ADB launches new anti-corruption plan for aid to Asia
ALL CONTRACTS awarded by the Asian Development Bank are to be made public as part of a new anti-corruption plan, the Manila-based lender said.
Under the plan, borrowers will be required to make public all contract awards, and to publish on the ADBs website contracts worth more than one million dollars, the multilateral institution said in a statement.
The move is part of an anti-corruption review carried out by the bank.
Facilities to report allegations of fraud and corruption will also be improved, the ADB said.
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Asia should build anti-corruption coalitions: WB
HANOI, Nov. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Asian countries should build wide anti-corruption coalitions with the participation of people from different social classes, an official of the World Bank (WB) said here on Friday.
The construction is quite necessary, especially in the countries which have poor management environment and serious corruption situation, WB director on charge of international relations, Vinay Bhargava, said at a meeting on introducing his book entitled "Challenging Corruption in Asia: Case Studies and a Framework for Action."
The book recommends Asian countries review the menu
Markets down after N.Korea launches missiles
Asian stocks fell on Wednesday, with Seoul shares sliding as much as 2 percent after news North Korea had launched a number of missiles rattled investors and fired up political tension in the region.
A lack of direction from Wall Street, which was shut on Tuesday for the Independence Day holiday, also contributed to the softer tone. U.S. stocks will resume trade on Wednesday.
At 0015 GMT, Tokyo stocks < .N225> had dropped 0.83 percent as industrial robot maker Fanuc (6954.T: Quote, Profile, Research), Internet conglomerate Softbank (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and Honda Motor (7267.T:
S.E. Asia meeting agrees on bird flu action plan
Southeast Asian countries agreed to a bird flu action plan presented by Thailand on Monday aimed at helping its poorer neighbours combat the deadly virus.
Officials from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar agreed to start implementing the measures, such as surveillance of poultry, next month.
It is hoped the immediate action plan will send a strong signal to the world community that (these) countries are ready to assume their share of responsibility in ... fighting the disease, Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn, the Thai Foreign Ministrys permanent secretary-general, told reporters after the meeting in Bangkok.
Asia-wide anti-piracy ops net 6.7 m discs, 915 arrests
About 6.7 million pirated CDs and DVDs have been seized and 915 arrests made in the past 30 days in an Asia-wide anti-piracy campaign by US based Motion Picture Association (MPA). In India, 163 raids were made against China (405 raids), Hong Kong (119), Malaysia (455), Indonesia(305) and Thailand (573 raids).
The raids resulted in record seizures of 6,750,350 pirated optical discs and 1,483 optical disc burners, as well as the 915 arrests.
The anti-piracy enforcement campaign - Operation Red Card--was launched in early May and concluded in mid-July across 12
UN NGO Section launches Asia-Pacific regional network in Beijing
The United Nations NGO (non-governmental organizations) Section launched its Asia-Pacific regional network in Beijing Friday.
The network aims at boosting cooperation between the UN and NGOs in countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and promoting the implementation of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region.
At a conference held Friday morning to mark the start-up of the network, NGO representatives from China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region held discussions on generating employment, eradicating poverty and promoting sustained economic growth for social
