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THE Right of Access to Information Bill, 2017, has finally become law. As it passed through the different stages required, civil society groups and the media decried it as a weak law that did not meet certain standards pertaining to right-to-information legislation. This made sense. Even so, these groups need to be mindful that harping along the same lines during …

Once again, the symptoms of a financial crisis have become apparent. Over the last year, the deficit on the current account of the balance of payments has shot up by 150 percent, from USD 4,867 in the year 2016 to 12,120 in 2017. In a situation where export earnings are declining and import expenditures rising, it is not surprising that …

TECHNOLOGY surrounds every aspect of our lives. From surgical procedures to space navigations, search engines to communication systems, database collection to policy formulation, all sorts of work is being done using computers. As technology becomes cheaper and more and more users adopt it, it is becoming nearly impossible for any part of the world to lag behind in technological advancements. …

ABOUT 1,000 years ago, when Europe was supposedly traversing through its dark ages, the Muslim empire was the envy of the world. Its wealth and material standards were such that Cordoba alone was pronounced as the ‘ornament of the world’ by Hrotsvitha, a mediaeval German writer and nun. By 1500, it was China and India whose riches and wealth became …

Jaja of Opobo? The stubborn king?” Obiora asked. “Defiant,” Ifeoma said. “He was a defiant king…when the British came, he refused to let them control all the trade. He did not sell his soul for a bit of gunpowder like the other kings did, so the British exiled him to the West Indies. He never returned to Opobo.” “That’s sad. …

The economy of Pakistan is worrying and presents a mixed picture. Our budget deficit has reached Rs1,864 billion against the estimated Rs1,276 billion. In 2014-2015, the external borrowing used to finance the budget deficit was 12.4 percent of the deficit but in 2015-2016 it increased to 27 percent, and in 2016-2017 to 29 percent. The fiscal deficit is about 5.8 …

This article is in response to the article, ‘CPEC’, by Dr Farrukh Saleem, October 08, 2017). Here are some facts regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Fact 1: There exists a joint institutional framework between China and Pakistan regarding decision-making for CPEC. The framework consists of a Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) followed by five Joint Working Groups for each sector, with …

BARCELONA, Spain — Spain’s leader fired the government of the rebellious Catalonia region Friday, dissolved the regional parliament and ordered new elections after Catalan lawmakers illegally declared an independent nation. The showdown escalated the biggest political crisis in decades to hit Spain, which is just emerging from a prolonged economic malaise. Catalonia is a critical part of the economy in …

In recent days, a number of commentators have, while expressing grave concerns about the economy, suggested that a financial emergency should be imposed to deal with the present economic situation. It is important that we examine the provisions of the constitution relating to financial emergency to understand under what conditions such a measure may be adopted and how it can, …

The threats and bullying by President Trump have created a difficult situation for Pakistan. What is the way forward? The Trump administration formulated its Afghanistan policy after six months of careful deliberation. Apparently, Pakistan was either not consulted during this process or its views were not taken into account before Islamabad was asked to make an indefinite commitment to what …