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National scene: Pakistan, China to develop renewable energy
Pakistan and China, besides some other countries, recently pledged to strengthen their cooperation in the area of renewable energy. In this regard, they adopted a declaration at an international symposium — held in Lanzhou, northwest China — on the use of solar energy in developing countries.
The symposium was attended by experts and officials from more than 20 developing countries, including China, Pakistan, Egypt and Nigeria. The purpose of the meeting was to share experiences on the development of renewable energy and to strengthen international exchange and cooperation.
“Developing solar energy is a complex and systematic project which calls for multilateral and bilateral cooperation,” said Zhao Yongli of the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges. China has become a new training centre for technical personnel from developing countries. To date, the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Centre for Solar Energy, which is located in Lanzhou county, has trained nearly 500 solar energy specialists from 72 countries.
An official of the Jiangsu Solar Energy Resources Institute said Pakistan and China had bright prospects to cooperate under the Memorandums of Understanding signed by the two countries last year in the field of renewable energy.
Safer buildings
The US and Japanese governments have offered technical and financial assistance in constructing safer buildings in the earthquake-hit areas. The offer was made by the Japanese and US ambassadors to Pakistan in their separate meetings with Tariq Aziz, the National Security Council secretary.
Ryan C. Crocker, the US ambassador to Pakistan, expressed his country’s willingness to help Pakistan in building quake-resistant public buildings such as schools, colleges and hospitals. He claimed that various American companies would construct buildings that would be able to sustain earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 and less.
Later, Aziz met the Japanese ambassador to Pakistan who also offered his country’s cooperation in rebuilding the government and public infrastructure in the areas devastated by the Oct 8 quake.
The United Arab Emirates has also assured Pakistan of help in the reconstruction of schools and hospitals in the quake-hit areas. Similar assurances have been given by Germany, Britain and Canada.
‘Vitaminized rice’
The Pakistan Rice Syndicate (PRS) has urged the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to transfer the technology of producing ‘vitaminized rice’ to rice processors who are willing to donate substantial quantities of it to the victims of the recent earthquake.
In a press release, Zulfikar Thaver of the PRS last week said that he was shown samples of vitaminized rice during his visit to the PCSIR laboratories not long ago. “It’s time that the technology of producing this kind of rice is transferred to the rice producers, who would donate it to the quake victims,” he said.
He was of the opinion that ‘vitamized rice’ would not need additives, thus making it suitable for earthquake victims. “It simply would require some cooking and in itself would serve as a complete meal.”
Many rice processors and exporters were willing to donate substantial amounts of rice for this purpose.
Citrus fruit
Improvements in the quality of the locally produced citrus fruit can help increase the amount of the produce that is exported every year, enabling the country to substantially increase its earnings.
This was stated by Dr Mohammad Afzal of the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, while addressing a seminar on “Issues in citrus export in the Punjab”. Highlighting the problems in exporting citrus fruit, Dr Afzal spoke at length about the need to produce seedless ‘kinno’ as this fruit could capture the European markets.
Partnership
Cisco Systems has accredited Arwen Tech as its only ‘silver certified partner’ in Pakistan. This announcement was made by the company’s top executives at a press conference held recently in Karachi.
The certification recognizes that Arwen Tech has passed stringent technical support and system integration requirements and is now certified to resell Cisco products in the Middle Eastern region.
Arwen Tech has been rewarded for having some of the industry’s best trained network technicians who are capable of achieving and demonstrating a high level of expertise in planning, designing, implementing and supporting Cisco network solutions, according to a press release. — Sci-tech World report
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