Category: 3. Business

  • Chinese shares close mixed Wednesday

    BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.09 percent to 3,968.84 points.

    The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.58 percent lower at 13,525.02 points.

    The combined turnover of these two indices totaled about 2.05 trillion yuan (about 291.66 billion U.S. dollars), down from 2.14 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

    Stocks related to aircraft manufacturing and textile machinery led the gains, while the ceramics and chemical fiber sectors posted notable declines.

    The ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 1.23 percent to close at 3,203.17 points Wednesday. Enditem

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  • Chinese shares close mixed Wednesday-Xinhua

    BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.09 percent to 3,968.84 points.

    The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.58 percent lower at 13,525.02 points.

    The combined turnover of these two indices totaled about 2.05 trillion yuan (about 291.66 billion U.S. dollars), down from 2.14 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

    Stocks related to aircraft manufacturing and textile machinery led the gains, while the ceramics and chemical fiber sectors posted notable declines.

    The ChiNext Index, tracking China’s Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 1.23 percent to close at 3,203.17 points Wednesday.

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  • DG Khan Cement to set up Pakistan’s largest single clinker line with 11,000 tonnes per day capacity

    D.G. Khan Cement Company Limited has established a letter of credit to set up Pakistan’s largest single clinker production line with a capacity of 11,000 tonnes per day, according to a disclosure submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday, in accordance with the Securities Act, 2015 and PSX regulations.

    The company said the new clinker line will be installed as a brownfield expansion at its Mauza Kholi Sattai site in Dera Ghazi Khan, marking a major capacity addition at an existing location.

    “This is to inform you that D.G. Khan Cement Company Limited has established a Letter of Credit for setting up Pakistan’s largest single clinker production line of 11,000 tons per day (Brownfield) at Mauza Kholi Sattai, Dera Ghazi Khan Site,” read the company’s notice sent to the local bourse. 

    The disclosure indicates that the establishment of the letter of credit represents a key step toward execution of the project.

    Clinker capacity expansions are a critical component of cement sector growth, as they directly determine a plant’s ability to produce cement and manage costs efficiently, particularly during periods of rising demand.

    The company did not disclose the total project cost or timeline in the filing. However, the scale of the project positions it as the largest single-line clinker installation in the country to date.

    D.G. Khan Cement Company Limited, a Nishat Group company, is one of Pakistan’s leading cement manufacturers and operates multiple production facilities across the country. It was incorporated in 1978 as a public company limited by shares under the then Companies Act, 1913 (now Companies Act, 2017), and is primarily engaged in the production and sale of clinker, Ordinary Portland Cement and Sulphate Resistant Cement.


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  • DGKC sets LC for 11,000 TPD clinker line

    December 31, 2025 (MLN): D.G. Khan Cement Company Limited (PSX: DGKC) has established
    a Letter of Credit for the installation of Pakistan’s largest single clinker
    production line.

    The brownfield project involves setting up an 11,000 tons
    per day clinker production line at Mauza Khofli Sattai, Dera Ghazi Khan
    site.

    The aforementioned information was disseminated through a
    notification to Exchange.

    At the time of writing, the company’s share price stood at Rs.
    237.25, down 1.39 points, or 0.58%.

    Copyright Mettis Link News

     

     

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  • Approaches to and Preparation for the Operation of Small Modular Reactors – International Atomic Energy Agency

    1. Approaches to and Preparation for the Operation of Small Modular Reactors  International Atomic Energy Agency
    2. Mini nuclear reactors are already losing their glow  Financial Times
    3. SOUTHERN MN REPUBLICAN VOICES: Portable modular nuclear — Guardians of the Grid?  southernminn.com
    4. Go nuclear  GazetteXtra
    5. #Encore: The Nuclear Mirage: Why Small Modular Reactors Won’t Save Nuclear Power  The Energy Mix

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  • Egypt: Technical and operational management consultancy for the Investment Plan (IP) under the CIF Industry Decarbonisation Programme

    Industry is a leading, and growing, source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and will be one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, requiring a concerted combination of policy, institutional, and market solutions. By 2050, around 60 percent of heavy industry emission reductions will need to come from technologies that are not currently market ready. Early and accelerated investment in low-carbon and climate-resilient technologies in fast-developing economies will be critical.

