These charts illustrate that despite the broader adoption of disaster risk reduction strategies, escalating greenhouse gas emissions and intensified disaster impacts underscore the urgent need for more robust climate action and support across the region.

Asia and the Pacific is central to global climate change efforts, but robust capital markets are needed to mobilize private climate finance. Sustainable finance frameworks, transition finance, and carbon markets can build deeper markets that empower climate action.

Colorado voters on Tuesday rejected Proposition 131, which would have upended the way elections are conducted in the state and moved the state to a ranked-choice voting system.

Trump’s first picks for immigration policy jobs spent the last four years angling for this moment.

President-elect Donald Trump is starting to fill key posts in his second administration.

Denver police sergeant Stephanie Neblock was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence assault in Douglas County, the Denver Police Department said in a press release. 

The mountain lion was considered a public threat and had activated a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.

“While the investigation takes place, the town will refrain from any additional comment on this matter," according to a press release.

How have Latin American exporters been affected by the rapid increase in the PRC's exports to the USA and other large markets? Are PRC and Latin American exports complementary or competitive with each other?

Does competition enhance productivity growth of a developing economy? Is global competition conducive to economic development? Answers as evidenced from Korean microdata.

South Asia study of foreign direct investments impact in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal on economic growth, domestic investment, and export; special emphasis on the role of infrastructure.

This paper surveys the evolution of policy on private sector development in Indonesia post-independence.

This paper examines the causes of export success in East and South East Asia and assesses the role of industrial policy.

Growth model finds evidence of agricultural convergence among Asian countries, but changes in factors including foreign aid may make this impossible to realize.

In a case study on Korea, a VAR model is used to investigate the effects of capital flows on asset prices.

This paper examines the costs and benefits of the multiple currency phenomenon in Lao PDR and considers options in terms of policy response.

Bangladesh and India should pursue bilateral economic cooperation to enhance South Asian regional cooperation.

Theoretical and empirical analyses of People's Republic of China's infrastructure and rural development.

To attract infrastructure investment to meet national goals for providing electricity to consumers, India needs continued macroeconomic stability as well as an improved policy and regulatory environment.

How has the recent dramatic growth of PRC's exports affected its neighbors? Have they lost export markets and seen foreign investment diverted to PRC? This paper surveys the empirical evidence on these important questions.

This study finds contract farming in Lao PDR to be effective in raising incomes of small farmers, thus reducing poverty.

This paper examines enterprise performance in the North-East region of the People's Republic of China.

This paper is part of a cross-country study on corporate governance in Asia. A consensus has yet to be reached about exactly what factors were behind the crisis of 1998 and how these factors interacted in bringing about the crisis.

Regional disparities within and among Chinese provinces have declined, but are still a serious problem.

South Asian private sector participation in infrastructure development is examined, and recommendations are made for future development.

Research on ICT and capacity building for poverty reduction, focusing on lessons learned from a distant learning course in microfinance.

Sri Lanka's post-tsunami reconstruction experience provides lessons for future major disasters, particularly for realistic needs assessment.

This paper examines the role of finance in development in the light of the experience of Township and Village Enterprises in the People's Republic of China.

This paper analyses economic and social indicators across provinces in the People's Republic of China.

Twenty-two people drowned, while one person was saved on Tuesday after a bus carrying them plunged into a river in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district on Tuesday, according to rescue officials.

“Sixteen dead bodies have been recovered from the river, while the search for the remaining persons continues,” Senior Superintendent of Police Diamer, Sher Khan, told Dawn.com.

He added that a woman, who was a bride, had sustained injuries and was receiving treatment at a hospital.

Sharing details of the accident earlier, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shaukat Riaz told Dawn.com that a bus coming from Astore fell into the Indus River from Telchi bridge in the limits of Diamer district in Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday afternoon.

“The vehicle was part of a wedding procession heading towards Punjab’s Chakwal district,” he said.

He added the passengers who were onboard the bus had been identified and women were among the drowned.

“Nineteen of them belonged to Astore while four were from the Chakwal district of Punjab,” he said.

The district administration officials were also present on the spot and supervised the search operation in the river, Riaz added.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his grief and conveyed his condolences to the victims’ relatives.

Road accidents are frequent in KP and GB, exacerbated by harsh weather, rugged terrain, poorly maintained roads, overloaded vehicles, and minimal traffic regulations.

The narrow, winding routes and driver fatigue further elevate risk, making these regions especially accident-prone.

In October, two people were killed and 36 others were injured when a Rawalpindi-bound passenger bus fell into a ravine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Kohistan area.

A suspect who was allegedly involved in the 2023 blast at Peshawar Police Lines mosque, that claimed 84 lives, was arrested a day earlier and has been identified as police constable Muhammad Wali, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IG) Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur revealed in a press briefing on Tuesday.

