Bulgaria chokes on air pollution fuelled by poverty
The smokestacks of Kremikovtzi steel mill on Sofia's outskirts may have shut down years ago, but ancient cars ensure that Bulgaria's capital is still the most polluted in Europe. When…
National interest: Trade talks, free trade and trade diplomacy
Trade and industry in Pakistan is all but consumed by the ongoing trade negotiations with India. Information flow on such an important development for the country is largely restricted to…
Privatizing engineering industrial units-
The government plans to privatise, fully or partially, through different modes, 68 state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and has selected 32 units and assets to be divested on priority, for which necessary…
China’s lone carmaker at Frankfurt show turns on the charm
A visit to the stand of Chinese carmaker Changan, the country's only exhibitor showing complete cars at this week's sprawling Frankfurt automobile show, is a fine way to escape the…
Pet hate versus pet love
When Hindutva`s virulent mascot Narendra Modi was cajoled by a journalist into describing the plight of Muslims on his watch with some sympathy he ended up lilcening them to an…
Detroit officials hope bankruptcy will turn it around
Detroit's collapse into bankruptcy has loomed long on the horizon, with empty streets, ruined buildings, filthy uncollected garbage. It can take up to an hour for police to respond to…
As we near collapse
With the elections behind us, we can now look ahead to try and shape a better future for ourselves. Priority must now be given to projects that can contribute to…
Pakistan and leadership transition in China
Since the 1990s, China's top leaders serve a maximum of two five-year terms. With the last batch of leaders having reached the end of their second term last year, there…
Pakistan’s economy – II
Lessons of experience Positive policy actionsThe above brief economic history narrative suggests several points. Political leaders, both civil and military, have had a major impact on the course of economic…
Trade deadlines with India
An important deadline has just been missed. Pakistan had committed to itself that from Jan 1 onwards, it would remove the socalled `negative list` under which it trades with India,…
