streets and rainwater entered some wards in the Jinnah and Services hospitals in the capital of Punjab province, causing problems for patients undergoing treatment there.

At least one person died after being electrocuted in the Nishat Colony neighborhood. A 14-year-old boy drowned in a flooded street and a 5-year-old girl died after falling from the roof of her house, police said.

Some areas in the city received a record-high 353 millimeters (14 inches) of rainfall in a few hours, breaking a 44-year-old record in Lahore, according to the water and sanitation agency. In a statement, it said efforts were underway to pump rainwater off of main roads.

Drainage systems quickly became overwhelmed after the rains, flooding several residential areas, officials said. The rainwater entered scores of homes in various parts of the city, residents said.

Monsoon rains have returned to Pakistan as the country is still struggling to recover from devastating 2022 floods that affected 33 million people and killed 1,739. But weather forecasters say the country will receive less heavy rains compared to 2022, when climate-induced downpours swelled rivers.

Pakistan recorded its wettest April since 1961, with more than double the usual rainfall for the month. Weather forecasters and scientists have blamed climate change for the unusually heavy monsoon rains.

In neighboring Afghanistan, authorities on Thursday were dealing with a different kind of weather event, warning people against leaving their homes because of high temperatures.

Fawad Ayoubi, a forecast officer at the country’s aviation department, said people should go out before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. if they needed to leave the house.

“The temperature will increase in northern and northwestern provinces as well as southwestern provinces,” said Ayoubi. “The reasons are the monsoon or hot weather from India that is affecting Afghanistan.”

The World Health Organization also shared advice on how Afghans could protect themselves in the warmer weather. It said people should wear a wide-brimmed hat or hat and sunglasses, to eat small meals and more often, and to avoid leaving children in parked cars.

Motorcyclists drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry vegetables through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry vegetables through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists and cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Motorcyclists and cars drive through a flooded road caused by heavy monsoon rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A motorcyclist drive through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan triggered flash flooding, killing at least 14 people, 11 from the same family, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

A motorcyclist drive through a flooded road caused by heavy rain in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Heavy monsoons in northwest Pakistan triggered flash flooding, killing at least 14 people, 11 from the same family, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

DAVOS, Switzlerand (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres ratcheted up his warning about climate change and said the world’s thirst for fossil fuels is a “Frankenstein monster” that spares no one, while calling for greater attention to risks posed by artificial intelligence if its ascent goes ungoverned — even as some leaders played up its promise.

The United Nations' chief headlined a flurry of activities and talk sessions on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, where shifts underway in Washington during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first week back in office also featured heavily in the scheduled events and side chats of government officials, academics and business executives.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy combed the corridors, meeting with leaders such as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, as well as German opposition leader and would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz in an effort to stir up support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.

Here are some highlights from Wednesday's session:

With energy and tech industry executives on hand, Guterres returned to one of his most frequent appeals: for the world to do more to fight global warming.

Trump's promises to “ drill, baby, drill ” and an array of worries about economic growth in some big but moribund economies in Europe and beyond have rattled public and private commitments to reduce carbon emissions.

Guterres bemoaned how 2024 was the hottest year on record, and warned of rising sea levels that could overwhelm ports that ship oil in and out.

“And rising temperatures, which are, overwhelmingly, caused by burning fossil fuels,” he said. “Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master.”

Companies that have recently backtracked on their climate commitments are “on the wrong side of history,” he added.

The U.N. chief lauded the promise of artificial intelligence, saying it could revolutionize learning, help improve health care and support farmers with tools that boost productivity.

“But with this promise comes profound risk, especially if AI is left ungoverned,” he said. warning that it could be used "as a tool of deception,” erode trust in institutions, disrupt labor markets and affect the conduct of war.

Trump on Tuesday announced a joint U.S. venture that plans to invest up to $500 billion for infrastructure linked to AI though a new partnership formed by Oracle, SoftBank and OpenAI.

The Stargate project's goal us to build out data centers and the electricity generation needed by voracious power needs of fast-evolving AI in Texas, the White House said.

Julie Sweet, chief executive officer of Accenture, the multinational information technology and consulting firm, hailed the Stargate investment as an “absolute validation that AI is important for companies and countries.”