On Jan 30, 2023, a powerful explosion ripped through a mosque in Peshawar’s Red Zone area where between 300 and 400 people — mostly police officers — had gathered for prayers.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack. It later distanced itself from the blast but sources earlier indicated that it might have been the handiwork of some local faction of the outlawed group.

Addressing the press conference in Peshawar today, IG Gandapur said the “remaining missing link” was related to who had facilitated Qari, the alleged suicide bomber.

“As a result of that effort, […] we arrested this person along with two suicide jackets from near Jameel Chowk on Peshawar’s Ring Road on 11/11, meaning yesterday,” the IG stated, referring to the facilitator.

“Based on the interrogation, it was deduced that the facilitator was our own policeman,” who he identified as Muhammad Wali.

“The suspect operated in line with the order of the banned organisation Jamaatul Ahrar and has received Rs200,000 through the hundi-hawala system,” KP IG said, adding that the policeman also received Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 from the banned group per month.

“He received Rs200,000 which cost the lives of hundreds of people who were martyred. He sold his [own] brothers for this,” the IG added.

The top cop further revealed that the suspect dropped off the suicide bomber at the Pir Zakori bridge.

“After the blast occurred, he contacted his handler named Junaid and informed him about the success of the operation via Telegram,” he stated.

While the police already knew that Jamaatul Ahrar was involved in the blast, the suspect was the “missing link” who acted as a local facilitator.

The police inspector general said that Muhammad Wali was also involved in other incidents.

In Feb 2024, the suspect handed a pistol to a person from Jamaatul Ahrar named Saifullah in Lahore to target a member of the Ahmadiyya community, the KP IG said.

He targeted a priest at Peshawar’s Jameel Chowk in Jan 2022, he added.

According to Gandapur, social media played a key role in such incidents, adding that “Fitna al Khawarij and other extremist organisations use social media to brainwash and radicalise people”.

In July, the government, through an official notification, designated the TTP as Fitna al Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

Then-KP IG Moazzam Jah Ansari had said in February last year that the suicide bomber was “clad in a police uniform”. He had said that technical evidence and information collected suggested that the blast was the work of TTP’s Jamaatul Ahrar faction.

In March 2023, the KP Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said the mastermind and the handler of the suicide bomber had been traced, stating that both of them were Afghan nationals.

Then-CTD chief Shaukat Abbas said the suicide bomber was identified only by his alias “Qari” and his handler was identified as Ghaffar aka Salma. He had further confirmed that the attack was carried out by Jamaatul Ahrar.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday it has asked the sport’s governing body to explain India’s refusal to send a team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) informed the PCB last week that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.

Pakistan had previously rejected the option of a hybrid arrangement that would allow India to play their matches at neutral venues, for example in the United Arab Emirates.

“The PCB has responded to last week’s ICC letter seeking clarifications for the Indian Board’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy,” Sami-Ul-Hasan told AFP.

Deteriorating political ties have meant the bitter rivals have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade — squaring off only in ICC multi-nation events.

Pakistani media reported on Tuesday that the PCB would be unwilling to accept security reasons for India’s refusal to visit.

New Zealand have toured Pakistan three times in the past two years, with England visiting twice and Australia once in the same period.

Pakistan also visited India for last year’s ODI World Cup and the PCB had expected the gesture to be reciprocated for the Champions Trophy.

The Champions Trophy is slated to be played across three venues — Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi — from February 19 to March 9 next year.

But a final schedule due to be announced this week has been postponed over the stand-off — which PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi termed disappointing.

“Almost every country wants the tournament to be played in Pakistan and it will be disappointing if they don’t come,” Naqvi, who is also the interior minister, said last week.

“I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter. We’ll give every team as many facilities as we can.” Naqvi said Pakistan would consider pulling out of events in India as a response.

“Pakistan has shown great gestures to India in the past, and we’d like to say clearly India shouldn’t expect such friendly gestures from us every time”.

India is due to host the women’s ODI World Cup and Asia Cup next year and will co-host the Twenty20 World Cup with Sri Lanka in 2026.

JERUSALEM: Aid agencies slammed Israel for continuing to obstruct the delivery of aid to Gaza, despite Tel Aviv’s claims that it had opened an additional crossing into the besieged territory on the eve of a US deadline to boost relief deliveries.

The United States last month warned Israel to improve the humanitarian conditions in Gaza or risk a cut to its military support.

A day before the deadline, the Israeli military said it opened the Kissufim crossing “as part of the effort and commitment to increase the volume and routes of aid” to Gaza.

But the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and eight humanitarian groups said Israel was still not doing enough to get aid in as the situation in the besieged north becomes especially “catastrophic”.

