Falls affect one in three people over 65 and one in two people over 80 each year, and can lead to reduced mobility, long-term illness, and loss of independence…reports Asian Lite News
Redbridge Council is leading an 18-month pilot project aimed at reducing falls among elderly residents by introducing assistive technology solutions.
Falls affect one in three people over 65 and one in two people over 80 each year, and can lead to reduced mobility, long-term illness, and loss of independence. Redbridge has a high rate of fall-related incidents, placing significant pressure on emergency services. This pilot aims to reduce the frequency and severity of falls, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for elderly residents and easing the strain on healthcare resources.
Funded by the Government’s Adult Social Care Technology Fund and working in collaboration with Care City, MiiCare, Whzan Digital Health, Feebris and Informetis, this initiative introduces assistive technology in care settings.
Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, said “We are extremely proud to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking assistive technology pilot. Our distinctive health and social care partnership gives us a unique advantage in delivering exceptional services to our elderly residents, empowering them to live more safely and independently whilst also alleviating some of the strain on our health and social care services.”
We are partnering with Care City and working with technology suppliers to introduce fall detection and prevention technologies across care homes, extra-care facilities, and residents’ homes in collaboration with the local falls team and reablement services. Together, we are developing an Assistive Technology (AT) model for Redbridge borough and working with frontline teams and residents to test and understand what works. We are working with social care and health teams to help us think about wider opportunities for using care technologies. We also run technology showcase events to raise awareness by addressing attitudes, culture change, digital skills gaps, and ethical issues like AI’s role.
Matt Skinner, Chief Executive Officer at Care City, said “Care technology will succeed when it provides meaningful value to residents who draw on care and support while empowering care teams to deliver quality care without disrupting their work. We are delighted to be working with Redbridge social care teams, health partners, and residents to understand and realise the benefits of care technologies and to use this learning to develop a model that improves lives and creates a more sustainable care system.”
Central to MiiCare’s contribution is the MiiCube an AI-powered device that monitors movement patterns and supports medication reminders. The MiiCube delivers personalised and responsive care, integrating seamlessly into daily routines to enhance safety and independence. In turn, it provides peace of mind to residents, staff, and caregivers alike, fostering a person-centered approach to care delivery.
Informetis’ InfoCare is a user-friendly support system that uses an AI-powered smart sensor to monitor daily routines and detects unusual patterns, such as missed activities or appliances left on, alerting carers or family members. The system operates without visible devices or cameras, ensuring safety while maintaining privacy and peace of mind.
The Feebris Health Monitoring Kit allows carers to perform health check-ups at home, reducing the need for nurse visits. GPs and professionals can remotely review readings for early intervention. A wearable band tracks movement, detects mobility issues, and alerts carers in case of falls, improving safety and ensuring timely support for users.
Whzan Guardian system uses wireless sensors and AI to monitor movement and environmental conditions, focusing on falls prevention and response. It tracks activity changes that may indicate health risks and alerts carers immediately if a fall occurs, enabling rapid intervention to support safety and independence.
The collaborative pilot will foster a safer, healthier, and more independent lifestyle for residents across the borough, and will be independently evaluated by Apteligen.
Home secretary stresses need for economic cooperation, against backdrop of royal revelations…reports Asian Lite News
The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has admitted the government has a “complex arrangement” with China because of the need for economic cooperation, against the backdrop of the exclusion of an alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew.
The man – who was banned from Britain by the government on national security grounds – was invited to Andrew’s birthday party and visited Buckingham Palace twice as well as St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the invitation of the prince, according to the Times.
It was reported by the Sunday Times that the man also met David Cameron and Theresa May and kept pictures of his meetings with the two prime ministers on the desk in his office. Both said they did not recall meeting him.
Cooper was asked on the BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme what her message was to China. “Well, we will continue to take a very strong approach to our national security, that includes to any challenge to our national security including to our economic security from China, from other countries around the world, that will always be the approach that we will take.
“Of course, with China we also need to make sure we have that economic interaction, economic cooperation in place as well. So it’s a complex arrangement.”
