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The Wire
a day ago
- Business
- The Wire
India Slips to Rank 71 on World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index
From a rank of 63 in 2024, India has now slipped to rank 71 on the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Energy Transition Index (ETI), which ranks countries on their progress towards energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. However, the report that compared the annual progress of 118 countries also noted that India had advanced in energy efficiency and investment capacity. The ETI is a tool developed by the WEF, an international non-profit for public-private cooperation set up in 1971, to quantify the yearly progress of nations in energy transition – the move from high carbon-emitting fuels such as coal to what are generally considered cleaner and renewable fuels such as solar power. The Forum takes into account two main aspects to put together the Index. One is 'system performance', which includes three factors – energy security (the presence of a stable and resilient energy supply through developing a diversity of energy sources as well as grid and power supply reliability), equity (wherein there is access to energy for all, including consumers and industries) and sustainability (promoting energy sources that have lower impacts on the environment such as lower carbon footprints). The second is 'transition readiness', which includes regulation (legal structures that facilitate energy transition), infrastructure, education, innovation and investment capacities. The Index used 43 indicators under these broad categories using data from multiple sources and organisations, and scored countries on a scale of 0 to 100. In 2025, 77 out of 118 countries (65%) recorded an increase in their overall ETI scores, with an average gain of 1.1% that signals 'a broad, though uneven, recovery in transition momentum', the Index report published on Wednesday (June 18) said. Overall, advanced economies dominated the ETI rankings, accounting for 16 of the index's top 20 performers. The top four are all Nordic countries: Sweden, followed by Finland, Denmark and Norway. Sweden, ranked first in the Index, scored 77.5, and had a system performance score of 77 and a transition readiness score of 78.1. How India fared At rank 71, India scored 53.3 on the Index. India's system performance score was 60.4 and transition readiness score 42.7. Major economies 'showed selective gains with potential to lead', the Index report noted. China topped the 'Emerging Asia' category which India is also part of, with a 2.2% year-on-year ETI score gain and the fifth-highest transition readiness score globally, which per the report, was 'driven by strong innovation ecosystems and financial capacity'. The report noted that in the 2025 Index, India advanced in 'energy intensity, methane emissions and regulations and financial investments'. It also claimed that over the past decade, India had made 'significant strides in increasing equity through greater access to energy and clean fuels, while also improving energy regulations and investment in renewable and other clean-energy technologies'. However, it does not provide details on how India did this. Among the challenges that India faces are a consistent improvement in grid reliability, energy access for rural areas and further reducing dependence on imported energy. 'Further investment in infrastructure, renewables, labour force development and financing conditions could help boost the country's energy transition,' the report noted. Overall, the report noted that one of the main challenges that several nations in Asia still face is their huge reliance on fossil fuels. 'While the ETI top ten continue to offer strong examples of long-term leadership, it is the top five largest economies – China, the US, the EU, Japan and India – that will ultimately determine the pace and direction of the global energy transition due to their sheer size,' the report said. The report also underlined that several 'disruptions' – geopolitical, economic and technological – exposed vulnerabilities in global energy systems, thus 'heightening the urgency of securing more resilient, adaptive energy strategies'. These included geopolitical tensions that have intensified, including in the Middle East and Africa. Top among the global risk factors affecting energy transition are armed state conflicts, followed by extreme weather events and geoeconomic confrontation (such as the use of sanctions, tariffs and investment screening).
