Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World - Christopher Columbus

BENEFITS OF PLANTING TREES
Most often we plant trees to provide shade and beautify our landscapes. These are great benefits but trees also provide other less obvious benefits. Trees make life nicer. It has been shown that spending time among trees and green spaces reduces the amount of stress that we carry around with us in our daily lives. Hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees. Children have been shown to retain more of the information taught in schools if they spend some of their time outdoors in green spaces. Trees are often planted as living memorials or reminders of loved ones or to commemorate significant events in our lives. Even though you may own the trees on your property your neighbors may benefit from them as well. Through careful planning trees can be an asset to your entire community. Tree lined streets have a traffic calming effect, traffic moves more slowly and safely. Trees can be placed to screen unwanted views or noise from busy highways. Trees can complement the architecture or design of buildings or entire neighborhoods. Trees reduce the urban heat island effect through evaporative cooling and reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches parking lots and buildings. This is especially true in areas with large impervious surfaces, such as parking lots of stores and industrial complexes. Trees improve our air quality by filtering harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide from the air we breathe. Well placed trees can reduce your cooling costs in the summer by shading the south and west sides of your home. If deciduous trees are used, they will allow the sun to pass through and warm your home in the winter. So we should think about planting trees in our neighborhood to get its maximum advantages.
Yumna Khalid,
Islamabad

POLITICAL INSTABILITY LEADS TO ECONOMIC CRISIS IN PAKISTAN
Pakistan is in the grip of a multifaceted crisis. Its economy is on the verge of collapsing due to a potential political crisis, a plummeting rupee and decades-high inflation, devastating floods, and a significant energy shortage. Pakistan is experiencing a severe economic crisis and clearly requires external assistance. Foreign exchange reserves are dangerously low, covering only a few weeks' worth of imports. Inflation is at its highest in decades, growth is slowing, and the central bank has raised interest rates dramatically in response to a weak currency. Food and fuel prices are causing real hardship for ordinary people, and the country's economic problems have been exacerbated by the floods. Pakistan's economic crisis has many causes. Weak governance and political instability have been significant factors, undermining investor confidence and contributing to corruption and pork-barrel politics that have harmed the country's fiscal position. Pakistan is also heavily reliant on imports, particularly energy, making it extremely vulnerable to increases in global oil and gas prices. The pandemic did not help, and Pakistan's strained relations with India continue to deprive it of a potentially transformative trading and investment partner. Government needs to take urgent steps to resolve the issue. To get out of the crisis, Pakistan will need more than $9 billion. However, much of the funding should come from private sources. The value of IMF funds is to act as a stopgap, restoring confidence and encouraging private flows to resume.
Umme Hania,
Karachi