The former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said he will raise an urgent question about the man in the Commons on Monday, raising the possibility he could be named under parliamentary privilege.
On Friday, the Duke of York said he had “ceased all contact” with the businessman when concerns were first raised about him. A statement from the prince’s office said Andrew met the individual through “official channels”, with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”.
The businessman, referred to as H6, brought his case to the special immigration appeals commission (Siac), which upheld a ruling that he should be excluded from the UK.
The shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said proven instances of Chinese interference needed to be publicly exposed in order to keep the public and government vigilant.
“This question of Chinese influence is not a new one. It’s been around for years, or even decades,” he told the BBC. “They’ve been systematically trying to infiltrate universities, to steal intellectual property businesses for the same reason, and also influence government institutions. We need to be super-vigilant and publicly expose Chinese infiltration where it happens. Everybody in academia, in business, in government needs to be alert. If anyone has the slightest concern, they should contact the security services immediately.”
In the letter from the home secretary excluding the businessman in July last year, it said: “We have reason to believe you are engaging, or have previously engaged, in covert and deceptive activity on behalf of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) which is an arm of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) state apparatus.”
The alleged spy was initially stopped at an airport in November 2021 where his phone was seized. Communication on the phone, which is set out in the hand down from Siac, suggests there was high-level contact between the businessman and the prince.
In a message from the duke’s adviser, Dominic Hampshire, it said: “Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”
It also contained a message from the duke’s adviser to the businessman, which said that since their first meeting “we have wisely navigated our way around former private secretaries and we have found a way to carefully remove those people who we don’t completely trust … we found away to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor”.
‘Advice ignored’
Ministers failed to act on advice to tighten security laws that could have prevented an alleged Chinese spy from targeting Prince Andrew, a former attorney general has said.
Dominic Grieve, a former Tory MP who chaired the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) until 2019, said ministers were advised five years ago to introduce laws to criminalise foreign agents, but failed to do so. Similar laws already exist in the US and Australia.
“We remain without an important weapon in our armoury,” Grieve said. “We asked for [this law] in the context of the Russia inquiry report” – which accused the government of failing to investigate Russian interference in British politics – “and in my view we badly need it. This reinforces the need to do it.”
On 13 December, court papers revealed that a businessman accused of being a Chinese spy had become “a close confidant” of the Duke of York, Prince Andrew. It emerged that Andrew had invited the man to Buckingham Palace.
In 2019, the ISC recommended ministers make it a criminal offence to act as an agent of a foreign power without disclosing that fact. If parliament had adopted the new law, foreign agents could be arrested.
The UK has officially joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership as a fully-fledged member, potentially boosting the country’s economy by £2 billion a year in the long run…reports Asian Lite News
The UK has officially joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as a fully-fledged member, potentially boosting the UK economy by £2 billion a year in the long run.
CPTPP is a major trade bloc whose members – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and now the UK – have a combined GDP of £12 trillion.
The UK’s accession is estimated to benefit all UK nations and regions in the long run, relative to 2019 values, with boosts of £240 million for Scotland, £110 million for Wales, and £70 million for Northern Ireland. All English regions are also estimated to gain, including £450 million for the South East and £310 million for the North West.
From today businesses across the country will face lower tariffs and fewer barriers when selling to economies across three continents, with the financial services, manufacturing and food and drink sectors in particular set to benefit, helping to support the Government’s Plan for Change by boosting household wages by £1 billion every year and delivering on one of the five missions of kickstarting economic growth.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said, “Britain is uniquely placed to take advantage of exciting new markets, while strengthening existing relationships. Today’s news is further proof that the UK is a wonderful place to do business, with an open, outward looking economy driving the growth people can feel in their communities. Agreements like this boost trade and create opportunities for UK companies abroad. This is a proven way to support jobs, raise wages, and drive investment across the country which is key to this Government’s mission to deliver economic growth. Our Trade Strategy, published next year, will finally put in place a long-term, strategic plan for international trade that helps businesses and consumers and, ultimately, grows the economy.”