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
13 Press Releases You Need to See This Week
Including Warner Bros. Discovery's plans to split into two companies, a pride vinyl collection from Urban Outfitters and the launch of SmartLess Mobile. NEW YORK, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed. The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download. Warner Bros. Discovery to Separate into Two Leading Media CompaniesThe Streaming & Studios company will consist of Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as well as their legendary film and television libraries. Global Networks will include premier entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., Discovery and Discovery+. Forbes Travel Guide Unveils 2025 Hotel Star Bars ListStar Bars were selected using data from FTG's 2024 and 2025 Star Ratings, with inspectors visiting incognito to assess service, ambiance and beverage quality across more than 1,500 hotels worldwide. The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) Fell in May"The ETI in May continued to slow relative to the start of 2025," said Mitchell Barnes, Economist at The Conference Board. "But despite general tariff wariness, the ETI is currently above the 2017-19 average, suggesting that the labor market broadly remains on solid footing." Two Icons Unite: Post Malone Announces Global Partnership with the Legendary Food & Drinkware Brand, Stanley 1913Post's affinity for the brand's timeless Originals line is evident in the inclusion of a premium Lunch Box and Classic Bottle set, marking a first-time collaboration for these iconic products. Honeywell Completes Acquisition of Sundyne to Expand Process Industry CapabilitiesThe acquisition of Sundyne—a leader in the design, manufacturing, and aftermarket support of highly-engineered pumps and gas compressors for process industries—is expected to be immediately accretive to Honeywell's sales growth and segment margins as well as to adjusted EPS in the first full year of ownership. Wilson Sporting Goods and Caitlin Clark Unveil Year Two Signature Basketball CollectionThe latest collection was developed by a team of women product designers at Wilson who collaborated closely with Caitlin throughout the process. They gathered key insights to create unique designs, highlighting the elements that keep Caitlin motivated and centered. U.S. News Acquires Sups AI to Supercharge College Admissions with AISups was created to provide resources for students who want feedback in their college-essay-writing process. Sups doesn't write essays for students — it acts as an advisor, brainstorming ideas, helping students research college-specific offerings and leaving thoughtful comments in Sups' custom-built document editor. Urban Outfitters Unveils First-Ever Pride Vinyl CollectionCreated to honor the deep connection between music, identity, and culture, the 18-title lineup features legendary releases from RuPaul, Kesha, Britney Spears, and a new drop from Frankie Grande. Bold, expressive, and unapologetically fun, the collection channels both high-energy beats and nostalgic anthems. SmartLess Mobile Wants You To Stop Overpaying - And They're Not Exactly Subtle About ItJason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, the minds (and mouths) behind the wildly popular SmartLess podcast - are taking on a new role: mobile entrepreneurs. With the launch of SmartLess Mobile, the trio is serving up a new kind of wireless service: direct-to-consumer, data-sane, and refreshingly BS-free. 2025 Hotel Price Index Reveals the Best Value Stays, 4-Star Sweet Spots, and Where Prices are FallingThe new report analyzes hotel pricing trends, finding international 5-star hotels are 27% cheaper than U.S. stays with luxe options under $200 in Hanoi, Pattaya and Auckland. Drink Up, Collect 'Em All - Whataburger Releases Limited-Edition Commemorative CupsStarting Tuesday, June 10, Guests can collect a rotating lineup of designs from four different collections that will launch throughout the rest of the year. Expect iconic Whataburger themes, some festive fun for Halloween and Christmas, plus something a little extra special for National Whataburger Day. OnePay and Synchrony to Launch New Industry-Leading Credit Card Program With Walmart; Credit Card to Be Powered by Mastercard and Set to Go Live This FallAs part of the program, OnePay and Synchrony will introduce both a general-purpose card, which will serve as the program's signature card and be available to use anywhere Mastercard is accepted, and a private label card, which will be exclusively for Walmart purchases. BOXABL Announces Intent to Merge with a SPAC, Targeting Nasdaq ListingThe Proposed Transaction represents a significant step forward in BOXABL's mission to revolutionize affordable, sustainable housing. BOXABL currently has over 50,000 investors, representing an aggregate investment of over $200 million, who have shown support for BOXABL's mission and vision. Read more of the latest releases from PR Newswire. Do you have a press release to distribute? Sign up with PR Newswire to share your story with the audiences who matter most. Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists. Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features: Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger's next story. Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles. Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more. About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the industry's leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world. 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The Citizen