    The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) established the Industry Decarbonisation Programme (IDP) under the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) to support and accelerate the transition of these high-emitting industrial sectors in developing countries to zero-carbon practice, support the development of clean technology supply chains, and unlock investments in low to net zero-carbon and climate-resilient business models and technologies.Egypt was one of seven countries selected to participate in the CIF IDP and develop an Investment Plan (IP). Participation in the programme, and submission of an IP, secures up to USD 250 million in concessional finance for Egypt to support industrial decarbonisation projects, of which a minimum of 50% must be deployed to the private sector. This funding will be complemented by MDB investment and private sector contributions. The IP is a business plan, to be developed by the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt (GoE) in cooperation with the CIF’s Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) partners, in this case with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), World Bank (WB), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and African Development Bank (AfDB). The GoE designated the EBRD as the “Coordinating MDB” to provide overall oversight on the IP preparation process on behalf of the joint MDB group. The IP will lay out government priorities and proposals, identify potential areas for MDB investment and technical assistance, as relevant, and will include mobilisation of complementary co-financing, including from bilateral, multilateral, and private sources.

    The objective of the Assignment is to support the development of the Egyptian IDP IP and manage associated tasks and coordination, in collaboration with governmental counterparts, MDB partners, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders. Specifically, the Assignment will contribute to:

    • Coordination of the IP process, including managing inclusive and robust stakeholder engagement processes (e.g., government counterparts, MDBs, CIF Secretariat, private sector, and other relevant organisations).

    • Preparation of key inputs to the IP process, including inter alia ToRs for missions; Aide Memoires etc.

    • Support the preparation and implementation of scoping/joint missions to Egypt on-site.

    • Prepare technical inputs and presentations to inform the scoping/joint missions to Egypt on-site.

    • Lead technical drafting of the IP document in consultation with all relevant stakeholders (i.e., MDBs/Government). Draft the IP, produce updates and final version.

    • Prepare and contribute to necessary technical assessments to feed into and inform the IP development.

    • Develop technical inputs related to IPPG requests.

    • Identify and help the GoE and MDBs establish contact with suitable private sector companies enabling consultations for financing decarbonisation projects in such companies.

    • Lead the process of collecting and addressing the feedback on the IP drafts (from MDBs, CIF Secretariat, public consultations, TFC members, GoE).

    • As needed, lead preparation of the presentation materials required for the TFC meetings Egypt IP session.

    • Facilitate consultation meetings and technical discussions with identified key stakeholders (e.g. private sector, development partners, etc.).

    • Provide any other relevant technical and/or logistical and coordination support to all IP stakeholders as a “collaborative”, as relevant.

    The purpose of this assignment is to support the Government of Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation (MoPEDIC), in leading and managing a well-coordinated consultation process – both internal and external. This includes facilitating coordination among relevant government entities, MDB partners, and the private sector, as appropriate, to develop the CIF IDP IP for Egypt collaboratively and comprehensively. In addition to MoPEDIC, the assignment will include strong collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Industry (MoI) and include their contributions. Outputs of the Assignment (see scope of work and deliverable section) will directly inform the IP’s indicative areas of focus, scope of TA, and indicative pipeline of investments across hard-to-abate industrial sectors.

    The assignment should leverage the progress, technical outputs, and networks from existing programmes and relevant coordination mechanisms and workstreams, for example, the Nexus Water-Food-Energy Programme Energy Pillar (NWFE-EP) and the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE). It should build on existing climate policies and preexisting work conducted on the topics of low carbon transitions and green industrialisation in Egypt, including the low-carbon pathways (LCPs) for the cement and fertiliser sectors, prepared with the support of the EBRD. The assignment should ensure previously identified priority sectors, activities, and technologies for industrial decarbonisation in Egypt are targeted and integrated into the IP.

