Editorial - GulfToday

Editorial

Renewable energy generation obligations crucial

A recent resolution by the Indian Ministry of Power (MoP) has introduced a new concept of ‘Renewable Generation Obligation (RGO)’ for power producers. Any upcoming coal or lignite-based commercial thermal power plant will have to produce a portion of its total energy from renewable sources. According to the new RGO mandate, the upcoming

21 Mar 2023

Macron’s costly victory on pension reform

French President Emmanuel Macron seems to have scored a costly victory when he survived the no-confidence motion by nine votes in the National Assembly and he has managed to push his pension reform, pushing the retirement age up from 62 to 64. When the legislation failed to pass in the legislature, Macron resorted to Article 49.3 in the Constitution

21 Mar 2023

UAE President’s positive call to Bashar Al-Assad

In the swiftly changing scenario of international relations, UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan told visiting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, “Syria has been absent from its brothers for too long, and the time has come for it to return to them and to its Arab surroundings.” It is a bold call for Arab unity,

20 Mar 2023

ICC decision against Putin a pressure tactic

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin holding him responsible for the deportation and transfer of children from the occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia. The court in its statement has said, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears

19 Mar 2023

Swiss bank Credit Suisse’s meltdown

The second largest Swiss bank, Credit Suisse, just managed to avoid sinking when the Swiss National Bank (SNB) threw a lifeline of 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) because the Swiss authorities felt that Credit Suisse was “globally systemically important” and that it should not fall because if it fell it could possible bring down others

17 Mar 2023

Implications of a joint naval drill

The joint naval drill of Iran, China, Russia and Oman from Wednesday to Sunday looks like an unintended riposte to the nuclear-powered submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States that was announced on Monday. The joint naval drill had been carried out earlier too, and countries which have no

16 Mar 2023

Sweden could face recession amid housing woes

For years, Sweden has been warned that its dysfunctional housing market, plagued by under-supply and kept aloft by low rates and generous tax benefits, was a risk to the wider economy. Now those risks are becoming a reality. Households with big mortgages are reining in spending as interest rates rise, and house-builders are pulling the

15 Mar 2023

Ambiguities of AUKUS submarine deal

The Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) security formation which was announced in 2021 moved another step forward with the leaders of three far-flung English-speaking countries signing a deal on Monday in San Diego in the US for the purchase of two American Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines – and it has

14 Mar 2023

Asian artistes walk away with coveted Oscars

It was an Oscar awards night like no other. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards, representing the American film industry in Hollywood, recognised and celebrated mostly American movies and actors and actresses, and sometimes the British productions as well as the Australian ones. Then amidst criticism that it was an

13 Mar 2023