-
Viewpoint: How Mobile Banking Can Protect Refugees
“Mean spirited”, “inhumane” and desecrating the spirit of the Refugee Convention are some of the milder criticisms levelled at Denmark’s harsh new asylum laws, passed last week. Among new measures is a decision to strip new arrivals of any cash and valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner (US$1,450), purportedly to pay for their upkeep. Switzerland and some southern German states have introduced similar policies.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
-
New IFC Report Examines Challenges to Microfinance in the Arab World
A new study from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has found that external risks, security concerns, and over-indebtedness are perceived as the most serious challenges facing the microfinance sector in the Arab World.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
-
Curing Hepatitis C, in an Experiment the Size of Egypt
Abdel Gawad Ellabbad knows exactly how he was infected with hepatitis C. As a schoolboy in this Nile Delta rice-farming village, his class marched to the local clinic every month for injections against schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease spread by water snails.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
-
Solar Solution for Saltwater Stress
MENA is the most water-stressed region in the world. The top sixteen countries in the world facing shortages of renewable water supplies are those between Morocco and Oman, according to 2011 data from risk advisory firm MapleCroft.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- solar
-
The Dream: 90 percent vaccination rate in Pakistan
Neither red tape nor Taliban has deterred Noor Rakhshani from working on a vaccine problem in her Pakistani homeland.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- vaccines
-
New GSMA Study Emphasises Importance of Digital Commerce, Access and Payments for Growth in Pakistan
A new research report produced by the GSMA, ‘Building digital societies in Asia: Making commerce smarter’, indicates that for Pakistan to harness the full potential of digital commerce, strong collaboration is required among mobile operators, financial and payments companies and governmental agencies. Each of these stakeholders have a crucial role to play in enabling digital commerce, digital access and digital payments.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- digital payments
-
Mysterious deaths of prominent sisters shock Jordan
Mystery surrounds the deaths of two prominent and successful Jordanian sisters after their bodies were found together at the base of a building under construction in Amman.
The deaths of Soraya Salti, 44, a mother of one, and Jumana, 37, have shocked and baffled Jordanians and led to an outpouring of grief from friends and colleagues.
Soraya spearheaded Injaz Al Arab, an education initiative that promoted entrepreneurship across the Arab world. Jumana was a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers based in the UAE since 2008.- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
-
Viewpoint: Iran Nuclear Deal Will Bolster Global Health
National security and regional stability have dominated the political debate over the Iran nuclear accord in recent weeks. Less discussed, however, are the far-reaching, positive implications for public health that will come when sanctions are lifted, as the deal calls for, and Iran’s medical system can begin to cooperate with the West again.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
- Tags
- public health
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.