Islamabad: The government foresees a significant uptick in renewable energy, reaching 46% over the next decade. This expansion necessitates a jump in generation capacity from 42,000MW to 57,000MW, with an estimated investment of $72 billion. The National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) outlines in its Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP 2024-34) submitted to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) that electricity demand could surge by 46%, 59%, or 74% over the coming decade across various growth scenarios. This growth projection would require an investment ranging from $62-64 billion. Furthermore, the Transmission System Expansion Plan (TSEP 2024-34) indicates a…
Author: WebDesk
Reports from local media indicate that three Egyptian students were temporarily detained at a facility belonging to the Bishkek Central Internal Affairs Directorate. This development comes amidst a series of violent incidents in the Kyrgyzstan capital, Bishkek, including attacks on foreign nationals, particularly Pakistani students. The situation escalated following an incident of harassment involving Egyptian female students on May 13. According to Mohammad Abdullah, a Pakistani medical student in Bishkek, the violence erupted after Egyptian students confronted local students over the harassment incident. Subsequently, Kyrgyz students reportedly began attacking foreign students across Bishkek. The unrest intensified on May 17, with…
Islamabad: The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) is seeking assistance from its Board to declare its status as an essential State-Owned Enterprise (SOE). This move aims to safeguard against privatization or dissolution, as per sources close to the Managing Director of PPIB, as reported by Business Recorder. The enactment of the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act, 2023, on January 31, 2023, outlines governance and operational guidelines for state-owned enterprises under federal government control. The Act delineates roles, responsibilities, governance structures, and accountability mechanisms for these entities. Under Section 4(1) of the SOE Act, the SOE Ownership and Management…
Moscow: President Vladimir Putin remarked on Friday that the US sanctions policy is eroding trust in the dollar. He emphasized that Russia and China are exploring avenues to counter the threat posed by measures targeting Chinese banks and disrupting their growing trade partnership. The US has imposed sanctions on Russia in response to developments in Ukraine and has threatened secondary sanctions on foreign banks engaging in transactions with Moscow. Consequently, some Chinese banks have restricted dealings with Russian entities. During a televised address in China, Putin asserted that such sanctions lack legitimacy unless endorsed by the UN Security Council. He…
Pakistan’s IT sector continues its impressive growth trajectory, achieving another milestone with a historic $310 million in exports recorded for April 2024—the highest monthly figure to date. This remarkable achievement follows previous records of $306 million in March 2024 and $303 million in December 2023. The surge in exports is attributed to ongoing policy support from entities like the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications (MoIT) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), providing incentives and facilitation to IT exporters. Data from the State Bank of Pakistan reveals a significant uptick in IT and IT-enabled services exports, reaching $2.593 billion from…
A team of researchers led by UCL highlights the significant threat climate change poses to individuals with neurological conditions. Their findings, published in The Lancet Neurology, stress the urgent need to comprehend climate change’s impact on brain health to mitigate potential harm and address existing inequalities. After reviewing 332 papers spanning from 1968 to 2023, focusing on 19 neurological conditions and common psychiatric disorders, the team, led by Professor Sanjay Sisodiya, Director of Genomics at the Epilepsy Society, underscored the substantial anticipated effects of climate change on brain diseases. Their analysis revealed that climatic variations, particularly extremes of temperature and…
The Dubai government has implemented a new regulation stipulating a maximum cash transaction limit of Dh55,000 for all future real estate transactions. This means that individuals can only make cash payments up to Dh55,000, with all subsequent payments required to be conducted through banking channels. Currently, physical cash transactions represent 20% of all property transactions in Dubai. With the new regulation on the horizon, property developers are hurrying to finalize all cash sales before its implementation. In response to this development, the CEO of a prominent private development firm stated, “It’s evident that there is a push to reduce all-cash…
Following the affirmation of a “new era” of strategic partnership with China’s Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to underscore the increasing significance of trade near the Russian border in northeastern China. Concluding his two-day, high-profile visit to China, Putin will be in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, a region with longstanding trade and cultural connections to Russia. There, he will participate in a Russian-China Expo and a forum on interregional cooperation. Amidst Russia’s political isolation and Western sanctions stemming from its invasion of Ukraine, Putin is turning more towards China to bolster its economy during wartime. During the elaborate…
Storms and heavy rainfall have inundated many areas of northern Italy, particularly affecting cities like Padua and Vicenza. Emergency services have been employing dinghies to rescue residents trapped in their homes, and images from the scene depict submerged cars floating through the streets. The governor of the Veneto region likened the overnight weather to a “water bomb.” Meanwhile, southern Italy is grappling with an unseasonable heatwave, with temperatures soaring up to 35C in Sicily. Speaking to the Corriere del Veneto newspaper, Professor Marco Marani, an expert on climate change impacts at the University of Padua, stated, “Extreme events are becoming…
Federal Minister for Planning and Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC), Ahsan Iqbal, inaugurated the National Conference on Sports Revival in Islamabad on Friday, underlining the government’s dedication to enhancing Pakistan’s sports landscape. Designating 2025 as the year of sports revival in Pakistan, the minister affirmed his resolve to elevate the country’s sports to unprecedented levels. “We are making every effort to uplift Pakistan’s sports,” he asserted. He stressed the significance of the conference in revitalizing and enhancing sports in the nation. “Victory is not just achieved on the field but also needs to be ingrained in the mindset,” he remarked at…