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Looming tax deadline and glitches cause frustration
Additional measures were implemented to help taxpayers stay compliant – and if not for the 'procrastinators' the problem 'could have been fixed' by now. The chances of an extension to Friday's deadline are slim. Picture: AdobeStock In the run-up to this year's filing season, employers are battling to meet the deadline for submission of their annual employer reconciliation declarations to the South African Revenue Service (Sars). The deadline is Friday. Employers experienced glitches after Sars released an updated version of e@syFile, the software used to reconcile and validate the payroll data and electronic employee tax certificates submitted to Sars. Employers submit monthly declarations, and the annual declaration (EMP501) reflects all the payments made in terms of employee pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contributions, and employee tax incentive (ETI) and skills development (SDL) levies. ALSO READ: 'Sars needs to play catch up,' says Kieswetter as tax collector goes digital System issues The system error forced Sars to make additional channels and measures available to enable employers to submit their information on time, says Ettiene Retief, independent tax specialist. The new version created 'unexpected' issues where employers were unable to submit their EMP501 returns. Following complaints from several recognised controlling bodies that represent tax practitioners, Sars acknowledged the problems. It gave employers access to the older version when they could not solve their issues with the new version, and addressed issues through a dedicated email support channel. Retief says the newer version might have been incompatible with specific anti-virus programmes used by employers or tax practitioners. System updates by employer payroll systems may also have caused the incompatibility with e@syFile. 'There are also procrastinators. We have had two months to deal with issues – if people started engaging earlier, the problem could have been fixed already,' he adds. ALSO READ: Sars beats expectations by collecting R1.855 trillion in 2024/25 tax year The go-between The Sars e@syFile software plays 'middleman' in the validation and reconciliation of the employer's payroll system and the validation of the electronic IRP5 tax certificate that is submitted to Sars. This enables Sars to pre-populate the tax returns of almost four million individual taxpayers, and those with more complicated tax affairs can submit their tax returns with correct tax information. According to Sars, the three elements that must reconcile for employer submissions include: Monthly employer declarations submitted (PAYE, SDL, UIF and ETI); Payments made (excluding penalty and interest payments); and IRP5/IT3(a)s generated. The chances of an extension of Friday's deadline are slim. Sars only has a month to process the information and start pre-populating tax returns for the start of the July filing season. 'If one deadline moves, it moves everything and that causes its own complications,' says Retief. Another system glitch that frustrated taxpayers and practitioners last month was the inability to upload documentation relating to value-added tax (Vat) returns. 'As far as I am aware the issues were addressed.' ALSO READ: Sars records increase in taxpayers who filed returns Refund delays André Daniels, head of tax controversy and dispute resolution at Tax Consulting SA, says taxpayers and tax practitioners alike are reporting a surge in delayed refunds. Sars is citing 'pending verifications or audits' – but only after a manual status check is performed. 'This is not a procedural glitch – this is a systemic failure with serious financial implications,' Daniels said in a recent statement. In many cases Sars has requested further verification documentation without issuing any formal notification through eFiling or via email. 'Making matters worse, there is often no link available to upload the required documents because no verification or audit letter was ever generated.' Daniels says even if the link is provided and documentation uploaded, additional assessments are subsequently issued, stating that the 'burden of proof' was not discharged. His advice to taxpayers is to act proactively and to confirm whether any verifications or audits have been raised behind the scenes. He also advises taxpayers to use the dispute resolution steps to correct assessments where appropriate. Retief notes that Sars is constantly upgrading, adding and changing its systems and programmes as part of its modernisation and digitalisation drive. It is normal that there will be glitches. Sars is generally alerted to problems and issues through the different representative bodies. 'I know there were issues, but Sars was quick to respond and solve some of it.' This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
Edinburgh Reporter
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Why did the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry take so long?
