mar

Europe, US mark 75 years since end of WWII

BERLIN: Europe and the United States mark 75 years since the end of World War II on Friday in a sombre mood as the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of elaborate ceremonies even as Berlin declares an exceptional holiday for the first time.German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join...




mar

'Every parent's nightmare': Boy's death may have virus link

The death of a 5-year-old New York boy is challenging assumptions that children are less susceptible to COVID-19 complications, Gov.




mar

Pakistanis crowd markets as virus lockdown eased

Pakistanis crowded markets Saturday after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was eased, despite the country declaring its second highest daily infection toll.




mar

Major, five soldiers martyred in Kech IED blast

RAWALPINDI: Six security forces personnel, including one officer, were martyred and another injured as an improvised explosive device hit their reconnaissance vehicle in Buleda near the Pakistan-Iran border, the military's media wing said in a statement released Friday.According to the...




mar

Major, 5 soldiers martyred in Kech IED blast

RAWALPINDI: Six security forces personnel, including one officer, were martyred and another injured as an improvised explosive device hit their reconnaissance vehicle in Buleda near the Pakistan-Iran border, the military's media wing said in a statement released Friday.According to the...




mar

Major, five soldiers martyred in Kech IED blast

RAWALPINDI: Six security forces personnel, including one officer, were martyred and another injured as an improvised explosive device hit their reconnaissance vehicle in Buleda near the Pakistan-Iran border, the military's media wing said in a statement released Friday.According to the...




mar

Pakistan sincerely supports Afghan peace process: General Qamar Javed Bajwa

RAWALPINDI: US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad Friday called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa here on Friday.During the meeting, issues of mutual interest and overall regional security situation, including Afghan reconciliation process, came under...




mar

Officer among six martyred in Balochistan IED blast

RAWALPINDI: An officer and five other soldiers were martyred, while one was injured in an improvised explosive device blast in the Buleda area of Balochistan on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a press release.According to ISPR, security forces conducted routine patrolling In...




mar

Taking ownership: Better data is needed on women’s assets in Asia -- by Kaushal Joshi, Mildred Addawe, Arturo Martinez

Collecting sex-disaggregated data on asset ownership is an important step in achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.




mar

Here’s a surprising way to achieve most of the SDGs -- by Martin Lemoine

There is one sector that contributes up to a third of gross domestic product, and is an important source of foreign currency, in many of Asia’s developing countries. It could be deployed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.




mar

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.




mar

Тогтвортой хөгжлийн зорилтуудыг хангах нэгэн гайхалтай боломж -- by Martin Lemoine

Ази тивийн хөгжиж буй улс орнуудын дотоодын нийт бүтээгдэхүүний гуравны нэг хүртэл хувийг бүрдүүлж, гадаад валютын нөөцийнх нь чухал эх үүсвэр болдог нэгэн салбар бий. Энэ салбарыг Тогтвортой Хөгжлийн Зорилтуудыг хангахад ашиглах бүрэн боломжтой. 




mar

Let’s make it easier for countries to trade -- by Utsav Kumar, Ben Shepherd

The World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement provides a roadmap for developing economies to increase trade while also increasing the benefits it provides to their citizens.




mar

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.




mar

Helping governments improve performance -- by Woochong Um, Marcos Bonturi

Performance assessments help people in Southeast Asia determine how well their government is performing and how they can be improved.




mar

In Indonesia, a new tool is being used to fight child marriage -- by Claudia Buentjen, Kate Walton

Local officials can now find information from all sectors, such as health, education, women’s empowerment, child protection, and human rights and law, to help them address child and teen marriage in their area.




mar

Markets key to Asia’s success -- by Takehiko Nakao

Despite variations across countries on policy mix and timing, a pragmatic focus on sustained growth, poverty reduction, and inclusiveness characterize Asia’s economic rise 




mar

Charting Sri Lanka's aging population -- by Utsav Kumar

These charts illustrate how Sri Lanka’s elderly population is increasing while the number of working-age people to help support them is declining. Forward-thinking policies are needed to address the challenges arising from this imbalance.




mar

A COVID-19 contagion for the world’s stock markets -- by Donghyun Park, Shu Tian

These charts illustrate how Asian and global stock markets reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic, with market reaction closely following local outbreaks and then moving in unison with global markets amid other shocks.




mar

Central Asian countries are moving forward together to beat COVID-19 -- by Xinglan Hu, Kirthi Ramesh, Mariya Khatiwada Savchuk

A forward-looking, regional approach is needed for countries in Central Asia to respond to the pandemic and prepare for future public health threats.




mar

Региональное сотрудничество может эффективно противостоять угрозам здоровью в Центральной и Западной Азии -- by Xinglan Hu, Kirthi Ramesh, Mariya Khatiwada Savchuk

Странам Центральной Азии необходим перспективный региональный подход для реагирования на пандемию и подготовки к будущим угрозам для здоровья.




mar

Youth involvement key to keeping Asia’s skies clear -- by Emma Marsden, Bulganmurun Tsevegjav , William Lucht, Muskaan Chopra

