This month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had an opportunity to end one of its most reviled policies and lift billions of dollars of debt off the backs of crisis-stricken developing countries. It chose not to. The IMF’s ostensible mission is to promote financial stability by providing loans to countries facing economic challenges or crises. […]

Why don't the rich pay their fair share in taxes?

According to an analysis by the Urban Institute, between 2010 and 2015, more than 19 million non-elderly people gained health insurance under the  Affordable Care Act. The top 10 states that ranked the highest based on percent of total population insured through the A.C.A. are Nevada (1), California (2), Oregon (3), Kentucky (4), New Mexico (5), West Virginia (6), Florida (7), Arkansas (8), Colorado (9), and Washington (10).

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will closely monitor the tax compliance of online marketplaces and online sellers during the holiday season, Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. has said. In a statement Wednesday, Lumagui warned that online businesses violating tax laws would be blocked. Section 115 of the National Internal Revenue Code, as […]...

Keep on reading: BIR to monitor online sellers' tax compliance during holiday season

DENPASAR — Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 kilometres (32,808 feet) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Thailand is targeting economic growth of 3.5% in 2025 after 2.7% growth seen this year, and the government will soon consider more stimulus measures and the rollout of phase two of its US$14 billion handout scheme, the finance minister said on Wednesday.

Slackliners set world record, balancing at 2,500 metres high between hot air balloons

King Charles leads Remembrance Sunday ceremony

Aliyev criticises Western nations' stance on fossil fuels at COP29 opening speech

If God is still speaking to us today—even if only through mental impressions and still, small voices—shouldn’t we consider those messages to as relevant as anything written in Scripture, if not more so? That very issue was hotly debated during the Great Awakening. It was one area where Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield did not (in the beginning) see eye to eye.

“In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33, NKJV). Those words from our Lord are almost a truism—something so obvious it need not be stated. We are all intimately acquainted with the troubles of this life. On a personal level, we physically decay with each passing moment, even if we’re healthy (2 Corinthians 4:16). On a societal level, we see the effects of sinful decisions all around us. John MacArthur observes, “We are watching our country [America] freefall into godless darkness, sexual perversion, gender insanity, crime of all kinds, the breakdown of law and order, family destruction, and above all, the constant flood of lies and efforts to silence the truth.” In light of this individual and institutional decay, even Christians may be tempted to despair.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 during the Fourth World Conference on Women, remains a cornerstone in the global pursuit of gender equality and women’s empowerment. With the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on the progress made and the challenges that […]

The party has vowed to regain the support it lost to former president Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe party in the May election

Princess Kate has found a trusted mentor in the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, 59, as she adjusts to her new role as Princess of Wales. Royal biographer Claudia Joseph revealed that Kate "jumped at the chance" to be mentored by Sophie, describing her as a "tower of strength" and a reliable...

Kathy Bates on not having reconstruction surgery after double mastectomy Kathy Bates revealed why she didn’t go for a reconstruction surgery after her double mastectomy and breast cancer diagnosis.In 2012, at age 64, the American Horror Story alum was diagnosed with breast cancer and...

Megan Fox's current beau Machine Gun Kelly is in “no relationship” with the actress’ ex-husband Brian Austin Green, as the couple expect their first baby together.According to TMZ, MGK and Green have had little to no contact over the past two years, with sources saying that the...

Queen Camilla issues statement after cancelling another event amid recoveryQueen Camilla returned to her public duties on Tuesday after doctor’s instructed her to cancel scheduled events due to her health condition.A week after Palace issued a statement about her “seasonal chest...

Climate finance will come under intense scrutiny during COP29, and its distribution aligned with scientific analysis of the impacts of climate change, but the methodology ignores the inequality in research networks of the Global South.

The curtains fell on the 16th Conference of the Parties of UN Biodiversity (COP16) on Sunday without any formal closing. In a voice message, David Ainsworth, the Communications Director of the UNCBD, confirmed that the COP was suspended due to a lack of quorum in the plenary and would be resumed sometime later. However, before […]

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2024 Adaptation Gap Report has warned that adaptation actions are not keeping pace with the surging demands of a warming planet. Released ahead of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, the report—titled Come Hell and High Water—projected a bleak future where vulnerable communities bear the brunt of climate-induced hardships.  […]

A male fourth-year business administration student of PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College stressed that the delay [of allowances] could affect students’ academic performance, especially those who do not have parents to rely on like him.

Remarks by Masatsugu Asakawa, President, Asian Development Bank, at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Independent Accountability Mechanisms of Multilateral Banks and International Financial Institutions, 1 October 2024, ADB headquarters, Manila, Philippines

Decision makers need to analyze, exchange, and disseminate statistical information effectively in today’s data-driven world. See how Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) standards are helping create robust data links across the globe.

The Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific, or IF-CAP, is a multi-donor financing partnership facility with the goal of scaling-up finance for accelerated action against climate change in Asia and the Pacific.

Bamboo value chain can be developed and scaled up to support climate action, create green jobs, resilient businesses, and financial health, especially for the region's rural communities.

