The Pakistani government has approved 20 new positions within its Trade Mission in China to boost exports, attract foreign investment, and support efforts to relocate Chinese industries to Pakistan. This initiative addresses the $12 billion trade deficit, with Pakistan’s 2023-24 exports to China at $2.56 billion and imports at $14.51 billion. Following a directive from the Prime Minister and consultations between key ministries, the ECC endorsed a supplementary grant of Rs 226.7 million for these roles. This funding, part of a broader Rs 5.5 billion allocation for trade missions, is…
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Pakistan pollution: NASA images show toxic black smog visible from space, Lahore’s AQI above 600
Thick, black and toxic smog engulfed the skies of Pakistan as unprecedented pollution levels continued to make the lives of citizens difficult. The smog is now visible from space, satellite imagery from NASA’s worldview showed. The satellite imagery showed a huge cloud of grey smog that blankets Pakistan’s Punjab province. This comes days after some cities in Pakistan logged record-breaking pollution levels with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 2000 figure. Images from the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Multan this weekend show the dark haze engulfing streets and blocking…
Read MorePakistan makes $27-billion request from China, Saudi and UAE. Here’s why
Pakistan is seeking the re-profiling of over $27 billion in debt and liabilities owed to China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package and ease consumer tariffs and energy sector foreign exchange outflows, reported Pakistani publication Dawn on Monday. Pakistani Finance Minister (FM) Muhammad Aurangzeb on Sunday said that Islamabad had already requested the three lenders to roll over their more than $12 billion annual debt portfolio by three to five years so that Pakistan can secure the IMF board’s approval for…
Read MoreUpdating globalisation
China’s emergence as a world factory has induced developed states to seek protectionism to spur industrialisation, arguing that the country’s overcapacity’ is a strategic risk to their market economies. Instead of pursuing financial globalisation like many nations, Beijing had earlier mainly focused on industrialisation, which led to growth in all other sectors of the economy. Now, many policymakers and economists are concerned that the rising protectionism and thousands of new industrial policy measures around the world over the last year are threatening free trade. “Trade, for the first time, is…
Read MoreNDCs 3.0: A Defining Moment for Global Climate Goals to Triple Renewables by 2030
Abu Dhabi, UAE/Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 November 2024 – As COP29 opens in Baku, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released its 2024 World Energy Transitions Outlook, urging countries to significantly strengthen their climate commitments in the upcoming third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025. Current climate pledges fall short of what is required to limit global warming to 1.5°C, with the agency warning that achieving net-zero by 2050 will require a rapid scale-up in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Under IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario, renewable energy would account…
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