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House probe urged to include EJK victims in Duterte’s counterinsurgency

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Our View: Why are contracts awarded to companies that can’t complete projects?

The Paphos-Polis highway is the fourth public project this government has terminated because of major disputes with the contractor. Last year it pulled the plug on the waste treatment plant in Pentakomo, while earlier this year it ended the contract for the Larnaca port and marina with Kition Ocean Holdings followed by the termination of […]



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  • Finance Minister Makis Keravnos
  • Kition Ocean Holdings

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Human-centered Design Improves Transport in Ulaanbaatar’s Ger Areas

ADB sought to understand what improving transport meant for the community. Prior to project design, consultations were conducted with residents in Ulaanbaatar’s ger areas. Design decisions were tested back to ensure that mobility pain points were addressed.




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Replicating ADB Projects from the People's Republic of China

This video introduces a new publication presenting five case studies of projects in the People's Republic of China that illustrate how effective solutions to environmental and social problems have been applied in different contexts.




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23rd Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program - Masatsugu Asakawa

Keynote address by Masatsugu Asakawa, President, Asian Development Bank, at the 23rd Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, 8 November 2024




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Senior Ombuds Programs Officer

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Senior Ombuds Programs Officer in the Office of the Ombudsperson. The deadline for submitting applications is on 13-NOV-2024.




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Project Officer (Transport)

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Project Officer (Transport) in the Sectors Group. The deadline for submitting applications is on 26-NOV-2024.




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Asian Development Blog: Key Strategies to Improve Mental Health Support Across Asia and the Pacific

World Mental Health Day is a timely reminder that integrating mental health care into schools, workplaces, and communities is critical for improving health outcomes and reducing costs. Expanding digital interventions and peer-support systems are also crucial, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.




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Development Asia: Advancing Uzbekistan’s Sustainable Development via PPP Road Projects

As a landlocked country, Uzbekistan’s roads carried 1.24 billion tons, or 90.6% of all freight, in 2020 (rail 5.2%, pipelines 4.2%).




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Development Asia: Build Together, Benefit Together: Seoul’s Approach to Urban Development

Cities are engines of economic growth, generating over 80% of the global gross domestic product. As centers of innovation and technological development, they play a crucial role in creating jobs, driving commerce, and providing social services.






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Colorado voters reject Proposition 127 ban on hunting of mountain lions, bobcats

Coloradans have rejected a proposed ban on mountain lion and bobcat hunting -- a hit for wildlife advocates who have worked to outlaw or change the practice for years.






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Sharing the Fruit of Forestry Products: Indigenous People and Their Incomes in the Forestry Sector in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

This study examines the impact of economic development in forestry on the indigenous people who have traditionally lived in and obtained their livelihood from the forest. It takes villages in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, as a case study.



  • Publications/Papers and Briefs

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Does Exporting Raise Productivity? Evidence from Korean Microdata

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



  • Publications/Papers and Briefs

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Prospects of India–Bangladesh Economic Cooperation: Implications for South Asian Regional Cooperation

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



  • Publications/Papers and Briefs

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Punjab govt orders closure of all schools as province tackles hazardous air quality

The government of Punjab on Tuesday — expanding on its previous order — closed all the educational institutions up to the higher secondary level in the province from tomorrow until the end of the week, shifting them to an online mode, as the province tackles the hazardous smog situation prevalent for the past few weeks.

The recent smog situation was declared a “calamity” in Punjab last month. Schools have been closed in the province’s main divisions — Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Multan — until November 17 in a bid to lower children’s exposure to pollution.

Separately, the public has been barred from entering public parks, zoos, playgrounds, and museums until November 17 to reduce public exposure to smog.

A day ago, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative in Pakistan called for urgent and greater efforts to reduce air pollution, noting that over 11 million children under five years of age were exposed to smog in the worst affected districts of Punjab.