CPTPP is designed to expand over time, further growing the economic and strategic benefits of the agreement. Costa Rica was recently announced as the next country to go through the process of joining, and other economies such as Indonesia – the largest economy in Southeast Asia, with a GDP of over £1 trillion and home to around 280 million people in 2023 – have already expressed an eagerness to join the bloc.
CEO of HSBC UK Ian Stuart said, “Being part of the CPTPP signals that the UK is open for business with some of the world’s most exciting growth markets. Since the announcement of the UK’s accession in July 2023, we have seen an increase in payments between the CPTPP markets and the UK, and we expect this growth to continue. As the world’s leading trade bank, with deep roots across many CPTPP countries, we are well-positioned to connect UK businesses with growth opportunities in markets such as Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Australia.”
Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Jean-Etienne Gourgues said, “At a time of increasing barriers to trade globally, the UK’s accession to the CPTPP is welcome news for Chivas Brothers Scotch whisky business. Improved access to markets in dynamic regions like South East Asia and Latin America in a trading bloc which covers almost a fifth of the total value of Scotch whisky exports should help boost our £1BN annual exports.”
Chief Executive Officer of Scalerr Matthew Borthwick said, “International expansion isn’t just for the big businesses out there. Due to agreements like the CPTPP, UK SMEs will also benefit, making it easier to trade with CPTPP countries. As a tech scale-up consultancy with customers across the world, we at Scalerr welcome the support the CPTPP will provide by reducing costs, easing administrative burdens, and facilitating international trade.”
Sectors like automotive and food and drink will be able to benefit from CPTPP membership, including through modern “rules of origin” provisions which allow goods to qualify for lower tariffs when built from parts from CPTPP countries then exported to a CPTPP country. For example, a UK car engine manufacturer using components from other CPTPP countries could more easily qualify for lower tariffs when exporting the final engine within CPTPP.
UK services firms, which employ over 80% of our workforce, could also find it easier to export their services to CPTPP countries, with firms allowed to manage funds across the world from the UK and provide services to CPTPP markets on a level playing field with domestic firms in key sectors.
Prices on consumer goods could also fall if savings are passed on by importers, with tariffs removed on items like fruit juices from Peru and vacuum cleaners from Malaysia.
Through CPTPP, the UK now has free trade deals with Malaysia and Brunei for the first time, economies with a combined GDP of over £330 billion last year.
CPTPP’s entry into force comes as the UK edges closer to securing trade deals with partners such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, India, Switzerland and South Korea. These form one half of this government’s twin-track approach to trade which seeks to reset our relationship with the EU at the same time as striking new trade deals.
It is clear that India is at war because an adversary has made India a target for efforts designed to continuously degrade the country’s technological and industrial capabilities, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat
Entities within China, who are privy to some of the discussions within the top tier of the Chinese Communist Party, say that as 2027 approaches, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping is getting anxious about his prospects for securing a fourth term. Given the anger amongst former colleagues at the roughshod manner in which they are being treated by Xi, the consensus within his inner circle of supporters is that a spectacular victory needs to be secured by that time.
Taiwan remains the prime target for such an attempt, but there are competing views on what needs to be done in order to establish control over Taiwan. A set of planners say that by choking Taiwan through denying sea and air access to the island country, mass unrest, much of it sponsored, would erupt across the island, and a Red Revolution would occur, in which the island government changes and a new construct begins to implement a contrary policy to the Freedom First and Forever stance of the present government led by President Lai Ching-te and by his predecessor, Dr Tsai Ing-wen.
Such a government would give greater and greater access within the councils of governance to the CCP, eventually becoming by 2031 in effect an offshore province of the People’s Republic of China in the way Hainan is. A rival group of favourites believes that enforcing a blockade would cause a strong response from the US and its allies, thereby affecting the economy and generating unrest in China as much or more as what would be planned to happen in Taiwan.