Lord Hardie who was charged with conducting the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry (ETI) which cost millions and was much delayed, has responded citing operational difficulties with accommodation and internet as the reasons for some of the delay. The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry report was delivered nine years after it was instructed by then First Minister, Alex Salmond at a cost of more than £13 million. His Lordship submitted evidence to the parliamentary Finance and Public Administration Committee on Tuesday. In advance of the committee meeting at Holyrood the retired judge sent a written submission which covered many of the practical issues, saying these were reasons for the delay. He said: 'Following my appointment as chair of ETI, I had to identify suitable premises with the assistance of the Solicitor to the Inquiry, whom I had appointed immediately following my appointment, and other civil servants unconnected with the ETI. This issue is addressed in chapter 2 of my Report. I was offered and accepted the use of premises that were surplus to requirements of Creative Scotland. The rent was paid by the Scottish Government and the office premises had the appearance of a modern office with adequate IT connections. The appearance was deceptive and for almost 6 months staff at ETI struggled with inadequate IT connections which frequently failed. 'The effect on staff morale was significant and there was a considerable waste of time and money during that time. In the Report I refer to the fiasco of Vodafone failing to install a cable on different occasions for different reasons and failing to link the portals to a newly installed cabinet. 'Apart from accommodation it was necessary to appoint a Secretary whose early tasks included staffing the Inquiry office with document coders, an IT manager and others. Many of the staff were agency workers while others were civil servants electing to transfer to ETI. Because of civil service procedures the delay in civil servants, including the Secretary, moving to ETI resulted in delay to the initial progress of the Inquiry. The process of setting up the Inquiry with accommodation, staff and other resources gave the impression of our reinventing the wheel. There was little or no guidance to assist with this stage of the Inquiry. 'My first recommendation of 24 in my Report was that 'Scottish Ministers should undertake a review of public inquiries to determine the most cost-effective method of avoiding delay in the establishment of an inquiry, including consideration of establishing a dedicated unit within the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service [SCTS] and publishing regularly updated guidance for people involved in the establishment and progress of public inquiries.' Net costs Lord Hardie also recommended that in any future inquiries the costs should be reported net – and he gave his reasons why the net cost of £8.7 million was the more representative cost of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry. He said: 'Wherever possible and in the interests of economy regarding public expenditure I used resources that had already been funded by the public purse. These included the cost of accommodation which was vacant and where the Scottish Government was the tenant and had sub-let it to a government department or agency. 'It also included the salaries of permanent civil servants who had transferred to the ETI and whose posts in their former department were not filled. Although these costs were added to the costs of the ETI as an accounting exercise, the public purse did not incur any additional expense. I am aware that not all public inquiries have adopted a similar approach. For example some may use accommodation that is not already available within the Scottish Government's portfolio of leased but vacant property; some may also use more staff recruited from outside the civil service. 'In these examples the costs will be included in the costs of the inquiry and will be additional expenditure incurred by the public purse. As I explained in my video release of the ETI Report, if the expenditure on resources already funded by the public purse was deducted from the cost of ETI, the cost at that time would have reduced from £13.1 million to £8.7 million.' Lord Hardie Chair of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry Professor Sandy Cameron Professor Sandy Cameron, CBE, who is currently Independent Chair of the Children and Young People's Centre for Justice, gave evidence to the committee in person. He was involved in the Jersey care inquiry which was supposed to last six months and cost £6 million – but it took two years and cost £23 million. Asked about the apparently enormous cost of that inquiry he was asked if lawyers are motivated to keep the cost to a minimum. He replied: 'Legal colleagues work very much on the basis of doing what they believe that they need to do, rather than looking at how to contain and manage costs. The expectation is, 'This needs to be done. We will do it and we'll keep going until it's done.' There is a reluctance to look at other ways in which they might have done it and other ways in which they could have contained costs. To some extent, that is about the way in which legal colleagues always practice.' Professor Cameron said in his written submission that he can 'confidently predict that … inquiries will last longer than anticipated and cost more than