Month: July 2020

ISLAMABAD: Talal Bugti, the son of slain Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, has made the startling allegation that top state office holders had demanded Rs 500 million kickback in exchange for immediate release of the rent/royalty money of the gas fields in the Bugti area, not paid for the past six years. In a telephonic talk with The News from Quetta, Talal Bugti named the three top men of the PPP government, the president, the governor of Balochistan and the interior adviser and said they were all partners in the…

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Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to create 15 national parks across the country under the ‘Protective Area Initiative’ to protect and enhance forest cover, create green jobs and address the threat of climate change. Out of these 15 parks, nine are new national parks while government will strengthen ecological management in six others. The initiative, which is part of the ‘Green Stimulus’ vision, aims to enhance the protected and conserved area to 15 percent to cover land area of over 7,300 sq. km, encompassing the mountains in…

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If your answer is bigger than a couple of tennis courts, think again. Miniature forests are springing up on patches of land in urban areas around the world, often planted by local community groups using a method inspired by Japanese temples. The idea is simple – take brownfield sites, plant them densely with a wide variety of native seedlings, and let them grow with minimal intervention. The result, according to the method’s proponents, is complex ecosystems perfectly suited to local conditions that improve biodiversity, grow quickly and absorb more CO2.…

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When it comes to climate change, Pakistan’s stance has unequivocally been that of a country which is suffering the impacts but has not been responsible for the causes.  This is a classic case of, ‘we didn’t do it, so we aren’t responsible’. The country’s national and international policies are focused on adaptation to the impacts of climate change, which it is already facing. The preamble of the ‘Nationally Determined Contribution’ (NDC), Pakistan’s pledge of emissions reduction submitted to the UNFCCC last year, states: “Despite Pakistan’s diminutive contribution to global GHG…

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ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Friday approved up to Rs2.89 per unit increase in electricity tariff for Karachi with immediate effect and allowed in principle shifting of Rs74 billion cost of LNG consumed by domestic and commercial sectors in winter months to power and industrial sectors. The ECC meeting presided over by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also approved about a billion rupees subsidy to two fertiliser plants for three months and about Rs30bn payments to 3.72…

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