The province’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a notification issued today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com that “All the educational institutions […] up to higher secondary level shall remain closed and will shift to online mode with effect from Nov 13 within […] DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions […] till Nov 17.”

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat also announced the closure of schools during a press conference today, saying that the “decision was made in light of the complaints received from the district.”

“This drastic decision had to be taken to protect children from the deadly effects,” he said, “There is a sense of educational loss, but the decision to close educational institutions is being taken out of compulsion.

“In view of the difficulties in online teaching, an alternative strategy is being quickly brought in,” the minister added.

He also appealed to the public to cooperate and do what was in their capacity to help the government deal with this issue.

50pc of govt offices to work online

Separately, all government offices were ordered to shift half of their workforce to online mode to reduce traffic load on roads to prevent the worsening of the smog situation due to vehicular emissions.

“The physical presence of human resource(s) of offices in your jurisdiction may kindly be reduced to 50pc by shifting them to online mode/work from home,” the EPA said in a separate notification issued today.

In the order issued on Tuesday, which is seen by Dawn.com, the Punjab EPA directed all the administrative secretaries, as well as heads of attached departments and semi-government/autonomous bodies, to reduce the physical presence of human resources by 50 per cent.

According to the notification, the situation was likely to prevail for a few weeks, adding that local pollution contributing factors, especially vehicular emissions, may further exacerbate the conditions.

“Hence, the situation warrants to specify safeguards to reduce the number of vehicles on roads in order to control air pollution, through preparation and implementation of contingency plans,” the notification said.

The EPA also called for inter-departmental meetings to be convened in an online mode unless the physical presence of participants was “extremely necessary”.

Bad-quality air aggravating pulmonary diseases: doctor

Speaking to Dawn.com, a pulmonologist at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, Dr Nasir Javed, said that asthmatic patients, who were earlier stable, are now facing chronic health conditions due to the smog.

“[Due to the smog], asthma patients would start feeling inflation in their airways and it would become difficult for them to breathe smoothly,” he said. “Even medicines have stopped working properly to cure the problem.”

He further added that asthmatics and chronic smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were at greater risk and were visiting the hospitals with exacerbation of their diseases.

“Air-Quality Index is directly proportional to the symptoms/ severity which one can suffer,” he said.

“Limited outdoor activity and hydration are the mainstays to avoiding respiratory issues as antibiotics were of no use.”

Smog to persist in major cities as weather conditions worsen: NDMA

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in an advisory issued today, said that the smog situation was expected to persist across the urban centres in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa throughout November and December due to high humidity, low wind speeds, and upper atmospheric pressure.

According to the advisory, as reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) the cities most likely to be affected by the worsening smog situation include Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Mardan, and Nowshera.

“The advisory highlights the rising smog levels in the affected areas, driven by the current weather conditions, and advises residents to avoid prolonged outdoor exposure and adopt protective measures to safeguard their health,” the *APP report said.

“[…] The National Emergency Operation Centre has been monitoring the current smog situation in Pakistan and surrounding regions.

According to the advisory, the team has access to advanced ground-based and space-based monitoring tools, enabling the analysis and projection of pollution emissions from various sources, including industry, transportation, and agriculture.

Precautionary measures

The NDMA advisory recommended the public adopt several measures to mitigate the effects of smog, such as avoiding unnecessary outdoor exposure during peak smog hours, especially in the morning, and wearing masks during outdoor activities, according to the APP.

“Staying hydrated, using dehumidifiers and air purifiers to improve indoor air quality, and adopting efficient transportation methods—like carpooling and eco-friendly driving, along with using COx and NOx filters—are also advised,” it said.




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Behavioral Adaptation to Improved Environmental Quality: Evidence from a Sanitation Intervention

This study finds that investing in sanitation not only improved children’s health, but also created valuable time-savings for all household members.




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2940-PRC: Hubei Huangshi Urban Pollution Control and Environmental Management Project[LR-C01-1 Ci lake dredging part 1 Bid No.: 0703-1520CIC1J602]




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