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Coronavirus: how will Europe’s tourism industry survive the pandemic?

Tourism is a key component in the European economy, accounting for 10 per cent of all activity, but it now faces its greatest challenge – how to survive the coronavirus pandemic?International tourist arrivals could plunge by 60 to 80 per cent in 2020 owing to the coronavirus, the World Tourism Organisation warned on Thursday, meaning the local business is going to be essential.France is the world’s leading destination for holiday travel but President Emmanuel Macron warned earlier this week it…




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Singaporean women are using virtual reality to fight back against sexual harassment

“Wow, your shirt is really see-through. Are you wearing matching underwear?” the man says lewdly.It’s a virtual reality simulation – but it’s enough to shock 23-year-old Elizabeth Lee into silence as the scene plays out on her headset.The VR technology is part of the Girl, Talk project which is aimed at helping women fight back against harassment in Singapore.“I would think that I would respond in a more confrontational way,” Lee admits. “It felt very physically close … it was just really…




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Smoke closes Kobylisy metro station

Prague Daily Monitor

If you were planning on travelling from Kobylisy metro station yesterday morning you may have found yourself disappointed. The station was closed from about 8:30 to 10:00. The western entrance, going towards Kobyliské náměstí will stay closed until Tuesday morning.

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Insuring more smallholder farmers will boost food security

Agricultural insurance has the potential to add immense value to agriculture value chains by facilitating access to means of production and changing behaviour by reducing uncertainty.




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Virat Kohli: Cricket's 'magic' up in smoke without live audience

The International Cricket Council has said it is "exploring all options" for the tournament.




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Coronavirus: with tourism on hold, Hong Kong travel firms eye a new moneymaking sideline – online shopping

While the coronavirus pandemic has forced the city’s tourism sector to a near standstill, agency head Christina Yuen Ho-yee is busier than ever, routinely working 12 hours a day.As the Covid-19 pandemic caused global lockdowns, sales at her firm, EGL Tours, dropped to zero between March and June, down from HK$500 million (US$64.5 million) in the same stretch last year.All of her roughly 600 staff members have been asked to take days of unpaid leave between April and June.But Yuen, the agency’s…




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Biggest ginseng seizure in Hong Kong history nets HK$47 million of traditional medicine from seagoing smugglers

Hong Kong authorities have seized 34 tonnes of American ginseng worth HK$47 million (US$6 million) and arrested seven people in what is by far the biggest-ever bust of its kind in the city.The haul breaks a record set less than three months ago, when more than three tonnes of the traditional Chinese medicine valued at about $HK4.6 million were seized in February.Police and customs officers discovered a “suspicious-looking” fishing boat to the northeast of Hong Kong’s international airport on…




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Journalism is Not a Crime…and Fake News on Social Media is Not Journalism

This year’s World Press Freedom Day on 3 May falls during COVID-19 lockdowns in many of our countries. Restriction on movement means journalists all over the world are facing obstacles in getting interviews and data, and verifying stories before publishing. In addition, the global pandemic has been used by many governments to control not just […]

The post Journalism is Not a Crime…and Fake News on Social Media is Not Journalism appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism in Small Island Developing States

Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Director, Division on International Trade and Commodities, UN Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD)

The post Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism in Small Island Developing States appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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Has COVID-19 Reversed Progress for India’s Small Tea Growers?

As the sun sets over the hills, Prafulla Debbarma, a small tea grower in Dhanbilash village in north eastern India, walks along the labyrinth path of his farm and past a thick blanket of well-grown tea plants. In the fading light, the farmer appears deeply worried. This tea farm, the sole source of his livelihood, […]

The post Has COVID-19 Reversed Progress for India’s Small Tea Growers? appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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News24.co.ke | Two UN officials clash due to smelly socks at JKIA

Two United Nations employees on Friday were apprehended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for fighting over smelly shoes.




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Gangnam smile: North Korean defector wins South Korea's swankiest seat

Thae Yong-ho was Pyongyang's deputy ambassador to the UK where he had managed secret funds for leader Kim Jong-un until he fled to the South in 2016.




