Medical waste disposal is a key part of pandemic planning and recovery that we must get right during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Утилизация медицинских отходов является основной частью планирования в условиях пандемии и последующего восстановления, которую мы должны иметь прямо во время вспышки COVID-19.

სამედიცინო ნარჩენების გატანა პანდემიის წინააღმდეგ ბრძოლისა და ჯანდაცვის მნიშვნელოვანი ნაწილია, რაც კოვიდ-19-ის აფეთქებისას განსაკუთრებით გასათვალისწინებელია.

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of energy value chains but solar power could be an indigenous solution to keep the lights on during a crisis.

The surge in online learning in the People’s Republic of China during the coronavirus outbreak highlights the importance of infrastructure, platforms and the preparedness of teachers, students and parents.

Many workers will be displaced and many businesses will close as a result of the slowdown caused by COVID-19. Providing support to those affected gives them a fighting chance.

The production processes and supply chains that feed into the production of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment must be secured.

The global response to COVID-19 should also be a springboard for action on climate change resilience so we can narrow the divide between rich and poor and keep everyone safe.

The Asia-Pacific region has the expertise and resources to take a leadership role in not only developing a COVID-19 vaccine but distributing it to those who need it most.

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

Hong Kong's protesters are aching to take to the streets again. In the meantime, they are taking to their screens.

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 ...

Two people had the dubious distinction of being the first to wear electronic tags on their wrists for violating quarantine rules. Health authorities said the two were wearing the devices from 6 p.m. Tuesday and will have to keep them on for the rest of their self-quarantine period. One was caught in...

With the Korea Baseball Organization's regular season kicking off with no spectators allowed in the stadium, a large number of baseball fans have turned online to cheer for teams they support. The number of viewers who watched any of the five season opening games streamed online was 1.49 million in ...

The Environment Ministry is fining Mercedes-Benz W77.6 billion for illegally tampering with emissions tests, the biggest fine ever for a carmaker here (US$1=W1,225). The ministry on Wednesday said Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche tampered with the emissions of around 40,000 diesel cars sold in Kore...

Korea saw the biggest drop in private consumption on record last year even before the coronavirus epidemic struck.According to Statistics Korea on Thursday, the average monthly spending of households fell 3.2 percent to W2.46 million in 2019 (US$1=W1,226). That was the biggest decline since the gove...

Imagine zipping down a 750-foot zipline over your private lake, then taking in the beautiful Colorado views from the comfort of the expansive front porch of your log home.

Rawalpindi : Under vigorous campaign against profiteering and hoarding, 1,633 raids were conducted by Price Control Magistrates in seven tehsils of Rawalpindi District and action in accordance with the law was taken against 216 persons found indulged in violation of law.The administration also...

Islamabad : The Ministry of Human Rights on Friday issued guidelines to create public awareness on the protection of mental and physical health of children and their online safety during COVID-19 lockdown days.According to guidelines issued on different media forums, parents are advised to engage...

The Advanced Studies and Research Board of the University of Karachi has awarded 8 PhD and 14 MPhil degrees in various disciplines.KU Registrar Professor Dr Saleem Shahzad said on Thursday that an ASRB meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of the varsity’s vice chancellor, Professor...

The newly launched ‘1093 helpline service’ of the Sindh Local Government Department has been providing counselling service to around 50 people on a daily basis who are suffering from various psychological issues due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country, said Sindh Local...

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH), with support from ADB, has set up a new laboratory in Pampanga province, north of the capital Manila. It will significantly increase the government’s testing capacity for COVID-19...

ADBI, CCAF, and the JBSEEL are offering an 8-week Online Course on Fintech & Regulatory Innovation and related scholarships for select policy makers from Asian Development Bank developing member countries.

NEW DELHI: India’s top medical research body has turned down a proposal by the Modi government to test water from the Ganges river as a cure for coronavirus, ThePrint news portal said on Thursday.

It said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) turned down the government’s “request” to conduct research on a theory that Gangajal, or water from Ganges river, could possibly cure Covid-19.

Speaking to ThePrint, a source in the ICMR said the agency has refused to get involved as it is focussing on the Covid-19 battle and doesn’t want to waste time on other research amid the pandemic.

The move came after the country’s apex medical research body received a “request” from the Ministry of Jal Shakti to conduct “further research” on a proposal by an NGO, Atulya Ganga, said an ICMR official, who didn’t wish to be named.

In its letter last month, Mr Atulya had cited the presence of a “ninja virus”, called bacteriophage, in Ganges water that could cure Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Bacteriophage is a special type of virus that eats harmful bacteria, the letter said.

According ThePrint, the NGO asked the government on April 3 to conduct a study on the possibility of this virus acting as a cure. It sent a copy each to the ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The ministry’s National Mission for Clean Ganga, the department administering the Modi government’s ambitious Namami Gange programme, then wrote to ICMR on April 30 requesting a clinical trial.