On eve of US deadline to restore aid supplies to Gaza, Tel Aviv claims to have opened another border crossing

The eight organisations, including Oxfam and Save The Children, said Israel “failed to comply” with US demands — “at enormous human cost for Palestinian civilians in Gaza”.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is now at its worst point since the war began in October 2023,” they said in a joint statement.

Asked about whether there were signs the situation had improved ahead of Wednesday’s deadline, Louise Wateridge, an UNRWA emergencies officer, highlighted that “aid entering the Gaza Strip is at its lowest level in months”.

No food was permitted to enter besieged northern Gaza for an entire month, Wateridge said, adding that UN requests to access the area have been repeatedly denied.

Wateridge said that testimonies from the north painted “an endlessly horrific” picture that was becoming “more critical” by the hour.

“Hospitals have been bombed, the doctors inform us that they have run out of blood supplies, they have run out of medicine… there are bodies in the streets.”

Separately, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council told Al Jazeera that Israelis were obstructing aid from entering through the crossings.

“Aid is arbitrarily rejected and essential supplies are not allowed in, including timber to help people build shelters as they face winter. Sometimes the requests to access those crossings are denied for over a month,” Shaina Low, NRC’s communications adviser, told Al Jazeera.

Once the aid enters Gaza, aid workers must request safe routes through which they can safely distribute the aid.

“Israel often denies requests to move from place to place in order to reach Palestinian families that are in desperate need,” Low said.

However, the US State Department on Tuesday said that Israel was not violating US law on the level of aid entering Gaza, but called for further progress.

Asked if Israel had met the US demands, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said of Israel, “We have not made an assessment that they are in violation of US law,” but added: “The overall humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be unsatisfactory”.

“But in the context of the letter, it’s not about whether we find something satisfactory or not; it’s what are the actions that we’re seeing,” he said, adding that Tel Aviv was taking steps in the right direction.

Attacks on Gaza

Gaza’s civil defence agency said that at least 14 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, residents said Israeli tanks advanced deeper in Beit Hanoun and besieged four displaced families before ordering them to leave towards Gaza City.

The health ministry in Gaza said on Tuesday that at least 43,665 people have been killed in more than 13 months.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has observed that a long-term policy is needed to control smog, directing the Punjab government to take actions beyond mere paperwork.

Hearing environment-related petitions on Tues­day, Justice Shahid Karim remarked that the federal government should also be roped in to address the issue that plagues Punjab.

Advocate General for Pu­n­jab (AGP) Khalid Ish­aq and provincial Secr­e­tary of Transport Depar­t­ment Ahmed Javed Qazi also appeared before the court.

The judge noted that the current approach of the government was insufficient, saying that if smog had appeared in Septem­ber this time, it might turn up in August next year.

Justice Karim remar­ked that a 10-year policy was needed to combat the menace of smog. He ack­now­ledged that the sitting government performed better than its predecessors but there was still more work to be done.

He also hailed the performance of Environment Protection Department Director General Imran Hamid Sheikh, urging other departments to follow suit. He noted that the transport sector caused 70 to 80pc of environmental pollution due to the use of smuggled low-grade fuel.

The judge insisted on considering the future of industries established within Lahore, citing the example of Beijing where all industries were moved outside the city. He said Beijing had proposed solutions but the Punjab government didn’t take them seriously.

The AGP replied that there were challenges in the execution of China’s suggestions on smog and the court would be apprised of the matter soon.

He further told the court that a policy to combat smog had been devised and a budget had also been allocated. From next year, he said, the citizens might be asked to avoid holding weddings from October to December.

However, the judge suggested that the government could impose restrictions on weddings, limiting them to one event instead of three, alongside a one-dish policy.

Justice Karim regretted that the government took actions only when the court became aware of environmental issues. He said major construction projects in Lahore might need to be halted to control the situation.

The judge remarked that even government-owned Speedo buses emit significant smoke, what to talk about the private transport. He expressed concerns, saying the current smog would persist until January.

“This is a wake-up call for the government. Planning for the next year must begin immediately,” Justice Karim observed, adding that the planning was the responsibility of the government and the court did not want to intervene.

The judge was of the view that solving the school buses issue alone could reduce pollution significantly.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) decision to fix the minimum retail price (MRP) of tea at Rs1,200 per kg for levying sales tax would make the commodity more expensive, warned traders on Tuesday.

Pakistan Tea Association (PTA) Chairman Mohammad Altaf said the MRP at the import stage would have an adverse impact of Rs150-300 per kg on imported tea prices.

The flat MRP also ignores global tea prices hovering between 0.50 cents to over $3 per kg. Tea is imported in different packaging, with bulk shipments typically weighing more than 5kgs and around/approximately 80kgs. An 18 per cent general sales tax is already charged based on the imported tea.