Such a situation would affect the stability of the rule of Xi. They argue that establishing control over Taiwan needs to be put off until the close of the fourth term of CCP General Secretary Xi, thereby making him a hero in the CCP pantheon rivalling Mao. This downplays the possibility that in the absence of such a victory, Xi could miss out on a fourth term in what is becoming a restive party. Accordingly, a via media was found between the two approaches. This was to ensure that “a ring of mountain fires” was lit around the world in such a manner as to sufficiently distract not just the US but also that of Japan, the UK, and Germany as well. As a consequence, they would be unwilling or unable to come to the defence of Taiwan once the PRC blockade begins.
The same sources say that the catalyst for such a policy was the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It was decided at the highest level that the conflict would be kept going by giving “our Russian comrades” enough to sustain themselves in carrying out the war, but not enough for them to succeed in their mission of prevailing over the government in Kiev sufficiently to achieve their objective of securing enough territory to ensure Russian security and making Kiev understand that it was impossible for them to win the lost territory back.
The CCP leadership ensured that the Ukraine pot was kept boiling, including by boosting disinfo and misinfo efforts at ensuring Russophobia in western capitals and within society, so that any reflection on the China threat would get elbowed out by the “Russia threat”. They claim that it was not an accident that Hillary Clinton or Boris Johnson or Justin Trudeau were prime boosters of the “Let’s go after Russia” effort, nor that Hunter Biden shared their view, as did other notables. They did not go further where specifics of such a claim were concerned. After Ukraine, attention was turned to North Korea, so that Japan would get distracted and desist from any intervention in the eventuality of a PLA blockade of Taiwan.
In such a task, Russia was brought in as the prime mover behind provocative actions by Kim Jong Un, although much of the fuel for such an effort could be sourced to China were a comprehensive enquiry to take place. Simultaneously, action was taken to ensure that the leadership elements in the anti-China camp got discredited. Whoever persuaded now-impeached President Yoon of South Korea to impose martial law may not necessarily be as opposed to Beijing or Pyongyang as their advice to impose martial law suggested. After having been assured of “all weather support”, the mullahs in Iran were given much less than what had earlier been promised when the temperature between Jerusalem and Tehran got heated. “Logistical difficulties” were blamed for the shortfall.
After the Korean Peninsula came the turn of Syria, where a group affiliated to Al Qaeda was given the perfect opportunity to get control of the country thanks to the preoccupations of Moscow and the graft within the Assad family, mainly as a consequence of trade and trade-offs with China. Or in other words, the same source of grey zone takings by the Ukrainian Russophobes and other power groups in different countries. Turkey is the face of the revolt against Assad, an operation that involved months of preparation, including bribing elements of the Syrian military to surrender rather than to fight, as was witnessed in Afghanistan during the first Taliban takeover in 1996.
Where much of the “grey zone” funds of the Turkish leadership come, and which were used together with other donations to fund the “Free Syrian Army” march towards Damascus, originates in a superpower fronting the Pacific portion of the Indo-Pacific. As for India, developments in Bangladesh are expected to keep New Delhi distracted, thereby presenting the perfect time to play the peace card. Syria is planned to go the way of Afghanistan after the Biden pullout in 2021, where the Chinese are ubiquitous even in parades where suicide bombers march in front of the cheering audience. Those in favour of the “lighting mountain fires” strategy are delighted by the apparent success of their strategy, and believe that by 2027, there will be enough distractions to keep Japan, India, South Korea and the US too preoccupied with such fires to give Taiwan the attention and help it will need.
However, the “talk peace but make war” strategy of the CCP leadership has not passed unnoticed in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. War in the present era is very different from earlier wars. Israel infiltrated mobile telephones into Lebanon through a shell company controlled by Mossad which had a civilian from another country as its head. The handsets were assembled in Germany by using parts that had been supplied by Mossad. These parts were primed for an explosion when a remote message was sent to them from Israeli operatives, and they did, causing significant casualties within the higher ranks of Hezbollah, who were the group allocated such mobile handsets.