budgeted for'. He suggested to the committee that there must be another way of conducting inquiries which 'manage the costs more effectively and deliver more rapidly for people'. He explained that the public 'lose interest' when inquiries last for a long time, and for inquiries involving survivors or victims there is 'the issue of how long it feels for them that the inquiry is taking to get to a conclusion'. The cost to the public purse in the last years has been considerable – some £91.9 million on the child abuse inquiry and £34 million on the Scottish Covid Inquiry. Michael Marra MSP who sits on the committee posed the question as to whether it might be possible to set up a judge-led public inquiry unit. Any instructions would then be sent to that unit to set up more quickly and also to keep tabs on finances. But Professor Cameron was not convinced that any such body should be judge led. He said that he thinks there is good reason for looking at an alternative to public inquiries, but explained to Craig Hoy MSP that it is important that there is a degree of independence in reviewing the outcome of any recommendations of any inquiry. Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
ATS 2025: ETI-linked mucus clearance tied to lung function gains in paediatric CF
On 19 May, at the 2025 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital presented compelling evidence that functional improvement in paediatric cystic fibrosis (CF) patients receiving elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) therapy is driven by regional clearance of mucus plugs. Using advanced imaging techniques—ultrashort echo-time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hyperpolarised xenon-129 (¹²⁹Xe) ventilation MRI—the study offered a granular view of structural and functional lung changes, offering insight into why certain patients derive greater clinical benefit from cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy. The prospective study enrolled 30 paediatric CF patients who underwent imaging and spirometry both before and following the initiation of CFTR modulator therapy. A total of 19 patients received ETI while 11 were started on lumacaftor/ivacaftor (LI). Each lung lobe was scored for structural abnormalities, including mucus plugging, bronchiectasis, wall thickening, and opacities. Functional outcomes were assessed via ventilation defect percentage (VDP) and percent predicted FEV₁ (ppFEV₁). ETI-treated patients demonstrated significant clinical and structural improvement across multiple domains. VDP improved by a mean of 6±6% (p<0.001), while ppFEV₁ increased by 9±12% (p=0.01). These changes were tightly correlated with a decrease in mucus scores as observed via UTE MRI. Specifically, ETI patients with a 0.5-point or greater reduction in mucus burden experienced the most substantial functional gains—12±14% increase in FEV₁ and 8±4% reduction in VDP (both p<0.01). Conversely, patients on LI showed no statistically significant improvement in either imaging or functional metrics. Other imaging markers, including consolidation, air trapping, and ground-glass opacities, improved significantly in the ETI group, while bronchiectasis and wall thickening—typically associated with irreversible airway damage—remained unchanged. In one illustrative case, a paediatric patient with the largest improvement in mucus score (−4.5) experienced a 34% rise in FEV₁ and a 14% drop in VDP, underscoring the mechanistic link between mucus clearance and restored pulmonary function. Clinically, these findings support a more nuanced understanding of how ETI therapy improves outcomes, highlighting mucus clearance as a key driver of therapeutic efficacy rather than merely a downstream effect. The use of UTE and ¹²⁹Xe MRI, which offer high-resolution, radiation-free imaging of airway pathology and ventilation, respectively, adds a valuable dimension to conventional spirometry and could play a growing role in stratifying treatment response in both clinical trials and real-world practice. This data reinforces ETI's dominant profile, particularly in the paediatric setting, where long-term structural preservation is critical. The ability to directly correlate mucus plug resolution with improvements in FEV₁ and VDP adds scientific credibility to ETI's clinical value and may inform payer decision-making by providing objective, imaging-based endpoints. With Vertex's ETI franchise continuing to set the standard, these findings raise the bar for emerging competitors in the CFTR modulator space. Future entrants, whether oral, inhaled, or gene-editing-based, will be expected not only to match ETI's functional benefits but to demonstrate similar or superior regional lung clearance and structural remodelling. The integration of advanced imaging into clinical development pipelines may prove critical for differentiation, particularly as value-based care models demand measurable outcomes tied to cost-effectiveness. Key opinion leaders interviewed by GlobalData have emphasised that non-invasive, radiation-free imaging tools such as UTE and Xe MRI will be instrumental in guiding therapy in the next era of CF care. Their use may enhance treatment personalisation and enable more precise forecasting of long-term benefit, critical factors in an increasingly competitive and outcomes-driven market. "ATS 2025: ETI-linked mucus clearance tied to lung function gains in paediatric CF" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
