PARIS: With parents and policymakers agonising over when to reopen schools as lockdowns ease, scientists are still struggling to find out how the new coronavirus affects children. While youngsters can become infected with the new coronavirus, very few have died or contracted serious symptoms. But...

MALÉ, Maldives: India’s navy on Friday began evacuating from the Maldives around 750 of the hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals stranded worldwide because of coronavirus. The operation by two warships in Male forms part of an initial operation to repatriate almost 15,000 Indians...

TRIPOLI: Rocket and shell fire on Tripoli has killed at least 13 civilians and two policemen in the last two days, Libya´s UN-recognised government said on Friday. The Government of National Accord accused forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar of carrying out the attacks, which it said...

BEIJING: China´s top decision-making body has given the green light for cinemas, entertainment venues and sports facilities nationwide to reopen after several months of closures.The State Council guidelines issued Friday allow indoor cultural and entertainment venues, outdoor leisure...

BEIJING: China’s new prototype spacecraft “successfully landed” on Friday, marking an important step in its ambitions to run a permanent space station and send astronauts to the moon. The spacecraft — which was launched Tuesday — arrived safely at a predetermined...

TEHRAN: Virus-hit Iran allowed worshippers to attend Friday prayers for the first time in more than two months, but the capital remains under restrictions amid the Middle East’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak. Since reporting its first cases in mid-February, the Islamic republic has...

BEIJING: China said Friday it supports a World Health Organization-led review into the global response to the coronavirus outbreak, but only “after the pandemic is over”.The comments from foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying came as China faces increasing global pressure to allow...

BEIJING: China should expand its stock of nuclear warheads to 1,000 soon, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin said on Friday, even as US President Donald Trump repeats his call for China to join an arms control treaty, foreign media reported.The Global Times is published by the People’s...

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...

MALE, Maldives: India’s navy on Friday began evacuating from the Maldives around 750 of the hundreds of thousands of Indian nationals stranded worldwide because of coronavirus.The operation by two warships in Male forms part of an initial operation to repatriate almost 15,000 Indians from 12...

NEW YORK: A five-year-old boy in New York state has died from a rare inflammatory disease believed to be caused by the new coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.“There have been 73 reported cases in NY of children getting severely ill with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease...

TRIPOLI: Rocket and shell fire on Tripoli has killed at least 13 civilians and two policemen in the last two days, Libya’s UN-recognised government said on Friday.The Government of National Accord accused forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar of carrying out the attacks, which it said...

A second White House worker this week has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday, even as President Donald Trump continued to go mask-free at a World War II commemoration with veterans in their 90s.

The United States recorded Friday its steepest job losses in history over the coronavirus pandemic as Europe moved to keep its borders shut for another month.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown. In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly. He said...

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown.In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly.He said that...

ISLAMABAD: The US unemployment rate hit 14.7 percent in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy.The losses, reported by...

KARACHI: Afghan Taliban chief Mulla Akhtar Mansour’s five properties of over Rs32 million in Karachi have been seized by the anti-terrorism court for auction, sources said on Thursday.Mulla Mansour, who was killed in a drone strike along the Pakistan-Iran border on May 21, 2016, had...

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday said it had summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register a strong protest over the Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control .The statement by the FO said that in the unprovoked Indian firing across the LoC in Nezapir and Rakchikri sectors, six...

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown.In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly.He said that...

BEIJING: China said on Friday it supports a World Health Organisation-led review into the global response to the coronavirus outbreak, but “after the pandemic is over”.The comments from foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying came as China has faced increasing global pressure in...

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...

BRUSSELS: The EU’s highest court on Friday said it alone had legal authority over the European Central Bank, firmly rejecting a German Constitutional Court ruling critical of the bank’s ambitious stimulus policies.The highly unusual intervention came after the German ruling issued...

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.

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.

Re-examining the design of rural road projects will make them more effective in improving the lives of the people living nearby.

Skills training, civic engagement and youth forums will help young people become active players in society’s shared efforts to grow and improve.

The graduation approach provides a sequenced intervention designed to overcome multiple barriers that prevent the extreme poor from breaking out of poverty.

Central banks have powerful tools to affect national economies but they are being challenged by innovative financial practices

Các doanh nghiệp nhà nước phải đối mặt với những thách thức riêng khi mời gọi tài chính nước ngoài cho các dự án cơ sở hạ tầng. Nhưng không phải không có giải pháp.

Lining up rights-of-way for megaprojects, such as railways and highways, in crowded places is challenging but it can be done with an imaginative and respectful plan.

Một bộ luật cấu trúc tốt về đầu tư theo hình thức quan hệ đối tác công-tư là cơ hội chính để nâng cấp cơ sở hạ tầng ở Việt Nam.

Infrastructure has a critical role in narrowing gender gaps and accelerating the advancement of women and girls. If women are given a say in infrastructure design and investment, projects can become more effective enablers of their growth.

With key financial reforms, Ho Chi Minh City has the potential to follow the model of Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, and other cities which came to global financial prominence.

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.

Southeast Asian economies are starting to feel the pinch of trade tensions, recession fears and other global trends.

The poor and middle class are struggling to find affordable housing across the region, but there are some basic steps cities can take to improve the situation.

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

To offset the declining benefits of manufacturing, governments must increase the productivity of the services sector. This will boost growth and offer employment opportunities.

A rules-based approach to monetary policy needs to be part of any discussion involving central bank policy.

To be resilient, urban poor and informal households need secure tenure, which is a household’s right to reside on the land on which they are living.

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

Universal health coverage must be high quality to improve patients’ health outcomes

A high level of external debt is linked with decreased economic growth but there are policy options that can help economies keep growing.

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.

Bank-held nonperforming loans in some Asian economies have risen in recent years. Policy makers should address this growing risk now.

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

The pandemic is producing more household waste and increased amounts of dangerous medical waste. We need to manage these changes for our immediate safety and for the long-term welfare of our communities.