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Drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury released from Colombian prison

The Australian woman has been released from prison in Bogota, Colombia, as the nation responds to the coronavirus pandemic.




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Pandemic gives Arthur Sinodinos 'baptism of fire' as US ambassador

Our man in Washington is making new friends at a safe distance.




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EU plots to restart travel and tourism despite Covid

EU states should guarantee vouchers for travel cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic and start lifting internal border restrictions in a bid to salvage some of the summer tourism season, the bloc’s executive will say next week. Tourism, that normally contributes almost a tenth of the European Union’s economic output, is...

The post EU plots to restart travel and tourism despite Covid appeared first on Cyprus Mail.




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When Karisma Kapoor got rejected by grandfather Raj Kapoor for a film

Karisma was rejected by her own grandfather Raj Kapoor for his film 'Henna'




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Zoa Morani urges all Covid-19 recovered people to donate blood for plasma therapy trials

Zoa took to Instagram and shared photos from the hospital while donating the blood.




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Coronavirus and smoking: What does the World Health Organization say?

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Viral plea for smartphone from Romanian girl who wants to keep learning in lockdown

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Are the COVID-19 lockdowns sparking a rise in eco-fascism? | Culture Clash

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China smog returns after pandemic cleared the air

BEIJING: The coronavirus pandemic had cleared smog from China’s skies for months, but air pollution has returned with a vengeance as factories rush to ramp up output after going idle during the outbreak.Levels of toxic pollutants including nitrogen dioxide and tiny particles known as PM2.5...




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France seizes 440,000 face masks as it breaks up medical smuggling networks

French police have dismantled smuggling networks trying to take advantage of a rush to buy medical supplies including face masks to tackle the coronavirus epidemic, the interior minister said Friday.




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Venezuela charges two Americans with 'terrorism, conspiracy'

Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with "terrorism" and "conspiracy" for allegedly taking part in a failed invasion bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said Friday.




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Senior PM Office member approaches Ombudsman against D-12 plot allotments to a selected few

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner.The...




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SBP's Refinance Scheme for Small Businesses fails to take off

ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan’s Refinance Scheme for Small Businesses has so far failed to take off due to multiple reasons as the commercial banks are not designed and fully equipped to provide credit line to Small and Medium Enterprises .“The SBP’s Refinance Scheme for...




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SBP's Refinance Scheme for Small Businesses fails to take off

ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan’s Refinance Scheme for Small Businesses has so far failed to take off due to multiple reasons as the commercial banks are not designed and fully equipped to provide credit line to Small and Medium Enterprises .“The SBP’s Refinance Scheme for...




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Senior PM Office member approaches Ombudsman against D-12 plot allotments to a selected few

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner.The...




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Senior PM Office member approaches Ombudsman against D-12 plot allotments to a selected few

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner. The...




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State Bank's Refinance Scheme for small businesses fails to take off

ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan’s Refinance Scheme for Small Businesses has so far failed to take off due to multiple reasons as the commercial banks are not designed and fully equipped to provide credit line to Small and Medium Enterprises .“The SBP’s RefinanceScheme for...




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Get smart to avoid a global water crisis -- by Stephane Y. Bessadi

Technology is a critical aspect of improving the availability and accessibility of clean water around the world.




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We need to get 'climate-smart' to enhance food security in Asia -- by Akmal Siddiq, Md. Abul Basher

Climate-smart and resource-saving farming technologies could be one way to address hunger in Asia.




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For rural water systems, small and simple is a "pipe dream" -- by Neeta Pokhrel

The idea that rural water schemes are only sustainable if small, simple and locally managed is a bias that must be overcome to get more clean water to the people who need it.




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Here are three ways to help small countries get the energy they need -- by Yoji Morishita

Complex, carefully managed financing structures can provide the funding needed for island states and others seeking to develop energy projects.




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Three ways to enhance student assessments -- by Sungsup Ra, Unika Shrestha

Developing a holistic national student assessment system can be a colossal undertaking but strategic measures can produce results.




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Small business solutions for pandemic challenges -- by Lotte Schou-Zibell

Crafting small business support efforts to specific country circumstances could help save millions of livelihoods in poor communities and fortify economies against future shocks.




