Chris Athayde @devbod

I remain deeply concerned by the continuing discriminatory policies imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women & girls, which affect every aspect of their lives. Restrictions on their full participation in public life, education & many areas of work violate their fundamental rights & remain a critical impediment to Afghanistan’s economic development, stability & reintegration into the international community. It has been one year since Afghan women have been prevented from accessing UN compounds across the country. These restrictions are contrary to international law, including the UN Charter, and undermine the organization's capacity to carry out its mandate & deliver life-saving and other assistance to the Afghan people at a time when needs remain high. I reiterate my call on the de facto authorities to immediately reverse the ban on Afghan women working for the @UN, and to ensure their safe & unhindered access to UN premises throughout the country. I further urge the de facto authorities to lift all restrictions imposed on women & girls, and to uphold their rights to full, equal & meaningful participation in all aspects of Afghan society.

Nigeria is a major hub for stablecoin inflows in sub-Saharan Africa. Scale brings benefits but also creates risks. IMF analysis identifies four priorities: safeguard monetary stability, strengthen oversight, improve data & upgrade payment infrastructure. imf.org/en/news/articl…

Mind boggling decision, hard to credit; well done to staff for challenging it.

Reuters @Reuters

2 days ago

The Eiffel Tower did not open to the public as staff refused to work in protest at their female colleagues being asked to remain out of sight of a Hindu religious delegation at the weekend, according to union representatives reut.rs/4gTbJwW

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World Electric Vehicle Day. Look at these Vietnamese cars in the streets of Copenhagen! The wonderful new world! Last week I was on a family visit to Copenhagen. I was taken aback of the sight of 500 brand new blue el taxis  - very visible in the streets. Remarkably they are from Vietnam. This combines two of the world’s most successful electric vehicle nations. Denmark 🇩🇰 now has matched Norway as world per capita electric car leader. Fully 97% of new private passenger cars in Denmark was electric first half of 2026. The total electric fleet will pass 1 million cars next year. Electric cars just surpassed the total number of diesel cars. Vietnam 🇻🇳 is matching Singapore with 40% of new cars electric. The country hosts tens of thousands of charging points, distributed across highway networks, apartment buildings, and shopping malls.  Even more brilliant - Vietnam is home to one of the very few competitive electric car companies in the developing world outside China - VINFAST. Vietnam is the fastest growing economy in the world and you see Vinfast cars all over the country. Vinfast is now also ready to conquer the global market. How wonderful Vietnam - China needs competition! The success of both Denmark and Vietnam comes down to good government policies - wavers from taxes and fees in the introductory phase. Others should learn! Tomorrow is world electric vehicle day. The world is going electric - extremely fast. Denmark and Vietnam show that both developed and developing nations can lead!

Social media is designed to maximize one thing: engagement. The thing that drives engagement best is anger and fear – we simply cannot look away. What happens when the very technology that allows us to have large-scale public conversations and allows democracy to flourish turns us against each other?

War in the Middle East severely disrupted maritime and air traffic. Even in the best case, there will be no clean return to the way things were. See our Chart of the Week blog. imf.org/en/blogs/artic…

Reading underpins all learning. That makes its continued decline one of the most concerning findings from the latest #OECDPISA. The ability to find, evaluate, interpret and reflect on information matters in an increasingly digital and #AI-driven world.

Africa’s critical minerals must build African industrial capacity—not remain unprocessed exports. At AIM Congress 2026, H.E. Wamkele Mene called for greater investment in processing, refining and manufacturing on the continent.

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🔊 A Reuters investigation examines how Israeli settler outposts are squeezing Palestinian communities, 'and are able then to kind of have a sustained campaign of intimidation against them.’ @PMagid on the Reuters World News podcast reut.rs/4gTyIYF

Here's some public health good news 🎊 Congratulations to Thailand for eliminating rubella as a public health problem! Did you know? Rubella can be prevented through safe, effective and affordable vaccines. Rubella is a contagious viral infection. During pregnancy, rubella can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or congenital rubella syndrome leading to lifelong birth defects. Learn more: bit.ly/4ynibTR #StandWithScience

We’re working to avert potential humanitarian crisis in Gaza this Winter. Families face collapsing shelters, flood-prone sites, amid disease and overcrowding. Fund the response. Unlock critical supplies. Approve entry of essential equipment. Implement the peace deal.

What if one of Europe's biggest growth challenges isn't innovation, but financing innovation? Fragmented financial markets make it harder for promising firms to scale. Integrating banking and venture capital markets could unlock sizeable growth. Read more: imf.org/en/blogs/artic…

PM2.5 has fallen sharply in Greater Beijing. Waste-burning in Cairo dropped ~65% in a year.  3 decades of clean air work taught @WorldBankGroup what actually moves the needle — and where the financing gap is widest. Learn more - in the blog: bit.ly/3UEsl43 #CleanAirDay

Productive discussions today in Papua New Guinea with colleagues from @WHO, @UNICEF and partner organisations on our shared mission to protect every child with life-saving vaccines. I want to thank our Alliance partners for their continued collaboration, from supporting the recent measles campaign and polio response to helping prepare for the introduction of the HPV vaccine in the country. Progress is only possible when we work together.

We have signed a transaction advisory service to support the development of three renewable energy projects in Madhya Pradesh, India. The initiative is expected to attract up to $1 billion in private investment and contribute to clean energy and energy storage goals: link.adb.org/4iQj4zG

Artificial intelligence (AI) could inject up to US$1 trillion into Africa's GDP by 2035. From 8 – 11 Sept, #KOAFEC2026 will focus on mobilising finance and partnerships to accelerate Africa's AI readiness. ➡️ bit.ly/AfDB_KOAFEC #KOAFEC2026

The response must match the scale of the loss. Read the report #BuildingGazaAnew oxfam.org/en/research/bu…

The future of farming is not only about growing more food. As practical AI tools scale across India, they can also create opportunities in advisory services, data and agri-tech – supporting farmers, and new jobs alike. bit.ly/4h9jnV8

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an African proposal for a new world map, which shows countries’ true size relative to one another. In favor: 164 Against: 1 Abstentions: 6

Six airport workers in Frankfurt contracted malaria, with two of them succumbing to the disease, despite not travelling to a country where malaria is endemic. One theory? An infected mosquito may have arrived by plane. It’s extremely rare, but not unheard of. Here’s what we know about “airport malaria” ➡ bit.ly/4ixywRe