IRELAND has become the 66th international member of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) — the organisation aimed at improving the welfare of poorest people in Asia and the south Pacific region.

Despite the impact of the deadly Sars virus, Asia’s 41 developing economies will still outperform the rest of the world with 5.3% growth this year, down from 5.7% in 2002, the Asian Development Bank said in its annual forecast today.