Lockdown reduces electricity load by 1200MW

LAHORE: The ongoing lockdown in the city has reduced load on the transmission system by 1200 megawatt, leading to availability of additional electricity in the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) system. According to sources, the electricity load on the system was recorded at 3000 megawatts during the month of April 2019 which has reduced to 1800 megawatt during April 2020, leaving the system with a surplus load of 1200 megawatt. They said a reduction in the load was due to closing down of industrial and trading centers in the provincial…

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Meetings on 15th, 16th Ways to reduce power tariff to be explored

power bills

ISLAMABAD: Power Division has convened meetings of public sector Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Generation Companies (Gencos) and private sector IPPs on April 15 and April 16 in Islamabad aimed at exploring different ways to reduce tariff. On April 2, 2020, Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Minister for Power, Omar Ayub, comprising Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Coordination of Marketing and Development of Mineral Resources, Secretary Finance, Secretary Power Division and Secretary Law and Justice to deliberate various viable and mutually acceptable…

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Coronavirus: China’s imports and exports dropped again in March

With Covid-19 spreading worldwide, the global economy faces mounting downward pressure. Uncertainties are on the rise. China’s foreign trade is encountering major difficulties,” said Chinese customs spokesman Li Kuiwen. Overall in the first quarter of 2020, China’s exports dropped 13.3 per cent, with imports down 2.9 per cent.Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce said that imports and exports had improved in March after the coronavirus outbreak caused a dramatic collapse in the first two months of 2020, but conceded the outlook for China’s exports remained gloomy given the economic damage…

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Coronavirus: how much of Covid-19’s social distancing is here to stay?

The devastating coronavirus pandemic has forced the world into an unprecedented social experiment: a “new normal” of social distancing. In an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, the pneumonia-like disease caused by the virus, governments have first encouraged, then compelled people to practise social distancing, or keeping a physical distance between individuals. People have been told to stay and work at home whenever possible, avoid crowded areas and suspend social gatherings – with varying success. Behavioural scientists say social distancing is challenging for humans, as innately social creatures, and has come…

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Vancouver protesters call coronavirus fake news and say distancing rule should be defied, appalling health authorities

Authorities in British Columbia have decried a Vancouver protest that depicted Covid-19 as “fake news” and called for the defiance of physical distancing rules, with the provincial health minister blasting “self-promoters” for exploiting the suffering of others. Social media photos and videos showed about 15 people taking part in Sunday’s protest, gathering at City Hall in spite of provincial health orders banning people from different households mingling closer than two metres apart. The protesters then walked towards downtown Vancouver. The protesters called for people to defy the physical distancing rules…

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