It is high time to scale up the fiscal relief measures, with a special emphasis on “Basic Income”.

A fire broke out in a cardboard factory in outer Delhi's Bawana today morning, Delhi Fire Service officials said.

Earning calls sure are interesting! Below is an excerpt from the TSMC Q209 call (transcript from seekingalpha). The discussion revolves around the 40nm yield issues and TSMC's ramp to improving the yield. Dr. Liu really hits on a key element of DFM...(read more)

UK Pensions Speedbrief: Age discrimination challenge to judicial pension scheme succeedsThe Employment Tribunal has handed down its

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has ruled that the transitional arrangements in the New Judges Pension Scheme (NJPS) constitute unlawful age discrimination.  In a related case, the EAT has also held that the Employment Tribunal (ET) f...

Cost–sharing for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a subject close to the minds and pockets of all LGPS funds, employers and members. Consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on cost–sharing ...

Hot off the press is a Court of Appeal decision dated 7 April 2009 (South Tyneside MBC v The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Another) which held that former employing authorities are not liable to make good their funding defic...

The Welsh Ministers have recently issued The Welsh Authorities Staff Transfers (Pensions) Direction 2012, under powers contained in Section 101 of the Local Government Act 2003 (the “2012 Direction”).  The 2012 Direction came into f...

? Pension data loss leads to £250,000 fine Lax arrangements with a supplier being used to digitise pension scheme records for a Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) administering authority  lea...

? Fair Deal: the latest developments On 19 November 2012 HM Treasury published its response to the March 2011 consultation on the future of the Fair Deal for Staff Pensions guidance. The Fair D...

? ? ? ?First detail published on employer cost cap and actuarial valuati...

SummaryThe Deputy Pensions Ombudsman has rejected a complaint by an academy against the administering authority of its Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) fund about the funding methodology used to allocate assets to the Academy when it was initi...

Johannesburg - At least 500 000 people took advantage of the inter-province travel window period and returned to Gauteng by Thursday, as the country’s economy began opening, said premier David Makhura. Throughout the seven-day interval that began on May 1, meant for the return of individuals who left the province before the lockdown kicked off on March 26, officials set up various roadblocks on provincial border roads to screen and also test those suspected for having Covid-19. “More than half a million people moved into Gauteng. In those roadblocks,...

In times of need help can come from anywhere, even your favourite restaurant. Seventh Avenue Group runs three Tauranga restaurants - Brooklyn Patio on The Strand, Neighbourhood Kitchen in Cherrywood and Rain Bar in Pāpāmoa....

Denis Goldberg lived his with integrity, and devoted it to fighting racism and inequality.

At least 500 000 people took advantage of the inter-province travel window period and returned to Gauteng by Thursday, said premier David Makhura.

Family of Native American man want answers after fatal confrontation with local law enforcement

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) under its ‘Supply Chain Finance Programme’ has dedicated $200 million to support companies that make and distribute medicines and other items needed to combat coronavirus in the developing member countries of the Bank.

The programme aims to stabilise the supply chain for products such as N95 marks, test kits, gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare providers, ventilators, hygiene items, and other critical goods.

The ADB assistance is targeted at channeling fund to manufacturers, their suppliers, and the distributors of critical goods through post-shipment post-acceptance finance, pre-shipment loans, and distributor financing.

Export bans of key materials have worsened the shortage of face masks in 22 economies, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Poland, China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea, Taipei, Thailand and Ukraine. The export bans are in place in these economies since March 18.

Pakistan among nations that faced shortage of masks due to ban on export

A $800m increase in ADB’s Trade Finance Programme will also be mobilised and along with the increase in capital comes flexibility to support domestic and cross-border trade in times of emergency. The programme is an effective crisis response vehicle because it has strong relationships with many banks, both inside developing Asia and globally, the latter particularly helpful to mobilise co-financing, involving private sector resources to leverage the impact of ADB’s direct support.

An ADB report says that surging demand, partly joined with panic buying, hoarding, and misuse of PPE amid the Covid-19 pandemic, is disrupting global supplies and putting lives at risk. Demand has surged, overwhelming global production capacity.

The dramatic rise in demand for surgical masks, goggles, gloves, and gowns has depleted stockpiles, prompted significant price increases, and led to production backlogs of 4 to 6 months in fulfilling orders.

The most significant challenge is to ensure that critical PPE products are sourced and allocated to frontline health workers and other responders in affected countries, especially those most vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus.

The global market for PPE in the health sector was estimated to be worth $2.5 billion in 2018. Gloves have the highest share of sales revenues at 25 per cent, followed by suits or coveralls at 22pc. Face masks and hats came in third with a share of 14pc.

By region, the United States had the largest market share (33pc), followed by Asia and the Pacific (28pc), and Europe (22pc) in 2018.

The PPE supply chain has not been properly functioning to meet a surge in demand due to the constraints in production and logistics. Prices of PPE products have risen dramatically since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak: a six-fold increase for surgical masks; threefold for respirators; and a doubling in the price of gowns.

Among the major sources of the identified backlogs in the production and distribution of PPE, with a focus on face masks, are transport and shipping constraints caused by roadblocks and quarantine measures, and lower availability of transportation and freight containers, hoarding, profiteering, and limited workforce capacity due to illness, also contribute to the shortage.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

Ministry of Science and Technology's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Dr Renu Swarup says that based on the latest WHO consensus, Covid-19 as a 'lab release' theory is likely to be false.

