bi

Five myths about population, aging and environmental sustainability -- by Jane O'Sullivan, Francesco Ricciardi, Susann Roth

For sustainable development, universal wellbeing should be the goal, rather than endless growth. Minimizing further growth in human populations is only part of the solution, but an essential part. 




bi

Let's take bold action on health to avoid future pandemics -- by Susann Roth, Najibullah Habib

The COVID-19 pandemic could be an opportunity to take a more holistic approach to health and well-being, invest in health systems and in resilient supply chains.




bi

Давайте предпримем решительные действия в отношении здоровья, чтобы избежать будущих пандемий -- by Susann Roth, Najibullah Habib

Пандемия COVID-19 могла бы дать возможность использовать более целостный подход к здоровью и благополучию, инвестировать в системы здравоохранения и в устойчивые цепочки поставок.




bi

COVID-19 highlights Asian banks’ vulnerability to U.S. dollar debt -- by Cyn-Young Park (朴信永), Peter Rosenkranz

The pandemic provides an opportunity for regional financial cooperation on reforms to make Asian banks more resilient to crises.




bi

The pandemic combined with climate change is hitting the poor hard -- by Nathan Rive

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.




bi

მომავალი პანდემიების თავიდან ასაცილებლად ჯანდაცვაში ძირეული ცვლილებებია გასატარებელი -- by Susann Roth, Najibullah Habib

კოვიდ-19-ის პანდემია შესაძლოა იყოს შანსი ჯანდაცვის გაძლიერებას და ჯანსაღი ცხოვრების დამკვიდრებას კომპლექსურად მივუდგეთ, განვახორციელოთ ინვესტიციები ჯანდაცვის სისტემებსა და უფრო მდგრადი მიწოდების ჯაჭვებში.




bi

Hoping for a turnaround, realty brokers bet big on Narendra Modi government

NEW DELHI: Since the election results were announced last week — handing out a clear mandate to the Narendra Modi-led BJP — real estate brokers across the country have been prodding buyers to book their dream homes fast, since with a stable government on the cards, builders could increase prices any time soon. Business for thousands of brokers has been thin over the last year or so as negative sentiment engulfed the market and home sales tanked. Investors fled and genuine home buyers waited anxiously to see if a new stable government can infuse life into the economy. “It might just be a case of brokers trying to perk up […]




bi

Trinidad & Tobago's ‘Bike Man’ takes cycling to new heights

Trinidad and Tobago loves its "heights" -- and a skilful cyclist on a homemade bike that reaches 10-12 feet in height does not disappoint.




bi

A 1990s Macedonian film set in 2019 foreshadows a xenophobic future

Like other sci-fi before it, it imagined the present year as a post-apocalyptic wasteland.





bi

After being kidnapped and threatened, Mozambican YouTuber has his channel suspended

In early February, he was kidnapped for 24 hours, before he was freed by the police. A self-proclaimed prophet named Joe Williams is suspected of ordering the kidnapping.




bi

U.S. Rallies Support to Back Taiwan's WHO Bid

The United States is rallying support to back Taiwan's observer status in the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, leading into its annual meeting May 17-21."Today, I want to call on all nations, including those in Europe, to support Taiwan's participatio...




bi

Korea Suffers Biggest Decline in Private Consumption

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...




bi

Healthy Habits to Stay Young

Time stops for no man, but there are many proven methods to help people stay younger or younger-looking, from healthy lifestyles to lotions and potions. Here are some of the most successful. ◆ Don't Smoke and Contain Stress The best way to slow down the aging process is to stop unhealthy habits. Exp...




bi

Pak Post distributes Rs21.5 billion

Rawalpindi : Pakistan Post has distributed Rs21.5 billion to more than 6.5 lakh military pensioners and family pensioners in two weeks in the second phase of pension distribution to pensioners at their doorsteps, which is a unique service of its kind and such huge sums of money. Rawalpindi Circle...




bi

100kg crystal meth worth around Rs3 billion seized

The Pakistan Navy in a joint raid with the Anti-Narcotics Force seized 100 kilogrammes of crystal meth worth around Rs3 billion.A Navy spokesman said that in an intelligence-based joint operation with the ANF, they seized 100 kilogrammes of crystal myth off Pasni, Balochistan. The drug was valued...




