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...

TEHRAN: An earthquake struck early Friday near Iran’s highest peak and jolted Tehran, killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 as people ran for their lives. The shallow 4.6 magnitude quake hit at 00:48 am near the city of Damavand, about 55 kilometres east of Tehran, the US...

WASHINGTON: A large majority of Americans oppose reopening the country now, with Democrats and Republicans sharply divided on the question, according to a poll published on Friday.Sixty-four percent of those polled by ABC News/Ipsos said opening the country now is not worth it because it will mean...

WASHINGTON: A large majority of Americans oppose reopening the country now, with Democrats and Republicans sharply divided on the question, according to a poll published on Friday.Sixty-four percent of those polled by ABC News/Ipsos said opening the country now is not worth it because it will mean...

EDINBURGH: The number of cases of Covid-19 needs to come down “substantially” and consistently before there can be any return to normality, a disease expert has said.Professor Hugh Pennington said that while “we may be past the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of...

LONDON: Planning for future pandemics should be handed over to the NHS and be “free from political interference”, academics have suggested.Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University, the Cass Business School in London, Nottingham University and Vlerick Business School, in Belgium...

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

Extreme heat and humidity are increasing across the globe, threatening millions of lives and economies in places where it could become fatal to work outdoors, scientists said Friday.

President Donald Trump needled his Democratic rival Joe Biden Friday for limiting his campaign appearances to virtual events from the basement of his home in Delaware.

Two policemen and four other people were killed in Afghanistan Saturday after a deadly clash at a public food donation in central Ghor province, officials said.

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

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner.The...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday issued red-letter to 16 ministries over delay in implementation of the cabinet’s decisions.This is the second time the PM’s office has issued the red-letter, which is a warning and a sign of displeasure. Last year, secretaries of 27...

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s GDP is going to contract by 1.6 percent in the ongoing fiscal 2019-20 and will grow to 2.9 percent in the next financial year 2020-21 and the loans from IMF and other multilateral and bilateral donors will help to ease...

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner.The...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday issued red-letter to 16 ministries over delay in implementation of the cabinet’s decisions.This is the second time the PM’s office has issued the red-letter, which is a warning and a sign of displeasure. Last year, secretaries of 27...

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s GDP is going to contract by 1.6 percent in the ongoing fiscal 2019-20 and will grow to 2.9 percent in the next financial year 2020-21 and the loans from IMF and other multilateral and bilateral donors will help to ease...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday issued red-letter to 16 ministries over delay in implementation of the cabinet’s decisions.This is the second time the PM’s office has issued the red-letter, which is a warning and a sign of displeasure. Last year, secretaries of 27...

ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office has approached the Federal Ombudsman over the ‘extreme injustice’ of out of turn allotment of second residential plots in the federal capital to a selected few in the bureaucracy in a non-transparent and unjust manner. The...

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan’s GDP is going to contract by 1.6 percent in the ongoing fiscal 2019-20 and will grow to 2.9 percent in the next financial year 2020-21 and the loans from IMF and other multilateral and bilateral donors will help to ease...

WASHINGTON: The coronavirus epidemic sent US jobless totals soaring to historic highs on Friday, increasing pressure on authorities to follow Europe in phasing out lockdown measures despite still climbing American death tolls.Germany, meanwhile, marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in...

PESHAWAR: Over 240 Pakistanis stranded in Qatar landed at the Bacha Khan International Airport here on Friday.Upon landing at the Peshawar airport, Qatar Airways flight was disinfected and the passengers went through a screening process and later shifted to a quarantine facility.Earlier, at least...

LONDON: The UK has fallen silent to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day as the country was urged to draw on the “same spirit of national endeavour” during the coronavirus crisis.Millions across the country paused at 11am on Friday to remember those who served in the Second World War,...

Underserved businesses run by women in Armenia need help to create a reliable client base and convince skeptical banks that their enterprises are a good investment.

Investments in universal health coverage are investments in economic growth. They play a critical role in leveraging opportunities, anticipating challenges, and delivering the knowledge, expertise, and financing countries need to achieve universal health coverage.

Public work programs can build much-needed infrastructure while helping lift people out of poverty and shield them from the effects of natural disasters and economic crises

Total asset management brings together all aspects of what it takes to make a city vibrant and livable.

Carefully designed social programs offer the best chance to avoid corruption, inefficiency and other governance problems. 

Millions of Asia’s informal workers – such as vendors, day laborers, and others – are left out of national pension systems. Here’s what we can do to help them in their later years.

‘Build back better’ is often easier said than done after a disaster, but one example from the People’s Republic of China shows that it can be done well. 

灾后“重建得更好”通常说起来容易，做起来难，但中华人民共和国的例子表明，这是可以实现的。

The global value chains that help drive Asia’s export-driven economic miracle have widespread development impacts. We need to understand them better to maximize the benefits.

A wealth of knowledge – knowhow and wisdom – rests with the officials, professionals, practitioners and communities. The challenge is to unleash the untapped power of this information.

Global supply chains link the welfare of disaster-hit companies and their surrounding communities to a network of corporations that have an economic incentive to help them bounce back. 

For quality evaluations of international development projects and programs to lead to better results, they need to be influential.

Blockchain technology offers great promise and great risk. We need to better understand how it works and how to use it safely and effectively.

The Asia and Pacific region is aging rapidly, and that is affecting the region’s workforce, but increased longevity is adding an unexpected element to the picture

Bhutan is using an innovative financing system to ensure its citizens have access to quality affordable health care.

After a disappointing 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, there is a need to restore confidence that the intergovernmental process can deliver on mitigation, adaptation, and finance.

Practical approaches can improve how we promote development research, and increase uptake by policymakers

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.

Asian cities act as engines of economic growth, providing jobs, expertise, and the sharing of resources. But in some cases, these powerful engines are sputtering due to insufficient infrastructure, inadequate planning, and poor governance.

Girls and women today have far more opportunities and role models than their mothers and grandmothers, but there is much more to be done.

Developing a holistic national student assessment system can be a colossal undertaking but strategic measures can produce results.

COVID-19 is uncharted territory but development professionals bring a wealth of experience from past crises to rebuild lives, livelihoods, and economies. 

Millions of families who were already poor and vulnerable before the COVID-19 outbreak face impossible decisions about food, healthcare, and survival. We have a responsibility to act immediately and protect those most in need.

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.

A new program will help provide food to thousands of poor households in the Philippines.

The pandemic reinforces the need for reliable energy services to support healthcare. Clean, renewable power is a good place to start.

Bold action is required by policymakers and central bankers to keep the region’s economies afloat and contain the pandemic.