To reduce air pollution, national and city government policy makers, their development partners, academe, and the private sector need to work with young people. 




mar

Online Shopping Increases Sharply in March Amid COVID-19

Online purchases rose by more than 11 percent on-year in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Statistics Korea said on Wednesday that total online transactions amounted to about US$10.3 billion, which accounted for about 28 percent of all retail sales, the highest proportion on record.Food was the main ...




mar

Police conduct flag march to raise public awareness

Rawalpindi : The Rawalpindi Police with assistance of other security institutions staged a flag march in the city to create awareness among public on prevailing alarming situation due to coronavirus pandemic and preventive measures adopted by the Punjab government.According to the police...




mar

KMC to introduce app for field staff to mark attendance without coming to office

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is going to introduce a mobile application to ensure punctuality of its employees and facilitate their work.Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar announced this while addressing a meeting at the Frere Hall on Friday. He also announced that applications were sought for...




mar

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




mar

Wuhan market had role in virus outbreak, but more research needed: WHO

A wholesale market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan played a role in the outbreak of the novel coronavirus last year, as the source or possibly as an “amplifying setting”, the World Health Organisation said on Friday, calling for more research.

Chinese authorities shut down the market in January as part of efforts to stop the spread of the virus and ordered a temporary ban on trade and consumption of wildlife.

“The market played a role in the event, that’s clear. But what role we don’t know; whether it was the source or amplifying setting or just a coincidence that some cases were detected in and around that market,” said Dr Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO expert on food safety and zoonotic viruses that cross the species barrier from animals to humans.

It was not clear whether live animals or infected vendors or shoppers may have brought the virus into the market, he told a Geneva news briefing.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said there is “a significant amount of evidence” the virus came from the Wuhan laboratory, although he has also said there wasn’t certainty.

Read: The Wuhan lab at the core of a virus controversy

No public evidence has linked the outbreak to the lab in Wuhan and scientists have said the coronavirus appears to have developed in nature. A German intelligence report cast doubts on Pompeo’s allegations, Der Spiegel reported.

Ben Embarek did not address the accusations. He noted that it took researchers a year to identify camels as the source of the Mers (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus, a coronavirus that emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and spread in the Middle East, adding: “It’s not too late.”

“What is important, what would be of great help, is to get hold of the virus before it adapted to humans, before the version we have now. Because then we would better understand how it adapted to humans, how it evolved,” he said.

“In terms of investigations, China has most probably, most likely, all the expertise needed to do these investigations. They have lot of very qualified researchers to that,” he said.

A common sight across Asia, wet markets traditionally sell fresh produce and live animals, such as fish, in the open air.

Many markets worldwide that sell live animals must be better regulated and hygiene conditions improved, and some should be closed down, Ben Embarek said. “But the vast majority can be fixed, can be better organised.”

It is often a question of controlling waste management, the movement of people and goods, and of separating live animals from animal products and from fresh goods, he said.




mar

6 FC personnel martyred in IED blast near Pak-Iran border

Five Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers and one officer were martyred after their vehicle was targeted with an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Pakistan-Iran border, the military's media wing said on Friday.

In a tweet, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the security personnel were returning from patrolling in Buleda — 14 kilometres from the Pakistan-Iran border — to "check possible routes used by terrorists in the mountainous terrain of Makran".

As they were returning, their vehicle was targeted with a remote controlled IED, it added.

The martyred were identified as Major Nadeem, Naik Jamshed, Lance Naik Khizar Hayat, Lance Naik Taimor, Sepoy Nadeem and Sepoy Sajid.

In December 2019, one FC soldier was martyred and two others were injured in an exchange of fire with terrorists after they raided an FC checkpost in North Waziristan.

"Terrorists raided an FC post in North Waziristan district near the Pak-Afghan border," an ISPR statement had said.

"During the exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed," it had added.




mar

Rights group says Saudi Arabia is holding a senior prince incommunicado since March

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday that Saudi Arabian authorities recently detained and are holding incommunicado Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, who had previously been netted in an anti-corruption drive and released in late 2017.

The US-based rights group, citing a source with ties to the royal family, said Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, a son of late monarch King Abdullah, was detained by security forces on March 27 while self-isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic at a family compound northeast of the capital Riyadh.

Reuters could not immediately independently verify the detention. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a detailed Reuters request for comment.

Earlier in March, authorities had detained King Salman’s brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, and former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was replaced in a 2017 palace coup and placed under house arrest, sources had told Reuters.

Sources with royal connections said at the time that the move was a preemptive effort to ensure compliance within the ruling Al Saud family ahead of an eventual succession to the throne by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman upon the king’s death or abdication.

It was not clear if the reported detention of Prince Faisal was related to those in early March, which also saw Ahmed’s son Nayef and Mohammed bin Nayef’s brother Nawaf detained.

Saudi authorities have not commented on those detentions, which follow crackdowns on dissent in which clerics, intellectuals and rights activists have been arrested, and an anti-corruption drive launched in 2017 that netted scores of royals, ministers and businessmen.