bi

Microchip Solves Interoperability Challenges of Delivering up to 90 Watts of Power Over Ethernet Wiring

Microchip Solves Interoperability Challenges of Delivering up to 90 Watts of Power Over Ethernet Wiring




bi

Next-Generation Miniaturized Rubidium Atomic Clock Improves Performance and adds Features without Increasing Size

Next-Generation Miniaturized Rubidium Atomic Clock Improves Performance and adds Features without Increasing Size




bi

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

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




bi

ADBI–WCTRS Webinar Series on High-Speed Rail: Land Use-Transport Interactions of High-Speed Rail Development

This ADBI–WCTRS webinar will examine land use and transport interactions for inter-regional accessibility enhancements achieved through high-speed rail development.




bi

ADBI–Cambridge University Online Course on Fintech & Regulatory Innovation

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.




bi

Five million babies expected to be born in Pakistan in 9 months since Covid-19 outbreak: Unicef

An estimated 29 million babies will be born in South Asia in the nine months after the Covid-19 outbreak was classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), while five million births will be reported in Pakistan, according to a report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef).

The report — released on May 6 — has predicted that an estimated 116 million babies will be born across the world in the 40-week period between March 11 and December 16, with almost a quarter of them in South Asia.

India is expected to report 20 million births, the highest in the region, during this period, the report said, followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh (2.4 million) and Afghanistan (one million).

The report also warned that lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus may cause disruptions in life-saving health services "putting millions of pregnant mothers and their babies at great risk".

"The continuing rapid spread of Covid-19 across South Asia means new mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities, including global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews, health centres overwhelmed with response efforts, supply and equipment shortages, and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers [...] are redeployed to treat Covid-19 patients.

"Unicef cautions that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by Covid-19 than others, countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and post-natal services.

"Likewise, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require care to ensure the health and well-being of mothers, support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy," the report said.

The UN body urged governments and healthcare providers to take a few steps to save lives in the coming months by:

  • Helping women receive regular checkups during their pregnancy, skilled delivery care and post-delivery care
  • Ensuring health workers are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment and priority testing and vaccination for Covid-19 when it becomes available
  • Ensuring that all infection prevention and control measures are being followed at health facilities
  • Allowing healthcare workers to reach pregnant women through home visits, encouraging women living in rural areas to visit maternal waiting homes, and using mobile health strategies for tele-consultations
  • Training, protecting and equipping health workers with kits to attend to home births
  • Allocating resources to lifesaving services and supplies for maternal and child health

The report also urged pregnant women to take precautionary measures by practicing social distancing, avoiding physical gatherings and using online health services.

Read: Mothers may pass coronavirus to unborn children, say Chinese doctors

It also advised them to continue breastfeeding their children even if they are infected as "the virus has not been found in samples of breast milk".

"Mothers with Covid-19 should wear a mask when feeding their baby, wash hands before and after touching the baby, and routinely clean and disinfect surfaces," it cautioned.




bi

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.




bi

New Decade, New MATLAB Mobile

You may have noticed that MATLAB Mobile now sports a different UI. For this post, I’d like to welcome Geeta Sonigra, our User Experience designer to talk about what’s changed. ... read more >>





bi

The coronavirus pandemic intensifies Islamophobia in India

Since the start of India's COVID-19 lockdown on March 25, 2020, instances of Islamophobia have intensified, threatening the life, rights, and integrity of millions of Muslims.




bi

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.




bi

ADB Approves $1.5 Billion for Indonesia's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved $1.5 billion in financing to support the Government of Indonesia’s efforts to alleviate the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on public health, livelihoods, and the economy.




bi

ADB Approves $1.5 Billion Financing to Support the Philippines' COVID-19 Response

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.




bi

ADB Needs to Strengthen Project Sustainability to Enhance Performance

ADB needs to address issues causing weak sustainability of its projects to improve performance, says the 2020 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department.




bi

ADB Approves $1.5 Billion Financing to Support India's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved a $1.5 billion loan to the Government of India to help fund its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention, as well as social...