Subsequently, landline handsets used by the terror organisation also exploded, to the consternation of those who had been committed to the destruction of the State of Israel. Whether it be mobile handsets or small drones capable of following and finally eliminating target individuals, it is clear that the nature of the way war is waged has changed. In the past, war meant exchanges of fire between the adversaries, bombing and other acts of destruction.
These are days when methods of war could include the making of artificial viruses which are more infective and deadly than the viruses on which they are modelled. Once John Ratcliffe takes over as head of the CIA, it is certain that he will conduct a genuine enquiry into how the Covid-19 virus originated and who were those responsible for such a destructive act. The definition of waging war needs to include actions such as developing viruses and using hacking techniques to ferret out the weaknesses of an adversary.
Looked at through such a prism, it is clear that India is at war, not because of its own choosing but because an adversary has made India a target for efforts designed to continuously degrade the country’s technological and industrial capabilities. The reason is that India has the potential to emerge as an attractive alternative to production units located in China, a country that has expanded its own manufacturing capabilities by hollowing out equivalent capabilities in other countries.
Since the 1990s, given the innate ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party to become practically a monopoly supplier of several product lines, a policy of containment of China needed to be followed, which would hobble the Chinese in technology development while at the same time, continuing to trade with them. Instead, President William Jefferson Clinton did the opposite. He opened the store to China while at the same time seeking to constrain India in the same fields.
By 2013, it became obvious what China was doing: seeking to displace the US as the dominant power on the globe. This was the time that a policy of containment of China needed to be put into operation, so as to degrade its ability to produce items that would be essential for victory in a kinetic or other conflict. Instead, what has finally taken place within the Biden administration in the US is an effort at constrainment through technology denial, a necessary but by this stage, not a sufficient step to rein in the militarists in China from going forward with plans for a blockade of Taiwan.
Should the national security picks of Donald Trump secure Senate confirmation, he would have a team in place that has a clear view of which countries are friends of the US and which country foes. India is in the “Friends” category, and the personal chemistry between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi would play a catalytic role in the two largest democracies coming together to secure the Indo-Pacific. The diversionary fires lit by the CCP leadership would be extinguished, beginning with Ukraine. The period ahead will be stormy, but will end in the way the 1939-45 world war did, in a victory of the democracies.
Jitendra Mishra is all set to present 11 th edition of SIFFCY , start shoot for his film in the U.K. and draws up plan for his new Indo-US-Italian film .? Rahul Laud reports
Noted film producer, Curator, and Festival director at various international film festivals, and director Jitendra Mishra has his plate more than full.
Mishra is simultaneously planning to execute the 11th edition of the Siffcy festival in late January; he has been curating for the past 10 years in New Delhi.
From late January till early February, Mishra set his Cinema4good brand aligned with Smile Foundation to give the world the best child and youth cinema.
Mishas has now announced his latest film production venture a unique combination of Indo-USA –Italian production, Ambitious go-getter who doesn’t have formal cinema school training Mishra has risen up the ranks from an ordinary spot boy on the set to producing some world class films has this new ambitious venture meticulously planned.
Mishra desires to capture Years of hard work, dedication, perseverance, self-belief, and ultimately, the victory of the human spirit in his new film.
Mishra will present inspiring story of Italian-American boxer Chiara Dituri in his r upcoming film “The Saint of Brooklyn” directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ulisse Lendaro, produced by Ulisse Lendaro.
CAAN emphasised that the authority to regulate air traffic, including helicopter take-offs and landings, rests solely with them. ..reports Asian Lite News
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) has rejected a notice issued by the Sagarmatha National Park authorities restricting helicopter flights over the park for commercial purposes. The restriction, aimed at curbing noise pollution and protecting the environment and wildlife in the region, has sparked a debate over jurisdiction and the potential impact on tourism.
In a statement, the CAAN emphasised that the authority to regulate air traffic, including helicopter take-offs and landings, rests solely with them. “Our serious attention has been drawn to the notice by the national park authorities imposing a total restriction on commercial helicopter operations in the Khumbu region,” the statement read. The CAAN further directed helicopter companies to continue their operations as usual in the area, a popular gateway to Mount Everest.
