Cancelled EU-US talks complicate trade ambitions
Even before the cancellation of the latest round of EU-US talks, negotiations to create the world's largest free-trade deal were getting into difficulty territory. France won a concession to leave…
Rupee erosion and who benefits
The pace of the rupee erosion left Pakistanis bewildered with the vast majority of analysts terming it against national interest as well as against the interest of the common man…
Two years after the deluge, Thailand braces for more floods
The Baan Khun Phra Guest House, on the bank of the Pasak River in the former Thai capital Ayutthaya, has been knee-high in water for the past week. About two…
This is all right
The pendulum of political ideology has not just moved from one end to the other in Pakistan. It has completely shifted its coordinates. It was not left-centre-right in the classical…
An obsolete agency
Do we need a Planning Commission (PC) in today’s world? In fact, do we really need a plan? Why should we plan and what? In today’s world, serious questions arise…
On the slide
The competitiveness of Pakistan’s economy is on the slide. In 2007-08, the country`s position on the global competitiveness index (GCI) drawn up by the World Economic Forum was 92nd, which…
Contingency planning
The Government claims that the new IMF program of $6.7 billion under the Extended Fund Facility is based on implementation of 'home grown' reforms. If this is the case then…
Thinking taxation
Admittedly, the title even sounds repulsive; after all no sane person, given a choice, would wish to embroil his medulla oblongata in the wasteful pursuit of taxation matters, let alone…
Shanghai free-trade zone to test financial reforms
When Premier Li Keqiang showcased China's plans for more market economic reforms and a reduction in the role of state sector at a recent global forum, he highlighted a proposed…
vJackpot boomtowns
Meleourne's reputation as the world’s most liveable city is well deserved. I spent most of last year there. As well as a chic city centre and immaculate suburbs, there’s non-stop…
