Self-inflicted energy crisis

In the Karimabad valley of Chitral, Abdul Rahim’s monthly electricity bill came to 1,500 rupees. The power comes from a community hydropower project run by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush mountains. Some 20 kilometers down the valley, families on the national grid pay between 6,000 and 7,000 rupees for […]

Nepra scraps fees, restores licence exemption for solar users below 25kW

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Tuesday scrapped fees and restored a licensing exemption for solar consumers with systems under 25 kilowatts (kW). According to a notification issued today, under the revised framework, no fee or licence will be required for solar consumers with systems below 25kW. However, users installing systems above this […]

US Homeland ​Security to vet immigrants for what it calls ‘extremist’ views, raising free speech concerns

The US Department of Homeland ​Security (DHS) said on Monday that past statements espousing what it labelled extremist views from immigrants applying ‌for green cards and naturalisation would “warrant closer scrutiny”, causing free speech advocates to raise concerns that it could stifle First Amendment rights. The DHS statement came in response to a weekend report […]