He said before fixing the MRP for sales tax purposes, it is crucial to consider that the definition of “manufacturer” in Section 2(16) of the Sales Tax Act 1990, includes activities such as blending, mixing, processing, and packaging, as clarified in Circular No. 3(11) ST-L&P/2013-94433-R dated July 17, 2019. Based on this, tea imported for these processes qualifies as “raw material”.

Tea sellers warn FBR move will incentivise arrival of low-quality product via illegal channels

“According to judicial interpretations (e.g., CTO v. Rajasthan Taxchem Ltd., 2007) and definitions in Advanced Law Lexicon, “raw material” includes ingredients necessary for manufacturing. Tea used in blending and packaging clearly falls under this category, he added.

Accordingly, sales tax should be based on the import value, as per Subsection 46(f) of Section 2 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, rather than the minimum retail price, Altaf said.

Tea retail prices vary significantly due to numerous factors, including the company, method of sale (open or packaged), product quality, and regional differences. The PTA chief said that the flat MRP rate per kg also does not reflect the prices charged by most traders, manufacturers, and sellers.

The imposition of a flat rate per kg would have severe negative consequences for a large portion of the tea trade, which may result in reduced business activity and ultimately lead to a loss of revenue for the national exchequer via misusing several exemptions.

Two-thirds of Pakista­nis purchase tea at Rs700-950 per kg, reflecting socio-economic and regional price variations.

He said that MRP cannot be applied at the import stage as the tea has to follow various value-addition procedures before it is made shelf-ready. “This MRP disrupts the supply chain and eradicates the role of wholesalers and distributors who play a vital role in the business, while MRP at the import stage also eradicates the basic right of commercial imports,” the PTA chief observed.

Tea is a part of our daily diet, a staple food item, not a drink.

Most people in rural and urban areas consume tea as per their earnings. Further fixing of MRP will incentivise unscrupulous elements to exploit the situation, and thus, import of low-priced teas will find its way through illegal channels, Altaf feared.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chief has told a National Assembly panel that the fees for identity cards will have to be increased if it opens up more offices.

In a briefing to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday, Nadra Chairman Lt General Munir Afsar said the authority has no office in 61 tehsils of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The committee, which met for the second consecutive day with Raja Khurram Nawaz in the chair, was told that 26 National Registration Centres (NRCs) and three mega NRCs were currently operational in Karachi.

The authority is planning to open one more NRC and four mega NRCs in Karachi next year.

Chairman tells NA body six employees were sacked over data breaches

While talking about the security of Nadra’s infrastructure, Lt Gen Afsar said the agency monitors three to four hundred individuals daily to detect data leaks and unauthorised identity card issuances.

He said six Nadra employees, including a grade-19 officer, have been dismissed over their alleged involvement in a data breach.

The breach compromised the data of around 2.7 million citizens between 2019 and 2023.

A joint investigation team formed to probe the data leak in March submitted a report to the Interior Ministry revealing that Nadra officers in Karachi, Multan and Peshawar were involved in the data theft.

The NA committee was informed that Nadra had dismissed 202 hired and 60 officers during the last five years.

The authority’s revenue has increased from Rs23.55billion in 2019-20 to Rs57bn in 2023-24.

FIA DG briefs committee

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, Ahmad Ishaque Jehangir, briefed the committee about human smuggling networks recently uncovered by his organisation.

He said smugglers in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi lure people with the prospects of overseas employment.

He said the agency was probing the case further, and the investigation is expected to conclude in six to seven months as this is a cross-border crime, and additional information is required from law enforcement agencies in Romania.

An additional inspector general (AIG) of Punjab police briefed the participants on rape cases involving minors reported in the province over the past five years.

From 2020 to 2024, 8,306 such cases were registered, with 6,950 accused arrested. Of these, 299 were convicted, 1,736 acquitted, 1,088 discharged, and 3,827 cases were still under trial, the lawmakers were told.

The committee also discussed the new “Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and directed the ministry to include a clause permitting the filing of an FIR against Discos and employees responsible for overbilling.

The members said that electricity usage and theft slabs should be specified in the bill and that the proposed law should differentiate between residential, commercial, and industrial users.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

young people communicate a cuban perspective

10s scientific calculator manual

color laserjet 4600 service repair manual

to write a rhetorical analysis paper on an article

7410 service manual

clj 2550 service manual

6560b service manual

to write an autobiographical essay for a scholarship

37717c quick manual start guide user guide

to write an analysis paper on article

1022n service manual

to write policy and procedures manual template

business inkjet 1000 service manual

to work with and modify the turbo hydra matic 40