It’s eight o’clock in the morning and Pascuala Ninantay is carrying two large containers of water in her wheelbarrow to prepare with neighbouring women farmers 200 litres of organic fertiliser, which will then be distributed to fertilise their crops, in this town in the Andes highlands of Peru. “We grow healthy, nutritious food without chemicals,” […]

The post Coronavirus Hasn´t Slowed Down Ecological Women Farmers in Peru’s Andes Highlands appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The chief executive of Premier League club Watford has said that plans to resume the season at neutral venues are unfair and that there could be enough clubs in opposition to stop the idea. The Premier League’s “Project Restart” envisages a return to play in June, once given the green...

The post Watford chief opposed to Premier League neutral grounds plan appeared first on Cyprus Mail.

Disha Patani left social media users in fits of laughter with her new TikTok video

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PESHAWAR: A number of policemen were censured while a few cops were directed to reimburse the amount they had collected from the Benazir Income Support Programme.Inquiry is being conducted in all the...

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SUKKUR: As many as 10 children drowned in water ponds and canals on Friday. Reports said a 12-year-old boy Sajid, s/o Abdul Majeed Soomro, residing at a village Allah Dino Soomro in Badin district,...

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LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N President and National Assembly opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif has demanded an in-depth investigation into the medicine scandal through a parliamentary...

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ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Multan has sent a questionnaire to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, ex-minister of state Balighur Rehman,...

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Courteney Cox's former husband reveals he recorded behind the scene footage from 'Friends'

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Multan has sent a questionnaire to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, ex-minister of state Balighur Rehman, former MNA Chaudhry Umair Mehmood and former law minister Punjab Rana Sanaullah Khan in the matter...

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N President and National Assembly opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif has demanded an in-depth investigation into the medicine scandal through a parliamentary committee.“Coming on the heels of sugar, wheat and IPPs scandals, the latest drug scandal indicates how...

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Multan has sent a questionnaire to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, ex-minister of state Balighur Rehman, former MNA Chaudhry Umair Mehmood and former law minister Punjab Rana Sanaullah Khan in the matter...

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N President and National Assembly opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif has demanded an in-depth investigation into the medicine scandal through a parliamentary committee.“Coming on the heels of sugar, wheat and IPPs scandals, the latest drug scandal indicates how...

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N President and National Assembly opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif has demanded an in-depth investigation into the medicine scandal through a parliamentary committee. Sugar, wheat and IPPs scandals, the latest drug scandal indicates how powerful mafias within the...

The Trump administration is defending its decision not to release a detailed coronavirus reopening plan for the U.S., maintaining they would have been too narrowly-focused for the country's 50 states.The administration's defense comes in response to an Associated Press report that it shelved a repor...

Actress Choi Ji-woo posted a handwritten letter with a photo of herself showing her "baby bump" on her fan site on Thursday. "I now have 15 days left before my baby's due date. I took a selfie in front of my house. As I got pregnant at a late age and am preparing for delivery amid the coronavirus ep...

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding US$1.3 billion a year to maintain American troops in Korea. That is a whopping 53.3 percent higher than the W1.4 trillion Korea had to pay last year. A senior U.S. official told the Chosun Ilbo on Thursday, "The U.S. faces many difficulties, includ...

Microchip Expands Silicon Carbide (SiC) Family of Power Electronics to Provide System Level Improvements in Efficiency, Size and Reliability

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday allowed subsidised financing for setting up of new plants and expansion of existing units while the maximum amount for a single unit has been set at Rs5 billion to boost economic activities in the manufacturing sector.

The SBP on Friday said it has opened up its subsidised Temporary Economic Relief Facility (TERF) for Balancing, Modernization and Replacement (BMR) and expansion of existing projects.

Under this scheme, the SBP provides refinance to banks for their onward extension of financing at maximum end-user rate of seven per cent for 10 years.