bi

‘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, […]




bi

Saudi Arabia coronavirus cases exceed 35,000

The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 35,000 on Friday as the kingdom struggles to get to grips with rising numbers of new infections.




bi

Trump, Saudi Arabia reaffirm defense ties amid tensions

President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman spoke by phone Friday and "reaffirmed the strong United States-Saudi defense partnership," the White House said, amid tensions over Saudi's oil output.




bi

Kyrgyz Republic: CAREC Corridor 1 (Bishkek–Torugart Road) Project 3

The Bishkek–Torugart road serves several important functions. It is part of the CAREC Corridor 1(c) extending from Troitsk in the Russian Federation to Kashi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC, and is the shortest route from Bishkek to Kashi. It is the only north–south trunk road in the central Kyrgyz Republic connecting Naryn oblast, the poorest of the Kyrgyz Republic’s seven oblasts, and the city of Naryn to the rest of the country. It is the only road providing direct access to Issyk Kul Lake region, which is one of Central Asia’s well-known tourist destinations.




bi

ADB Needs to Strengthen Project Sustainability to Enhance Performance

ADB needs to address issues causing weak sustainability of its projects to improve performance, says the 2020 Annual Evaluation Review (AER) conducted by ADB’s Independent Evaluation Department.




bi

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

bi

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.




bi

ADBI-ICHARM Policy Dialogue on Water-Related Disaster Resilience Under Climate Change

This policy dialogue session on water-related disaster resilience with various public scientific agencies, ministries and Senior public works department officials from Japan and developing countries in Asia.




bi

ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility: Investment Principles and Eligibility Criteria

This document outlines the investment principles and eligibility criteria that will guide the selection of projects to be supported by the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF).




bi

How can a State-Owned Enterprise be eligible to bid for ADB projects?

This video defines State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and guides borrowers on how to assess their viability to participate as bidders under ADB funded projects.




bi

What are Bidding-Related Complaints?

This video explains Bidding Related Complaints, when they can occur in the procurement cycle, and why it is important for borrowers to address them in a timely manner.




bi

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa Announces COVID-19 Response Package Is to Triple to $20 Billion

ADB tripled the size of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic to $20 billion and approved measures to streamline its operations for quicker and more flexible delivery of assistance, says ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa.




bi

ADB’s $20 Billion COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Frequently Asked Questions

Answers are provided to questions about ADB’s $20 billion COVID-19 pandemic response.




bi

ADBI Dean Sonobe on Enabling Asia’s COVID-19 Recovery

ADBI Dean Tetsushi Sonobe discussed imperatives for enabling COVID-19 pandemic recovery in developing countries in Asia and the Pacific and new ADBI research to boost related policy efforts in a video message.




bi

Dentons launches combination with Rattagan Macchiavello Arocena in Argentina

Dentons is now the largest global law firm in Argentina and the first truly Pan-Latin American and the Caribbean firm in the history of the legal profession.




bi

Dentons advises CPI Property Group on acquisition of a majority stake in Chałubińskiego 8 office building

Dentons’ Real Estate team advised CPI Property Group (CPI), the largest commercial property owner in the Czech Republic, Berlin and the CEE region, on the acquisition of a 50.3% share in the ownership of Chałubińskiego 8 office building in Warsaw. The divestment was made by First Property Group, an investment company and the manager of real estate funds operating in Great Britain and Central Europe.




bi

Dentons advises biotech company Pluristem on European Investment Bank financing

Global law firm Dentons has advised the Israeli biotech company Pluristem on a €50 million loan provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The financing is part of a cooperation agreement between the EIB and the Israel Innovation Authority, which aims to strengthen Israeli-EU cooperation in innovative research in the field of biotech, pharmaceutical research and public health.




bi

PIC32 Family Reference Manual, Sect. 22 12-bit High-Speed SAR ADC

PIC32 Family Reference Manual, Sect. 22 12-bit High-Speed SAR ADC




bi

dsPIC33/PIC24 FRM, 12-Bit High-Speed, Multiple SARs A/D Converter (ADC)

dsPIC33/PIC24 FRM, 12-Bit High-Speed, Multiple SARs A/D Converter (ADC)