The Sagarmatha region, home to the national park, is a major tourist destination. Last year, nearly 30,000 foreign tourists visited the area, with many opting for helicopter flights to enjoy breathtaking views or as part of trekking packages. Flights in this region are a cornerstone of Nepal’s tourism industry.
The Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) echoed CAAN’s stance, with its president, Manoj Karki, reaffirming that helicopter companies operate within CAAN’s rules and regulations. “We have instructed helicopter companies to maintain their flight operations in the national park as usual,” he stated.
Deepak Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, stressed the potential damage to the country’s tourism credibility if flights are canceled. He highlighted that many tourists book helicopter tours over a year in advance. “There should be extensive discussions among all stakeholders before altering the rules regarding flights over protected areas,” Joshi added.
Efforts to contact officials from Sagarmatha National Park for their comments on the issue were unsuccessful. The ongoing disagreement underscores the need for collaborative dialogue to balance environmental concerns with Nepal’s thriving tourism sector.
Lekhak highlighted that amending the Constitution is vital for strengthening Nepal’s federal democratic republic….reports Asian Lite News
Nepal’s Minister for Home Affairs, Ramesh Lekhak, emphasised the importance of building a consensus among all political parties to amend the Constitution, according to a report by The Himalayan Times.
Speaking at a press meet on Sunday, Lekhak highlighted that amending the Constitution is vital for strengthening Nepal’s federal democratic republic.
He noted that preliminary discussions on the issue have already begun but clarified that the amendment process will not be dictated by just two political parties.
Lekhak acknowledged that the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML)—the two largest parties in Parliament—joined forces to form the current coalition government with the aim of fostering political stability, combating corruption, promoting good governance, and accelerating economic and developmental activities.
He assured that the alliance between the NC and CPN-UML is stable and will continue until the next general election.
Addressing the recent arrest of opposition leader Rabi Lamichhane, the Home Minister stressed that the government is committed to upholding human rights and dismissed allegations of political vendetta against Lamichhane, leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He asserted that the ongoing investigation is strictly a legal matter.
Separately, Nepali Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat advised the government to exercise caution when accepting foreign loans, urging that such borrowing should be strictly need-based.
Mahat pointed out that repaying loans taken during the COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges for the nation.
Nepal continues to grapple with political instability, having witnessed 14 different governments in the 16 years since adopting the Republican system.
The current coalition government, led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, took office in July after Oli, leader of Nepal’s largest communist party, was appointed by President Ram Chandra Paudel.
Oli succeeded Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ who lost a vote of confidence in Parliament, prompting the formation of the new coalition government.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed announced that the restrictions will be in effect immediately across the district for the next week…reports Asian Lite News
In preparation for the anti-polio campaign set to be launched on December 16, Section 144 has been imposed in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for seven days, as reported by ARY News on Sunday.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed announced that the restrictions will be in effect immediately across the district for the next week. The measures include a ban on carrying firearms, prohibiting two people from riding on a motorcycle together and restricting the use of tinted windows in vehicles.
Hameed further explained that these steps have been taken in preparation for the anti-polio campaign, which is set to begin tomorrow. He also warned that anyone found violating the restrictions would face strict legal consequences.
Notably, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is launching the anti-polio campaign on December 16, addressing ongoing challenges such as vaccination refusals, missed targets, fake finger marking, and lack of cooperation from local health authorities and district administrations, ARY News reported.
Earlier on December 13, Pakistan reported four new polio cases, raising the total for 2024 to 63, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The new cases were detected in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Jacobabad, and Sukkur, with the case in Sukkur being the area’s first, The News International reported.
The EOC noted that the latest case marks the ninth in Dera Ismail Khan and the third in Jacobabad, while the affected child in Sukkur is a boy. This year, polio cases have been distributed across provinces as follows: 26 in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
Polio, a highly contagious viral disease, primarily impacts children under five, especially those with weak immunity or insufficient vaccination.