“The maximum financing for a single project under the scheme is Rs5bn. The objective of this facility is to boost economic activity through investments in manufacturing units,” said the SBP.

While allowing the BMR and expansion of existing projects, the SBP has permitted financing for purchase of new-imported and locally-manufactured plant and machinery against foreign letter of credit (LC) and inland LC.

“The funding under the facility cannot be used for procurement of second-hand machinery, land or carrying out civil works,” said the SBP.

According to the circular issued by the central bank, in addition to new projects, existing projects and businesses are being allowed to avail financing under these facilities for BMR and expansion of their projects or businesses.

“This measure has been taken to provide further stimulus to the economy in the context of Covid-19’s impact on the economy, to support investment in the country for modernising or expanding manufacturing and production units, and in response from feedback from stakeholders,” said the SBP.

The central bank said that, it has taken several measures since the outbreak of Covid-19 to safeguard economic activity in the country. On Mar 17, the SBP introduced TERF and its shariah-compliant version to stimulate new investment in the manufacturing sector.

With expansion in scope of the facility, the SBP expects that existing businesses will avail subsidised funding to improve productivity leading to higher economic activity and employment generation.

The banks and development finance institutions will be required to make disbursements to their customers on the basis of certificates of their internal audit confirming that financing is within the terms and conditions laid down in the facilities.

Borrowers will be required to submit a report from the Pakistan Banks Association-approved surveyors with regard to confirmation that the newly-purchased plant and machinery has been installed as per their initial request or proposal for BMR and expansion. In case of installation and fixation in part, this report will be required at first and final installation of the plant and equipment.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2020

ADB today announced the release of a $6 million grant from its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 2) to help finance the Government of the Marshall Islands’ response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

ADB today announced the release of a $3 million grant and a $3 million concessional loan from its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 2) to help finance the Government of Solomon Islands’ response to the COVID-19...

The Highlands Region Road Improvement Investment Program, a multitranche financing facility (MFF), aimed to ensure the maintenance of the Highlands Core Road Network, comprising 2,500 kilometers (km) of major national and provincial roads. The MFF is funded through three tranches. The first tranche (Project 1) had six components. The physical component was improvements to 211 km of national roads. Two components supported the Department of Works (DOW) and the National Roads Authority (NRA) in project implementation.

The project aimed to construct the Fiu River hydropower plant and extend the distribution grid to peri-urban households in the main provincial center of Auki in Solomon Islands. Hydropower generation was to benefit the economy by reducing fossil fuel imports and lowering the cost of power generation. Likewise, it was intended to improve energy security and minimize tariff volatility. The use of renewable energy was also aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This report validates the completion report's assessment of the project. IED overall assessment: Unsuccessful. 

In Viet Nam, long-term investments by a leading horticultural company are yielding development dividends as well as profits.

ADB’s Transport Sector Flood Recovery Project helped reinstate bridge approach roads, culverts, and stream crossings and rebuilt three elevated bridges, reestablishing a seamless east–west road link on Guadalcanal and within Honiara. All works incorporated climate- and disaster-proof design.

Thanks to investment from Australia and ADB, a new clean water plant in Ebeye, in the north-west corner of the Marshall Islands, is changing lives.

A glimpse into how scaling-up investment in Hasfarm Holdings is helping women in Central Highlands, Viet Nam improve their economic status and reach their full potential.

