Factbox: What are Afghanistan’s untapped minerals and resources?

Returning to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year absence, the Taliban have regained control of natural resources that a former mines minister of the country once said could be worth up to $3 trillion. That estimate was made toward the end of the last commodities supercycle in 2010 and could be worth even more now, after a global economic recovery from the coronavirus shock sent prices for everything from copper to lithium soaring this year. Afghanistan is rich in resources like copper, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron…

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Pakistan Army pays tribute to Rashid Minhas on martyrdom anniversary

The Pakistan Army has paid tribute to Rashid Minhas — Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilot officer who embraced martyrdom at the age of 20 during the 1971 war — on his 50th martyrdom anniversary. Minhas was awarded the Nishan-e-Haider for his bravery and became the youngest PAF officer to receive the highest valour award. “On 50th Martyrdom anniversary, we remember with reverence, bravery & supreme sacrifice of National Hero Pilot officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, Nishan-e–Haider,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a tweet late Thursday. In the line of…

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ENVIRONMENT: DANCE OF THE FLAMINGOES

My birding friend, Ahmer Ali Rizvi had been working on a documentary on flamingoes and I was excited to contribute content for it however possible. So when we found out from our birder friends that a flock of flamingoes had landed on our coastal belt, near Karachi, it couldn’t have been better timed for us to get more footage. Since the best time to shoot images is just after sunrise and before 9am — as after that the light becomes harsh — it wasn’t dawn yet when we set off…

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Tarin dubs energy sector ‘Achilles heel’, says will take at least 5-7 years to fix issues

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said on Friday that he believed the energy sector to be the government’s “Achilles heel”, and it would take at least five to seven years to resolve the issues the sector was facing. Addressing businessmen at the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said the government was trying to fix the problems the sector faced today, even though these were not a consequence of the actions of the incumbent government. “Excessive [electricity generation] capacity has been built and we will have to consume that…

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Small scale RE systems exempted from generation license

Islamabad: Cabinet committee on energy (CCoE) on Friday approved exemption of generation license for small-scale RE-based systems up to 25 kW for net metering. CCoE approved the proposal of the Power Division for eliminating the need for generation licenses for small-scale RE-based systems (upto 25 kW) for net metering. The measure will greatly facilitate consumers who wish to install small-scale solar systems for their homes and businesses and avail the facility of net metering. The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) held a meeting under the Chairmanship of the Federal Minister…

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