ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday “formally” considered a proposal to appoint administrator on Karachi Electric (KE), for resolution of outstanding issues, prior to transfer of 66.40 per cent stakes of M/s Abraaj to Chinese company Shanghai Electric Power (SEP), well informed sources told Business Recorder. Co-chaired by Minister for Privatisation, Mohammedmian Soomro and Minister for Energy, Omar Ayub, the meeting was attended by SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Baber, SAPM on Power Tabish Gohar, Secretary Privatisation, Hassan Nasir Jamy, KES Board Chirman; Shan Ashary CEO K-E Syed Moonis Alvi, and…
Read MoreMonth: December 2020
We Had the Vaccine the Whole Time
ou may be surprised to learn that of the trio of long-awaited coronavirus vaccines, the most promising, Moderna’s mRNA-1273, which reported a 94.5 percent efficacy rate on November 16, had been designed by January 13. This was just two days after the genetic sequence had been made public in an act of scientific and humanitarian generosity that resulted in China’s Yong-Zhen Zhang’s being temporarily forced out of his lab. In Massachusetts, the Moderna vaccine design took all of one weekend. It was completed before China had even acknowledged that the disease could…
Read MoreGovt bans new gas connections for industries
ISLAMABAD: The government has imposed a ban on new gas connections for industrial units based on locally produced gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) solely for power generation purpose. At present, the industries, especially the textile sector, have gas connections and are producing electricity in addition to getting electricity at subsidised rates from the national grid. They are not only receiving subsidised electricity but are also receiving LNG at half the rate for captive power plants. The ministries concerned have also not raised any question as to why industries are…
Read MoreAsia Free Trade Deal Widens Oil Supply Channels To China
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 Korea are likely to gain market share at the expense of Singapore and Malaysia, which are further from China. China imported some $12 billion worth of oil products, including light-cycle…
Read MoreFive 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 to have two big water dams, Mohmand and Basha.” Mohmand Dam will generate 800 megawatts of hydroelectricity, irrigate over 16,000 acres of land and heavily contribute to the socio-economic uplift…
Read More