Karachi, July 05: The death toll from the five-storey residential building collapse in Karachi’s Lyari has risen to 17 as more bodies were recovered from the debris, the Pakistani authorities said on Saturday.

Emergency responders have rescued nine injured survivors so far, but officials fear at least 25 to 30 more people may still be buried beneath the debris, reported Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper.

The building, which housed six families, collapsed early Friday morning. Among those confirmed dead are three women and a child.

The incident has triggered scenes of panic and distress in Pakistan’s southern port city where several buildings have been declared unfit for occupation.

The officials revealed that the decades-old building, located in Lyari’s congested Baghdadi area, was declared unsafe three years ago. However, the residents did not evacuate the premises and nor did the authorities take any enforcement action. Each floor of the building reportedly contained three apartments.

Karachi South Deputy Commissioner Javed Khoso confirmed to the Pakistani daily that the building’s residents were served notices in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Of 107 dangerous buildings in the district, 21 are classified as highly hazardous, and 14 have already been vacated, he stated.

As the search operation continues for over 24 hours, District South Deputy Commissioner Javed Khoso on Saturday told Geo News that it may take up to eight to 10 hours to complete the rescue operation.

He said that there were still 22 extremely dangerous buildings in Lyari — of which 16 have been evacuated.

Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi also advised the residents of the damaged buildings to move to another place to avoid any mishap.

“We cannot forcefully evict anyone,” the commissioner was quoted as saying by Geo News, adding that he will hold a meeting with the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on the issue of illegal constructions.

Srinagar, July 5: Residents of Japan’s remote Tokara Islands are growing increasingly anxious after experiencing more than 1,000 earthquakes since June 21, including a magnitude 5.5 tremor recorded on Wednesday. The constant seismic activity has left many too afraid to sleep, as the tremors show no signs of stopping.

Speaking at an emergency press conference, Ayataka Ebita, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency’s earthquake and tsunami observation division, confirmed that seismic activity around the Tokara chain has been “very active” for over two weeks. By Wednesday afternoon, the agency had recorded over 900 quakes, a number that surpassed 1,000 by Thursday.

In 2011, a magnitude 9.0 quake hit Japan that set off a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people, a disaster many say was predicted in the first edition of the manga in 1999.

A similar scare is rampant this time around as well, with many predicting that the latest manga edition warns against a catastrophic event, likely to befall Japan on July 5, 2025.

Authorities have advised residents to prepare for possible sheltering or evacuation, warning that stronger earthquakes could strike. In response to the growing threat, 89 people on one of the islands have already been ordered to evacuate.

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire—one of the most seismically active regions in the world—Japan regularly experiences around 1,500 earthquakes a year. While the Tokara Islands are no stranger to tremors, the intensity and frequency of the current swarm have left locals deeply unsettled.

Meanwhile, tourism has also seen a significant decline in Japan, a country that saw a record 3.9 million travellers in April this year. The most decline in tourism has been from Hong Kong, down 11 per cent year-on-year. Several flights headed to Japan from Hong Kong have also been cancelled, with rumours of a doomsday floating.

New Delhi, July 05: Hamas announced that it had submitted a positive response to a new 60-day ceasefire proposal, raising hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to halt the conflict in Gaza, reports CNN. The move comes after months of stalled negotiations and follows Israel’s earlier acceptance of the US-backed framework.

The latest proposal, presented by Qatar with support from the Trump administration, outlines a phased cessation of hostilities and includes provisions for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The plan reportedly calls for the release of 10 hostages, eight living and two deceased, on the first day of the truce, in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.

Subsequent releases would follow in four phases, during which Israel would also withdraw from parts of northern Gaza.

Both sides are now expected to enter final proximity talks, with negotiators shuttling messages between representatives in the same location. A key issue under discussion is the timeline and scope of Israeli military withdrawal during the truce reports CNN.

In addition, the proposal commits Israel to facilitating a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza through established international channels, rather than the Israeli-controlled Gaza.

Humanitarian Foundation, which had drawn criticism. Qatar, which has long served as a mediator, re-engaged both parties in an attempt to bridge remaining gaps.

The original version of the ceasefire framework had collapsed in March after Hamas rejected it for lacking assurances about a permanent end to hostilities. The revised proposal appears to meet more of Hamas’s demands, offering a clearer path toward a broader resolution if negotiations proceed as planned, reports CNN.