    These priority areas should include, but are not limited to:

    • Implementation of key decarbonisation levers of the LCPs in cement, fertilisers, iron/steel, aluminium;

    • Deployment of green hydrogen across the entire value chain;

    • Deployment of low carbon energy sources specifically relevant to industrial decarbonisation projects and processes;

    • Carbon Capture Utilisation and storage (CCUS);

    • Energy efficiency and optimisation;

    • Demand Side Management (DSM);

    • Support P2P framework, scaling renewable capacity, and increasing electrification of industrial processes;

    • Circular economy measures (e.g., materials recycling, concrete recycling, steel slag recycling, alternative fuel);

    • Fuel switching and supporting the development of alternative and low-carbon fuels and feedstocks (e.g., green hydrogen, biomethane, e-methanol, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)s);

    • Waste heat recovery.

    • Fresh water usage efficiency improvements and waste water treatment.

    • N2O abatement (for fertiliser production);

    • Introduction of alternative raw materials low carbon cement and alternative fuels in the cement production. Support On-site renewable energy production.

    • Decarbonisation of mineral extraction and processing, e.g. phosphate;

    • Zero emission shipping;

    • Eco industrial parks;

    • Cross industrial measures;

    • Clean technology supply chains;

    • Pulp and paper;

    • Glass, ceramic and construction materials.

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  • China unveils regulation on implementing value-added tax law

    BEIJING — Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed a State Council decree issuing a regulation on the implementation of the country’s value-added tax (VAT) law, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

    The regulation is designed to facilitate the effective enforcement of the law by providing detailed rules on its application.

    The regulation specifies the scope of taxable goods, services, intangible assets and immovable property, and further defines taxpayer categories.

    It also clarifies the application of VAT rates, including zero-rating for certain exports and cross-border sales of services and intangible assets.

    In addition, the rules refine methods for calculating VAT payable, clarify standards for tax incentives, and strengthen VAT administration measures.

    The VAT law was adopted at a session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the national legislature, in December last year.

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  • SBP buys $9.7bn from interbank market in 16 months

    SBP buys $9.7bn from interbank market in 16 months





    SBP buys $9.7bn from interbank market in 16 months – Daily Times


































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  • Former Littlewoods building film studio plans to be submitted

    Former Littlewoods building film studio plans to be submitted

    “We’re working on some of the detailed plans around it and we’ve been invited to Downing Street to present to the government,” he said.

    “We’re finalising all of the arrangements of going down… but it’s fair to say there’s a lot of national government interest in it.

    “We’ve also got some great stakeholders that are really keen to make sure we make it a success.”

    In August it was revealed that Liverpool-born television producer Jimmy Mulville was part of a group working with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and industry experts to include an education hub at the site.

    Developer Capital & Centric (C&C) also revealed in the summer that it had entered into discussions about securing government funding.

    C&C warned the cost of delivering the project “in the current climate exceeds the value of the completed development”.

    Its co-founder Tim Heatley said talks had been ongoing with ministers to “explore potential options for gap funding”.

    The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which has so far committed up to £17m, said it would work with the government, city council and C&C to obtain the required funding.

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  • Work starts on £60m Ravensthorpe viaduct to speed up rail trips

    Work starts on £60m Ravensthorpe viaduct to speed up rail trips

    The viaduct will replace two cast-iron bridges that were built by Joseph Butler & Co in Leeds in 1847.

    While the Victorian bridges have been deemed no longer suitable for use, they are Grade II listed and will remain in place when the new viaduct opens.

    The new nine-span structure is being manufactured from Corten steel, a high-strength material that develops a rusty brown colour and does not need continuous painting.

    A 12,000-tonne crane is being used to swing each individual span into position on eight supporting pillars.

    Close to the viaduct, Ravensthorpe Station has been closed by Network Rail as part of the upgrade work.

    The station is being rebuilt at a nearby location so more trains can stop there and will include a footbridge with lifts, a new forecourt and improved drop-off facilities. It will reopen in March 2028.

    Network Rail’s Transpennine Route Upgrade, which is due to be completed in the early 2030s, will see the line between York and Manchester fully electrified.

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