Remarks by Masatsugu Asakawa, President, Asian Development Bank, at the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific Kick-Off Event, 12 November 2024

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Experts Pool: Senior Disaster and Climate Risk Financing Specialist in the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department. The deadline for submitting applications is on 11 January 2022.

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Senior Compliance Review Officer in the Office of the Compliance Review Panel. The deadline for submitting applications is on 21-NOV-2024.

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Associate IT Officer (Technology Operations Governance and Service Management) in the Information Technology Department . The deadline for submitting applications is on 19-NOV-2024.

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Senior Financial Control Assistant in the Controller's Department. The deadline for submitting applications is on 21-NOV-2024.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided loans to financial intermediaries to support projects “whose individual financing requirements are not large enough to warrant the direct supervision of ADB.”

Public financial management systems in Asia and the Pacific face significant challenges, with many indicators falling short of international standards. Fixing these issues requires a strategic, transparent, and carefully timed approach to reform.

Public financial management systems in Asia and the Pacific face significant challenges, with many indicators falling short of international standards. Fixing these issues requires a strategic, transparent, and carefully timed approach to reform.

To support e-commerce, public-private collaboration must prioritize closing the digital divide, supporting small businesses, and promoting environmental sustainability. Strengthening data governance, competition, and tax frameworks are also key to resilient and equitable e-commerce.

As a landlocked country, Uzbekistan’s roads carried 1.24 billion tons, or 90.6% of all freight, in 2020 (rail 5.2%, pipelines 4.2%).

Climate change financing is a key part of green finance, essential for driving investment towards climate action and achieving the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) carbon peaking and neutrality goals.

Climate change poses an increasing threat to people and their livelihoods. Record heat waves, catastrophic floods, prolonged droughts, and other extreme weather events in Asia and the Pacific are becoming more frequent.

Building intellectual capacity and fostering learning partnerships enhance long-term capabilities in organizations and communities. Localized solutions rooted in indigenous knowledge and governance reforms empower societies to achieve resilient, sustainable development.

Asia and the Pacific is central to global climate change efforts, but robust capital markets are needed to mobilize private climate finance. Sustainable finance frameworks, transition finance, and carbon markets can build deeper markets that empower climate action.

Georgiev looks like a different goaltender in early November than he did last month.

Philippine institutions and governance structures must be strengthened as part of any effort to reform the country's financial supervisory structure.

Different governance dimensions in Bangladesh are significantly and positively related to its economic development, however, the quality of governance has remained low.

This paper discusses several selected topics concerning governance in Indonesia, September 2005.

This paper examines enterprise performance in the North-East region of the People's Republic of China.

This paper is part of a cross-country study on corporate governance in Asia. A consensus has yet to be reached about exactly what factors were behind the crisis of 1998 and how these factors interacted in bringing about the crisis.

Research on ICT and capacity building for poverty reduction, focusing on lessons learned from a distant learning course in microfinance.

This paper examines the role of finance in development in the light of the experience of Township and Village Enterprises in the People's Republic of China.

BEYOND rhetoric, unity is rare within the Muslim world. Yet it was reassuring to see Muslim states speak with one voice at the extraordinary OIC-Arab League summit in Riyadh on Monday, specifically concerning the genocidal wars that Israel has unleashed in Palestine and Lebanon.

Although it would have been better if the Muslim bloc had announced practical measures to punish Israel and its supporters for their murder of tens of thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, in the current circumstances, even coming together on one platform to denounce the genocidal violence is an achievement. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman vowed to stand by “our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon”, while warning Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty.

In view of the acrimony that has often marked ties between the kingdom and the Islamic republic, this show of solidarity is creditable. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sought an arms embargo against Israel; indeed, such an embargo, as well as Muslim states’ freezing of economic and diplomatic ties with Israel, should have happened as soon as Tel Aviv began its butchery in Gaza. The summit also reiterated the need for Israel to vacate all occupied Arab land, including the held Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights.

As the Muslim-Arab bloc was pledging solidarity with Palestine in Riyadh, the Israelis were busy pouring cold water over any prospect of a sovereign Palestinian state. The new Israeli foreign minister said that statehood was not a “realistic” position, while Tel Aviv’s extremist finance minister has asserted that plans are ready to annex the occupied West Bank. This is a clear message that the Israelis are not ready for peace and Tel Aviv’s bloodthirsty, expansionist policies will continue.

Moreover, Donald Trump is assembling a mortifying line-up of pro-Israel, anti-Iran hawks to head positions in the UN and the State Department. It is safe to say that peace-making will not be a priority, unless this ‘peace’ entails total capitulation of the Arab side.

Exactly 50 years ago, Yasser Arafat told the world while speaking at the UN that he held forth an olive branch as well as a freedom fighter’s gun. “Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand,” Arafat warned. Sadly, in their arrogance, the Israelis have effectively cut off the hand holding the olive branch, which has left the Palestinians clasping only a gun.

What occurred on Oct 7, 2023, was the result of the Israelis repeatedly dismissing the olive branch. Today, Gaza is a massive graveyard, Lebanon is on fire and the entire Middle East is on the brink of a conflagration. The only solution is for Israel to stop its slaughter, and recognise the reality that Palestine cannot be erased.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024