Ministry of Science and Technology's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) Dr Renu Swarup says that based on the latest WHO consensus, Covid-19 as a 'lab release' theory is likely to be false.

A devastating elbow combination has seen Calvin Kattar beat Jeremy Stephens at UFC249 by a second round TKO.

Calendar Feedback Sunday, May 10, 2020

The acquisition price of $58.36 million works out to 20 times price-to-earnings ratio.

The post StarHub’s Strateq deal offers ‘reasonable’ valuation: DBS appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) returned nearly $200 million to Malaysia in May.

The post Malaysia recovers $323m of 1MDB fraud money, PM’s office says appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The US Department of Justice last year said it had recovered $1 billion in assets associated with the corruption scandal, its largest-ever civil forfeiture.

The post US returns another $300m of recovered 1MDB funds to Malaysia appeared first on DealStreetAsia.

The report takes a comparative look at ADB and OECD experiences, and aims to identify promising policy solutions for creating an SME base that is resilient to crisis, from a viewpoint of access to finance, and which can help drive growth and development.

This seminar investigated how changes made in key policy areas at national, regional and international levels can help generate more and better private investment in Africa’s infrastructure.

Switzerland tops for the first time the OECD fixed broadband ranking, with 39.9 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, followed closely by the Netherlands (39.1) and Denmark (37.9). The OECD average is 25.6, according to new OECD statistics.

This report discusses the main areas in which national strategies to expand broadband networks affect universal service objectives, proposes criteria to rethink the terms of universal service policies, and shares the latest developments across a selected group of OECD countries.

The OECD has adopted a new basket methodology for benchmarking wireless broadband prices. It adds to the existing baskets for voice, leased lines and fixed broadband services and reflects the increasing importance of wireless broadband for laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The actual performance of Internet connections, particularly their speed, is critical to meeting various objectives set out by a range of stakeholders including consumers, policy makers and regulators. This page provides links to network speed tests in OECD countries.

Enhancements to fixed broadband networks remain critical despite the growth in the use of wireless services. This report examines the development of fixed networks, barriers to their upgrading and regulatory challenges.

Although OECD countries have made tremendous progress in recent years fostering the deployment of high-speed broadband networks, many challenges remain in terms of how to enhance and expand these networks in order to meet the growing demands of the digital economy.

This report describes key recent developments based on new and anticipated satellite broadband deployments in extending services to underserved areas in relation to other broadband options. It investigates important policy challenges to be considered in light of such innovation.

Mobile broadband penetration is now over 100% in the OECD area and mobile termination rates down by 42% according according to new data released by the OECD today.

Developed by companies, for companies, with assistance from the OECD, UNODC, and World Bank, this Handbook serves as a useful, practical tool for companies seeking compliance advice in one, easy-to-reference publication. It brings together the major business guidance instruments for companies and illustrates them using real-life, anonymised case studies provided by companies.

3-4 September 2014, Phnom Penh, Cambodia: This conference focused on the key levers for restoring trust in government and building trust by and in the private sector and civil society.

New guidance from the AfDB and the OECD will help African companies of all sizes set up measures to prevent bribery and improve the quality of corporate compliance and anti-bribery policies.

October 5 marks the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s World Teachers' Day, a day devoted to “appreciating, assessing and improving educators of the world”. This gives us a great opportunity to reflect again on how schools can celebrate and develop great teaching. One way to do that is through critical exchanges – building constructive feedback systems within the schools.

Across countries and economies participating in the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), a majority of teachers report receiving feedback on different aspects of their work in their schools.

eChemPortal uses are encouraged to respond to the on-line survey. Your use of the portal, your expectations, information, substance search, property search, structure search, design and layout. Your answers will help us improve eChemPortal - the Global Portal to Information on Chemical Substances, worldwide source of information about chemicals from authorities and international organisations, to meet your needs.

A advertising company from Bogotá, Colombia, created hospital beds with metal railings that designers say can double as a casket if a patient dies.

Sheryl Sandberg, who is Facebook's chief operating officer, has defended herself against claims she is a control freak obsessed with her public image.

The DB7 ushered in a new era for Aston Martin. For years people have been saying DB7s must go up in value - and they haven't - but it may soon happen, says our Cash Cars column.

2. The case of the plaintiff as disclosed from the plaint is that the plaintiff is engaged in the business of providing internet services under licence from Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology. The defendants approached the plaintiff for taking internet services and after negotiations the plaintiff agreed to provide services to a defendant and thereafter the plaintiff and the defendant signed customer application form (CAF) on 04.04.2015. The plaintiff provided the internet services to a defendant No. 1 company on monthly basis and after providing the services, the plaintiff raised bill of Rs.27,54193/­ and out of the said amount the defendants paid a sum of Rs. 22,08,000/­ and the balance sum of Rs. 5,46,193/­ is outstanding and due against the defendants which defendants failed to pay despite demands from the plaintiff.

A fire broke out in a cardboard factory in outer Delhi's Bawana on Sunday morning, Delhi Fire Service officials said. However, no one is trapped or injured in the incident, they said. A call about the blaze was received around 7.25 am, following which 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire fighting operations are underway, the officials said.

The first loan of Rs 322.40 crore from IDBI was issued to Siva’s Finland-based company Win Wind Oy (WWO) in October 2010, which became a non-performing asset three years later.