The ICMR then held a meeting to discuss the idea, but refused to proceed, offering only its “help” to the NGO, ThePrint said. “We had indeed received a letter from the Ministry of Jal Shakti for such research. The experts at ICMR also held a meeting on this matter. Then we asked those proposing this research that you should tell us about hospitals and doctors that are ready and willing to conduct some research on it. We will certainly help them in this regard,” said the ICMR official.

“As of now we are still treating plasma therapy as a trial for treatment for corona (Covid-19), then how can we so quickly accept a virus called bacteriophage, found in the water of Ganges, as a cure? Right now, there is no logic in the argument that the virus found in Ganga’s water can indeed fight the coronavirus disease,” added the official.

However, he added that if the ministry takes an initiative into the matter then ICMR will extend its assistance to it.

Speaking to ThePrint, Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, ICMR’s head of the Department of Research Management, Policy Planning and Communication, in Delhi and Director of Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, said: “A presentation was made after the Jal Shakti ministry’s proposal. The matter is at a very preliminary stage. Nothing has been decided on the future course of action. We will support the Jal Shakti ministry in all the work it does on this front.”

A senior official of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, meanwhile, said there are several special properties in the river and many people were demanding research on them.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2020

Stars who depend on China's lucrative market have to watch what they say. Ordinary netizens? Not so much.

"I felt that they listened to what I was trying to say, and it shows that they do value democracy here in Taiwan."

ADB has approved a $1.5 billion loan to help the Philippine government fund its novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response program and strengthen the country’s health care system in its fight against the pandemic.

ADB today approved a $200 million loan to support the Philippine government’s effort to provide emergency cash subsidies to vulnerable households amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH), with support from ADB, has set up a new laboratory in Pampanga province, north of the capital Manila. It will significantly increase the government’s testing capacity for 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.

This guideline specifies framework for validating technical assistance completion reports (TCRs) to capture lessons learned from completed technical assistance (TA) operations and to improve accountability for achieving results, the quality of completion reports, and the independence of project ratings.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) country partnership strategy (CPS), 2016–2020 for Papua New Guinea (PNG) sought to assist the country in planning and implementing a successful conversion of its resource wealth into inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth. ADB’s sovereign program, comprising approved, completed, and ongoing loans, grants, and technical assistance (TA), totaled $2.11 billion during the period 2016 to May 2019. Transport was the sector receiving the largest amount of support (72% of total financing), followed by health (15%), and energy (9%). 

Dentons has advised KPS Capital Partners, a global private equity firm focused on investing in manufacturing and industrial companies across a diverse array of industries, on its acquisition of the Lufkin rod lift solutions business from Baker Hughes. 

Dentons has advised TSXV listed Bragg Gaming Group Inc., a next generation gaming group, on the sale of its online media division to SN&CK Media Limited. The sale follows a strategic review initiated by CEO, Dominic Mansour, and will allow Bragg to focus its efforts and resources on Oryx,  the group's rapidly growing B2B online gaming business.

Microchip Joins Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) – the Global Industry Coalition Dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility

ADB pilot project with the Philippines’ Cantilan Bank tests cloud-based banking.

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.

The intuitive habit of drawing macroeconomic conclusions (about India) from the corporate feedback (and vice versa) is fraught with risk. After all, only half of India’s GDP and 10% of India’s employment are in the formal sector. Further, only a fraction of the formal sector is listed.” This is not any Swadeshi ideologue speaking. This is what the Asia Pacific/India Equity Research paper of Credit Suisse titled “India’s better half: The Informal Economy” says about the most unique aspect of Indian economy. The paper points out that corporate sector accounts for only one-fourth of the national capital formed – the share of listed corporates in it is even less, just […]

East Asia is setting the pace for the recent trend in regional and interregional integration, which is associated with multilateral infrastructure connectivity initiatives.

This paper describes the implementation of the Certificate in Educational Studies in Leadership (CESL) in the Philippines as a professional development initiative delivered in a customized blended learning mode.

This paper presents an analysis of business development programs (BDPs) based on a theoretical framework aimed at understanding the mixed effect of business training on entrepreneurs.

Drawing on the Philippines as a case study, this brief explores how effective the graduation approach is in reducing poverty and assesses opportunities to apply it in other developing member countries.

East Asia is setting the pace for the recent trend in regional and interregional integration, which is associated with multilateral infrastructure connectivity initiatives.

This paper presents an analysis of business development programs (BDPs) based on a theoretical framework aimed at understanding the mixed effect of business training on entrepreneurs.

MCHP Provides Update on Business Environment

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AN3444 Driving LEDs with Constant Current and Sequential Linear LED Drivers