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Wall Street Higher on Investor Optimism

U.S. stocks closed higher Thursday as investors appeared more optimistic about an economic recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index were all up 1 percent.  For the tech-heavy Nasdaq, Thursday's close put it back in positive territory for the first time ...




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Microchip Smart Storage Adapters Now Interoperate Seamlessly with MegaRAC® SP-X Management Firmware from AMI for At-Scale Secure Storage Management

Microchip Smart Storage Adapters Now Interoperate Seamlessly with MegaRAC® SP-X Management Firmware from AMI for At-Scale Secure Storage Management




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PM’s plan for 100 smart cities: Government set to ease norms for FDI in construction

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government is set to substantially ease norms for foreign investment in the construction sector, hoping to drum up interest in the prime minister’s plans for 100 smart cities as well his affordable housing initiative. The government is seriously considering the removal of all restrictions on size and minimum capitalisation for the smart cities as well as affordable housing projects. “The discussions are on for exempting smart cities from all FDI conditionalities. We need to give them a push by making it attractive for investors,” said a government official. The new policy is also expected to provide easier exit windows.The proposal could be moved for the […]



  • Delhi
  • Real Estate India

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Fiji general cites need to ‘stifle criticism’ in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic

"The COVID-19 pandemic is not an excuse for human rights violations. Excessive force and brutality are unacceptable from any of our enforcement or security forces."




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Trump: COVID-19 task force not dismantling, just refocusing

One day after saying that the White House COVID-19 task force would be winding down, President Donald Trump said Wednesday it would continue indefinitely but focus more on rebooting the economy.




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India: Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Project

The project aimed to improve access of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to commercial financing and market opportunities, thereby fostering growth, competitiveness, and employment creation in India. There were three targeted outputs. First was enhance credit delivery through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and participating financial institutions in the MSME subsector. Second was increased SME productive and managerial capacity and related new jobs created for new markets.




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Institutional and Governance Dimensions of Flood Risk Management: A Flood Footprint and Accountability Mechanism

This working paper proposes flood footprint and accountability to coordinate risk management projects through appropriate spatial planning at river basin scale.




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SST Announces Qualification of Smartbit™ OTP NVM Technology for ON Semiconductor’s 110 nm CMOS Process

SST Announces Qualification of Smartbit™ OTP NVM Technology for ON Semiconductor’s 110 nm CMOS Process




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MCP2221 I2C/SMBus Terminal (v2.0.1)

MCP2221 I2C/SMBus Terminal (v2.0.1)




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Kyrgyz Republic: Partnering with the Private Sector and Helping Small Businesses Grow

The Second Investment Climate Improvement Program has included help for the government in constructing the policy, legal, and financial framework needed to encourage, negotiate, and close agreements for sound PPPs.




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Smart ways to manage your home loan interest burden

Hopes of a minor fall in interest rates, especially on home loans, were dashed last week after the RBI hiked its key rates in its policy review. Home loan borrowers, especially those crushed by a heavy EMI, have been looking at the RBI for some solace for a while now. Generally, borrowers can do very little other than prepaying a part of the loan (if they have surplus cash) to reduce the interest burden or increasing the EMI (if they can afford it) to reduce the tenure and therefore, the overall interest paid. However, some experts believe home loan seekers and existing borrowers looking to switch lenders can consider experimenting […]




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Driving Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Participation in Global Value Chains: Evidence from India

Financial constraints are a significant barrier for India's SMEs participating in global value chains.




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Smart Cities & Connected Communities Roundtable: Cybersecurity

Please join us for our Smart Cities & Connected Communities Think Tank Roundtable on Wednesday, May 19. Clint Vince, Chair of Dentons' US Energy practice and Co-chair of Dentons' Global Energy sector, will moderate this event along with a panel of industry leaders for a discussion on the future of cybersecurity concerns.




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3358-PRC: Qingdao Smart Low-Carbon District Energy Project [Supply of Gas Engines, Boilers, Heat Pumps, and Attachment #1]




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Credit Risk Database for SME Financial Inclusion

The Credit Risk Database contributes to the overall understanding of the small and medium-sized enterprise sector.