Heritage homes are fast becoming the favourite hunting grounds of luxury brands scouting for premium retailing space in India, where suitable high-end malls are too few and the sales potential at five-star hotels is still uncertain. When designer wear brand Kimaya Fashions searched for a store in Hyderabad, it settled on a 16,000-sq ft bungalow in the upscale Jubilee Hills, in a property with floor area nearly three times the size of its average outlets. French luxury brand Hermes also moved into a Victorian property in Mumbai’s Horniman Circle to retail its popular Birkin bags. “It’s not necessarily out of choice,” says Pradeep Hirani, managing director of Kimaya Fashions, “This […]

BANGALORE: Global private equity funds more than doubled their investment in India’s real estate sector in the quarter to March as they foresee an improvement in economy leading to stable long-term yields, according to a report by brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. PE funds invested Rs 2,800 crore in the country’s commercial and residential real estate during the period, a 145% jump over the year-ago quarter, the report said. “This is the highest quarterly private equity investment since Q2 of 2009 by private equity funds in the realty sector, driven by huge investment in commercial real estate and steady fund raising by developers in the residential asset class,” it said. Sanjay […]

Capitedge India Investment Advisory, a realty fund and asset management firm floated by six former members of Indian realty team of American banking giant Wells Fargo, is coming out with a residential properties-focused fund in India. This would mark its first fresh fundraising exercise after floating an independent investment advisory firm, which is also managing the remaining assets of Wells Fargo after it shut operations in the country last year. While the founding partners are closely associated in operations, Hiral Soni is driving the domestic fundraise and investment strategy, as per the company website. She was previously with Marvel Realtors and had later also set up a boutique investment banking […]

The global financial architecture should focus on providing short-term lending facilities to improve the efficiency of developing projects.

MUMBAI/DELHI: Niche luxury brands like Italian suit maker Kiton and British shoemaker John Lobb have started bespoke made-to-order services in India, but they are in no hurry to open swanky stores in the country. Reason: inability to find a place on the right location at reasonable rates. “Rentals in India are as high as international markets, but the demand is not as much,” said Pratik Dalmia, founder of Mumbai-based Regalia Luxury, which has the rights to market and sell Kiton and John Lobb brands in India. Steep rentals and lack of quality retail real estate at strategic locations near high-income neighbourhoods are making it hard for luxury brands to expand […]

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has finally found a plot for setting up its second solid waste disposal ground. The civic body will use an area covering about 20 acres at Rajarhat New Town to develop a ‘waste-to-energy’ converting system that will be an alternative site to the existing Dhapa ground which has become overburdened. The KMC will soon sign an MoU with the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) for this project. “We will sign a MOU with the KMC authorities. The KMC will develop the project on Action Area III. It will be a compact solid waste disposal ground from where energy generation will be done. The solid […]

On Monday, the government rolled out the promised “package of reforms” to boost the country’s exports. The commerce ministry notified the Amended Rules, 2013, for special economic zones (SEZs) launched with much fanfare over seven years ago. However, real estate developers are not very enthused by the amended policy. The reason, they say, is not just policy, but several other factors that have stifled the growth of a sector, which posted growth of over 121 per cent in exports in 2009-10. As per the amended policy, the minimum land requirement norms have been eased, graded scale for minimum land criteria has been introduced, an exit policy for SEZ units has […]

For its 69th edition, basketball enthusiasts across the country gathered in the Windy City and home of the Chicago Bulls, to celebrate the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) annual All-Star Celebration.     As a proud and longstanding partner of...

CES 2020, LAS VEGAS – JANUARY 6, 2020 – No wires? No problem. JBL continues to elevate its true wireless headphones portfolio by adding two more options to their existing lineup. Whether it’s window shopping on city streets, commuting into the office, or...

Entropy is the physicist’s magic word, invoked to answer to some of the biggest questions in cosmology. Yet a quantum rethink may be needed to tell us what it actually is

Baristas normally aim to grind coffee finely to maximise surface area and extract the most coffee compounds, but a mathematical analysis has found that coarse grounds are better as they reduce clogging

It may not be the biggest in the world, but the Faroe Islands' Betri League will for once be in the spotlight when its season kicks off on Saturday.

Russia marked 75 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on Saturday, but the coronavirus outbreak forced it to scale back celebrations. Olivia Chan reports.

Pale spear-nosed bats can learn to alter their calls to mimic different sounds – a rare skill that could help us understand the biology of human speech and language