Norway Conducts First Real-World Electric Cargo Plane Test Flight

New-Project9

STAVANGER: Norway has taken a major step toward zero-emission aviation with the first real-world test of an electric cargo flight between Stavanger and Bergen, airport operator Avinor announced on Thursday. The Alia aircraft, built by US manufacturer Beta and operated by Bristow Norway, completed the 160-kilometre journey in 55 minutes, simulating a cargo route in southeastern Norway. “This is the first time an electric plane has flown the trade route between Stavanger and Bergen. Everything went very well,” said Avinor director Karianne Helland Strand. The test, conducted under visual flight…

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Policy Uncertainty Undermines Pakistan’s Green Investment Prospects

New-Project8

KARACHI: Pakistan’s fragile economy is struggling to attract sustainable investment as policy instability, weak governance, and mounting climate risks erode investor confidence, according to a joint report by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Pakistan Business Council (PBC). The study warns that despite government pledges to pursue export-led growth and sustainable development, Pakistan lags in embedding sustainability into its economic framework. Foreign direct investment remains scarce, with green financing even harder to secure due to political uncertainty, regulatory unpredictability, and perceptions of fragile returns on long-term projects.…

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Pakistan, China Explore Maritime Joint Ventures to Boost Gwadar’s Regional Role

CPEC-PNSC

ISLAMABAD: Shandong Xinxu Group Corporation of China has proposed setting up an Integrated Maritime Industrial Complex in Pakistan, marking a potential leap in bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding, port development, and the blue economy. The proposal was tabled during a meeting in Beijing between Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and senior executives of the Chinese group. The minister welcomed the initiative and invited the firm to consider joint ventures with the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) in leasing and feeder services linked to Gwadar port. He also proposed collaboration…

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K-Electric Secures Rs4.4bn in Pakistan’s First Retail Sukuk IPO

K-Electric

KARACHI: K-Electric has successfully raised Rs4.4 billion through Pakistan’s first listed short-term sukuk for retail investors, more than doubling its initial target of Rs2 billion. The Initial Public Offering (IPO), which closed on Wednesday, attracted strong interest from both institutional and retail investors, with over 600 individual applicants participating. Proceeds from the sukuk will be used to meet KE’s operational needs and working capital requirements. In its statement, KE highlighted the IPO as a milestone in advancing Islamic finance and widening financial inclusion. “This offering broadens access to investment opportunities,…

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US natgas prices rise on lower daily output

Gas

NEW YORK: US natural gas futures climbed about 3 percent to a one-month high on Wednesday on a recent drop in daily output. That price increase came despite ample supplies of gas in storage, a small decline in flows to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants, mild weather and forecasts for lower demand next week than previously expected. Front-month gas futures for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 8.0 cents, or 2.7 percent, to USD3.089 per million British thermal units at 8:44 a.m. EDT (1244 GMT), putting…

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