Adam Smith, in his 1776 masterpiece, ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations’, observed that for a nation to prosper, little else is required than to provide individuals with economic freedom. If economic freedom is provided, the rest of the requisites will be brought upon by the natural course of things. On the other hand, for decades, democracy has also been accepted a
International politics has always been a ruthless and dangerous business, and it is likely to stay that way, according to Chicago University’s US scholar John J. Mearsheimer. In the introduction of an updated edition of his book, ‘The Tragedy of Great Power Politics’, he writes: “Since no state is likely to achieve global hegemony, the world is condemned to a perpetual great power competition.
The rise in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) worldwide, driven by governments’ rebates to curb carbon emissions, has spurred advancements in battery technology. Significant research funding has gone into the EV battery to achieve the objectives of a high number of charge cycles, distance, and low weight and volume, with Chinese companies, CATL and BYD are leading the way. These developments a
The country’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries swelled by 62 per cent to $2.917 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year from $1.80bn. Trade experts attributed the surge mainly to increased imports from China, India and Afghanistan. Since the deficit rise remains unchanged from the previous fiscal year, it may cause policymakers big problems. In FY24, the trade d
The financial sector has done well in the last couple of years — with high interest rates, the fixed-income side has been the winner, says Nadir Rahman, CEO of Faysal Asset Management Limited, a subsidiary of Faysal Bank Limited. But in terms of equity, not much has changed, he observes. The companies that were popular a decade ago are still the ones being bought and sold. New companies that do