News

World’s $70tr GDP vulnerable to high water stress: WRI

Recent findings from the World Resource Institute’s (WRI) ‘Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas’ have shed light on a concerning global trend. According to the updated framework, Pakistan has been classified under the ‘high’ water stress category. This categorisation is part of a broader revelation that by 2050, an estimated $70 trillion in GDP, equivalent to 31 per cent of the global GDP, will be vulnera

FY23 ended with 7.7pc deficit, not PDM’s claimed 7pc

The former PDM government left behind a massive fiscal deficit — the difference between income and expenditure — of 7.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) while concluding the fiscal year 2022-23 on June 30, significantly higher than its claim of 7pc, according to official accounts. Fiscal Operations Data, released by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday, put the overall fiscal deficit at

PM terms Special Investment Facili­tation Council ‘ray of hope’ for progress

Terming the Special Investment Facili­tation Council (SIFC) a ray of hope for Pakistan’s economic development, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Thursday said the government would ensure full use of the forum to carry forward the development agenda. Addressing a meeting in connection with the working of SIFC, PM Kakar said the government would focus on the development of different

Cost of living sees big jump in first two days of new set-up

The cost of living has gone up significantly during the first two days of the current interim government as the prices of sugar and steel bar have witnessed sharp spikes. Rising transportation cost due to a jump of Rs20 per litre in diesel rate, the rupee’s depreciation against the dollar and hoarding, have all combined to torment an already hard-pressed consumer. According to sugar dealers,

Stocks shed 419 points on weaker rupee

Profit-taking dominated trading on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday. Topline Securities said the shares market commenced the day on a positive note and hit an intraday high of 49 points. However, investors soon chose to book their gains in energy and fertiliser stocks. Consequently, the KSE-100 index erased its morning gains and slid into the negative territory to close on the