The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that 15 Asian nations signed last month will place South Korea and Japan in a more favorable position as oil product suppliers to China, Bloomberg has reported, noting the pact will lead to a gradual reduction in import tariffs between signatories. Thanks to their proximity to the world’s largest importer of oil, Japan and South…
Read MoreMonth: December 2020
Five decades after Mangla and Tarbela, Pakistan will have two big dams: PM Imran
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said the country will soon have two new big dams, five decades after construction of Tarbela and Mangla dams. The premier posted a video of the under-construction Mohmand dam on his official Twitter account. The video showed the progress of construction and various side projects. “After Mangla & Tarbela, five decades later Pakistan is going…
Read MoreThe dispiriting sameness of change
The government continues to struggle with ensuring a seamless supply chain for imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the third winter in a row. The Petroleum Division is again under fire this year for delaying LNG import orders resulting in higher prices. This caused a loss to the exchequer and made gas less affordable to consumers. While the peak winter…
Read MorePakistan will have 30pc electric vehicles by 2030
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has informed the international community that it’s working on a plan to ensure that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of the vehicles used in the country are electronic. Along with Denmark and Norway, Pakistan co-chairs a 32-nation Group of Friends on Sustainable Energy, which is committed to a transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy.…
Read MoreState subsidy: energy sector in Pakistan – II
As Chairman FBR I was handling the issue of withdrawal of zero rating for sales tax on five export-oriented sectors it was then that I realized that price of electricity and subsidy thereon for industries is more important than many other things. I was not able to quantify, however, it was quite clear that a subsidy is warranted for such…
Read MoreDeteriorating human condition a tremendous burden for world politics to take on: Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky, an internationally recognised linguist, philosopher, social critic and political activist, delivered an online lecture titled ‘Bullet Dodged or Merely Delayed: Reflections on the Future of Democracy, Nuclear Proliferation and the Looming Environmental Catastrophe in a Post-Trumpian World’ on Monday. The lecture was part of the Habib University’s flagship Yohsin Lecture Series. Prof Chomsky discussed the recent outcome…
Read MoreCountrywide lockdown last option to save lives if politicians, citizens continue flouting SOPs
Bitterly criticising the federal and provincial governments, as well as political parties, for their failure to implement the coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the country, health experts on Monday, claimed no space was left at intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs) of leading public and private health facilities in Karachi as the number of coronavirus patients…
Read MoreTharis learning to save livestock from emerging challenges of climate change
HYDERABAD: Thar and Kohistan, the main arid regions of Sindh, are witnessing devastating impacts of climate change in terms of depleted underground water and shrinking vegetation cover, the main natural resources for the local communities. Reports revealed that a cycle of severe droughts followed by heavy rain floods continued to erode livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of rural people in…
Read MoreUK announces ‘ambitious’ plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 68%
The U.K. government will target an emissions cut of at least 68% by the year 2030, compared to 1990 levels, under plans announced Thursday. The new goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions comes before a Climate Ambition Summit on Dec. 12 which the U.K. will co-host. In a statement, the U.K.’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the new target as…
Read MoreItaly’s Eni to buy 20% stake in world’s largest offshore wind farm
Italian energy firm Eni is taking a 20% stake in what is set to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The energy firms Equinor and SSE are both selling 10% stakes in the first two phases of the project, which is situated off the U.K. coast. Eni will now take a share of Dogger Bank A & B, which…
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