Critics have said the campaigns were part of moves by Crown Prince Mohammed, the king’s son and the kingdom’s de facto ruler, to consolidate his grip on power.

“Now we have to add Prince Faisal to the hundreds detained in Saudi Arabia without a clear legal basis,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW.

The kingdom has regularly denied allegations of unfair detention.

Authorities said last year the government was winding down the anti-corruption campaign after 15 months, but would continue to go after graft.

HRW said Prince Faisal’s whereabouts or status are not known.

“The source said that Prince Faisal has not publicly criticised authorities since his December 2017 arrest and that family members are concerned about his health as he has a heart condition,” it added.

In late December 2017, a senior Saudi official said Prince Faisal and another royal, Prince Meshaal bin Abdullah, were released from Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, where people nabbed in the anti-corruption drive were being held, after reaching an undisclosed financial settlement with the government.




mar

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

mar

Leap Days on Mars

February 29th is right around the corner. It’s been hibernating for the past three years, snuggling in its secret den between February 28th and March 1st. But it’s just about to emerge again, stretching the calendar and irritating impatient March.... read more >>




mar

ADB Sells $4.5 Billion 5-Year Global Benchmark Bond

ADB returned to the US dollar bond market with the pricing of a $4.5 billion 5-year global benchmark bond issue, proceeds of which will be part of ADB’s ordinary capital resources.




mar

ADB Announces $6 Million Grant to Help Marshall Islands Combat COVID-19

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.




mar

India office property market overview

Mumbai: During 1Q 2014, the Mumbai office markets witnessed a further decline in office space absorption indicating cautious occupier sentiment. This lack of demand can be attributed to a low level of IT/ITeS sector participation in the overall absorption, which is currently the primary demand generating sector across the cities. This quarter only about 0.42 million sq ft of Grade A office space was leased with a few mid-sized deals concluded in Central and Western Suburbs, and Navi Mumbai. Construction activities remained slow. No projects / phases of projects were completed this quarter. Developers also refrained from launching new projects due to low demand. More than 7.5 million sq ft […]




mar

‘By March, $10 billion of real estate investment trusts may get listed if Govt provides tax relief’

Alastair Hughes, CEO (Asia Pacific) of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), who was in Bangalore to hold a board meeting of the Asia Pacific region comprising China, Japan, Australia, South East Asia and India, spoke to BusinessLine to share the real estate market sentiment and key issues on corporate leasing. How is the realty market in India as compared to other countries in Asia Pacific ? India has seen a dramatic recovery. The hangover did not last very long as it had in 2010-2011. The market is very dynamic here right now. While Asia-Pacific began to recover in 2012-2013, India went through a lull, largely due to lack of business confidence, […]




mar

Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 7 February 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 7 February 2020.  DEC and the Independent Evaluation Department (IED) discussed three topics presented by IED: Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD), Independent Evaluation Methods, and DEC-IED Retrospective/Prospective Exchange.




mar

Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 25 March 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 25 March 2020. The commitee discussed the sector-wide evaluation report ADB Support for Transport, 2010-2018.




mar

Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 14 April 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 14 April 2020. The commitee discussed the 2019 Development Effectiveness Review (DEfR), and the 2019 Annual Portfolio Performance Report (APPR).




mar

How to boost accountability and learning in aid for COVID-19 - Marvin Taylor-Dormond and Stoyan Tenev

The world is experiencing what some may think is a “typical” black swan event: rare, extremely impactful, and only retrospectively predictable. 



  • Op-Ed / Opinion

mar

Uzbekistan: Samarkand Solar Power Project

In 2005, the energy sector emitted 88% of Uzbekistan’s 200 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. With the high solar irradiance and abundant land for solar development of Uzbekistan, solar energy was deemed as the most suitable resource that could quickly bridge the energy supply–demand gap, diversify the generation mix, and reduce emissions.




mar

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




mar

With Australian-ADB investment, clean water is flowing in Marshall Islands’ Ebeye

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.




mar

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 […]




mar

Buy your first home by March 31

NEW DELHI: Those planning to buy their first house should rush and complete the formalities by March 31 to avail of the additional tax benefit against the interest paid on a home loan. That’s because an exemption available to taxpayers will lapse in the current financial year which enables them to reduce the interest paid from the taxable income. The reduction can be up to Rs 1.5 lakh under section 24 of the Income Tax Act and up to Rs 1 lakh under section 80EE against the interest paid on home loan. The benefit under section 80EE can be availed only to buy the first house of a value of […]




mar

2017 International Comparison Program for Asia and the Pacific: Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures — A Summary Report

This publication provides estimates of purchasing power parities (PPPs) and real expenditures for 22 economies in Asia and the Pacific. These are summary regional results from the 2017 cycle of the International Comparison Program (ICP).




mar

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.




mar

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




mar

MicroSolutions March/April 2017

MicroSolutions March/April 2017




mar

MicroSolutions March/April 2018

MicroSolutions March/April 2018




mar

Economic Integration in Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Member Countries: Financing Economic Corridors and Sovereign Bonds Market

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