She said the United States appeared set to maintain its approach toward AI of innovation first, then applying “appropriate guardrails” — unlike other places that put the guardrails first.

“AI will not be successful if people don’t trust it,” Sweet told The Associated Press. "So I’m not worried about it (being) too deregulated because the interests of making sure AI is trusted are aligned across all groups.”

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country will have to “navigate” AI but will push it “on a faster pace, partly because of my age: we don't have time to wait.”

Anwar was speaking in Davos after the Southeast Asian nation and its neighbor Singapore struck a deal to create a special economic zone that would ramp up job creation and lure investment.

“AI is, of course, a new challenge. We don’t have the expertise (or) knowhow,” he said. “But AI means changing the education system, health services, blockchain, so it will have to come about.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for the EU to help “make social media great again” by taking tough regulatory measures against the technology platforms he described as being run by tycoons who flaunt the law.

“The tech billionaires want to overthrow democracy. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the truth of the terrible threat we face,” Sánchez said, citing the spread of misinformation that has fueled anti-liberal political movements. “The technology that was intended to free us has become the tool of our own oppression."

The center-left Socialist said social media were initially "supposed" to foster unity and democracy, but instead “have brought division, lies and a reactionary agenda” and now have "begun to compete unfairly with the strategic sectors of our economies, such as banking, retail and media outlets.

“And they have ended up in the hands of a reduced group of men — by the way, only men — whose combined (net) worth triples the entire European Union’s budget,” he added.

Sánchez said he would ask the EU to enact policies to end what he called anonymity of social media users, use existing legislation to “force open the black box of social media algorithms,” as well as hold the owners of social media platforms “personally accountable” for any wrongs brought by their sites.

Much buzz has been about where Trump’s much-trumpeted tariffs — such as goods from rival China and even allies Canada and Mexico — will land.

Britain’s new Treasury chief, Rachel Reeves, noted Trump is mulling tariffs on countries that are running big trade surpluses with the United States, which is not the case with the U.K. — ins has a small trade deficit with the U.S.

“So the problem that President Trump is trying to address is not addressed through tariffs on the U.K.,” Reeves said.

“There are a million Brits working for American firms and there are a million Americans working for British firms,” she told reporters. “Our economies are closely intertwined and I don’t believe that tariffs between our countries would be in either of our interests.”

Associated Press Writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, and Pan Pylas in London contributed to this report.

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hasan AlShaibani attend the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, left, and Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Hasan AlShaibani attend the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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Switzerland's Defense Minister Federal Councillor Viola Amherd, right, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, prior to a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attends the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders attends the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

ECP President Christine Lagarde attends the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

ECP President Christine Lagarde attends the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Trade and Industry Minister of Norway Cecilie Terese Myrseth, 2nd right, sign an EFTA Free Trade Agreement at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Trade and Industry Minister of Norway Cecilie Terese Myrseth, 2nd right, sign an EFTA Free Trade Agreement at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez, right, walks in the snow at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez, right, walks in the snow at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Climate activist Luisa Neubauer paints a poster as she takes part in a small protest at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan.22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Climate activist Luisa Neubauer paints a poster as she takes part in a small protest at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan.22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A man paints on a large poster at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A man paints on a large poster at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

An autonomous food delivery vehicle serves people during the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

An autonomous food delivery vehicle serves people during the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Finnish President Alexander Stubb speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez speaks at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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Switzerland's Foreign Minister Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, left, drink a white wine with Maros Sefcovic, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, right, prior to a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

Participants at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Participants at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A woman uses virtual reality glasses the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A woman uses virtual reality glasses the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Javad Zaria, Vice President for Strategic Affairs of Iran, speaks the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Javad Zaria, Vice President for Strategic Affairs of Iran, speaks the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaks during a plenary session in the Congress Hall during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaks during a plenary session in the Congress Hall during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaks during a plenary session in the Congress Hall during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, and WEF founder Klaus Schwab meet the media at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left, and WEF founder Klaus Schwab meet the media at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Greenpeace activists show a poster during a protest at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Greenpeace activists show a poster during a protest at the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The Congress Center where the Annual Meeting of the World Economy forum take place is illuminated in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The Congress Center where the Annual Meeting of the World Economy forum take place is illuminated in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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