With over 60 per cent of children affected by polio in 2024 having not received routine immunizations, health authorities have formed a high-level committee to enhance coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). (ANI)
The loan agreement was signed by Economic Affairs Secretary Kazim Niaz and ADB Country Director Emma Fan. …reports Asian Lite News
The Pakistan government on Saturday entered into a USD 330 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the Integrated Social Protection Development Programme (ISPDP), Dawn reported on Sunday.
The loan agreement was signed by Economic Affairs Secretary Kazim Niaz and ADB Country Director Emma Fan.
During the signing ceremony, Niaz emphasised the significance of this additional funding, highlighting its role in bolstering institutional capacity and improving access to essential services like education and healthcare. He also expressed appreciation for ADB’s ongoing support in these areas.
In her remarks, Fan reiterated ADB’s commitment to assisting Pakistan in enhancing its social safety nets. She noted that the additional financing would play a crucial role in promoting inclusive growth, reducing poverty, developing skills, and expanding healthcare access for vulnerable populations, according to Dawn.
Meanwhile, the World Bank cancelled a budget support loan of over USD 500 million to Pakistan after Islamabad failed to meet key conditions on time, including the revision of power purchase agreements under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as reported by The Express Tribune on Friday.
The Washington-based lender also announced that it will not provide any new budget support loans during the current fiscal year, which could affect the government’s expectation of receiving USD 2 billion in fresh loans. A key reason for this decision is that Pakistan has largely exhausted its loan quota as reported by Express Tribune.
Government sources revealed that the World Bank had cancelled the USD 500 to 600 million loans under the Affordable and Clean Energy program (PACE-II). Initially, the bank had agreed to provide 500 million, later increasing the amount to 600 million to help bridge Pakistan’s external financing gap.
The PACE program was approved by the World Bank in June 2021, with the first tranche of USD 400 million already released. However, the second tranche was contingent on several conditions, including negotiations with all Independent Power Producers (IPPs), notably the Chinese power plants established under CPEC.
According to the Express Tribune report Pakistani authorities said that no progress was made in renegotiating agreements with CPEC-related power plants. China has repeatedly rejected reopening these deals, including restructuring the energy debt, which totals around USD 16 billion, the sources added. (ANI)
The remarks by Rutte came while delivering a speech at Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels on Thursday…reports Asian Lite News
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte criticised China’s stance towards Taiwan and said that “China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple societies.”
The remarks by Rutte came while delivering a speech at Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels on Thursday.
He said, “We need to be clear-eyed about China’s ambitions. China is substantially building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons – with no transparency and no limitations. From 200 warheads in 2020, China is expected to have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. Its space-launch investments are skyrocketing. China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to our critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple our societies”
The NATO Secretary General also underscored the challenge posed by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, asserting that these nations aim to undermine “freedom” and “reshape the global order.”
He added, “Russia, China, but also North Korea and Iran, are hard at work to try to weaken North America and Europe. To chip away at our freedom, they want to reshape the global order, not to create a fairer one, but to secure their own spheres of influence. They are testing us and the rest of the world is watching.”
Rutte also sounded the alarm over China’s increasing military and technological advancements, warning of their implications for global security.
“China’s military-industrial base is also growing. According to some sources, China is acquiring high-end weapons systems and equipment five to six times faster than the US. It is heavily investing in munitions, accelerating space capabilities and expanding its nuclear arsenal, without any transparency or limitations. China is also challenging our technological edge by investing massively in the disruptive technologies of tomorrow, including AI, quantum and space,” Rutte said.
Notably, the Taiwan-China issue is a complex and longstanding geopolitical conflict centred on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), operates its own government, military, and economy, functioning as a de facto independent state.
However, China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and insists on the “One China” policy, which asserts that there is only one China, with Beijing as its capital.
This has fuelled decades of tension, especially since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), when the ROC government retreated to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China.
Beijing has consistently expressed its goal of reunification with Taiwan, using diplomatic, economic, and military pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally. Meanwhile, Taiwan, supported by a significant portion of its population, continues to maintain its independence. (ANI)
