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U.S. shelves detailed guide to reopening country amid coronavirus outbreak

A document created by the nation's top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging outbreak has been shelved by the Trump administration.





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Unanimous Supreme Court throws out “Bridgegate” convictions

A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the convictions of two political insiders involved in the “Bridgegate” scandal that ultimately derailed the 2016 presidential bid of then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The justices found evidence of deception, corruption and abuse of power in the scheme, but said “not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime.”




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Colorado Republican Chair Ken Buck in the hot seat after revelations over election results

Colorado Republican Chairman Ken Buck is facing criticism from within his own party after revelations that he pressured another party official to submit incorrect election results — and then spent party money to defend the move. At least two party executives say they were surprised to learn Buck — who’s also a U.S. representative — […]




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Ken Buck aide among those accused of election fraud, corruption by Weld County GOP chair

The Weld County GOP chairman has filed a complaint with the local district attorney and the Secretary of State’s Office accusing an aide to Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Buck and three others of election fraud and corruption.




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ADB President, Bangladesh Finance Minister Discuss Support for COVID-19 Response

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and Bangladesh Finance Minister and ADB Governor A H M Mustafa Kamal today discussed ADB’s support to Bangladesh in its fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Announces $15 Million Loan to Help Palau Combat COVID-19

The Government of Palau will draw down on a $15 million policy-based loan from ADB's Disaster Resilience Program to help finance the country’s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Announces $6 Million Grant to Help Marshall Islands Combat COVID-19

ADB today announced the release of a $6 million grant from its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 2) to help finance the Government of the Marshall Islands’ response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Approves $1.5 Billion for Indonesia's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved $1.5 billion in financing to support the Government of Indonesia’s efforts to alleviate the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on public health, livelihoods, and the economy.




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ADB Provides $6 Million Assistance for Solomon Islands' COVID-19 Response

ADB today announced the release of a $3 million grant and a $3 million concessional loan from its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 2) to help finance the Government of Solomon Islands’ response to the COVID-19...




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ADB Approves $1.5 Billion Financing to Support the Philippines' COVID-19 Response

ADB has approved a $1.5 billion loan to help the Philippine government fund its novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response program and strengthen the country’s health care system in its fight against the pandemic.




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ADB, AIM Launch Global Hackathon for Digital Ideas to Respond to COVID-19 Crisis

ADB and AIM today launched the #DigitalAgainstCOVID-19 virtual challenge to crowdsource digital solutions and ideas to help countries in Asia and the Pacific deal with the medium- and long-term...




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ADB President, Pakistan Minister of Economic Affairs Discuss Scaling Up Support to Combat COVID-19

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and ADB Governor Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar today discussed how ADB can scale up its support for the government’s response to the COVID-19...




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ADB Approves $200 Million Loan to Support the Philippines' Poor Amid COVID-19

ADB today approved a $200 million loan to support the Philippine government’s effort to provide emergency cash subsidies to vulnerable households amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Approves $1.5 Billion Financing to Support India's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved a $1.5 billion loan to the Government of India to help fund its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including support for immediate priorities such as disease containment and prevention, as well as social...




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ADB President, AFD CEO Discuss Strengthening Cooperation on COVID-19

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and AFD Chief Executive Officer Rémy Rioux held discussions today on strengthening the partnership between ADB and AFD to respond to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB President, Nepal Finance Minister Discuss Support for COVID-19 Response

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and Nepal Finance Minister and ADB Governor Yuba Raj Khatiwada today discussed ADB’s support to Nepal in its fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Approves $100 Million to Support COVID-19 Response in Bangladesh

ADB today approved a $100 million loan to support the Government of Bangladesh in its efforts to address the immediate public health requirements of combatting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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Japan to Support ADB Developing Member Countries' Response to COVID-19 Challenges

ADB has provided several targeted interventions to support its developing member countries in combating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from its early stages. In support of ADB’s effort, the Government of Japan is...




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ADB $50 Million Package to Help Kyrgyz Republic Mitigate Health, Social, Economic Impacts of COVID-19

ADB has approved $50 million in loan and grant financing to help the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic mitigate the significant negative health, social, and economic impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Approves $20 Million to Support Bhutan's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved a $20 million loan to support Bhutan’s efforts to stimulate the economy, protect public health, and mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on its people.




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ADB’s Trade Finance Program Supports Medical Supplies to Combat Pandemic in Sri Lanka

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a guarantee for a $25 million trade loan to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka (SPC) to purchase medical supplies as part of the country’s response to the novel ....




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ADB Approves $500 Million for Bangladesh's COVID-19 Response

ADB today approved an additional $500 million loan to bolster the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh to manage the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the country’s economy and the public health.




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ADB President, Bhutan Finance Minister Discuss COVID-19 Response

ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and Bhutan Finance Minister and ADB Governor Namgay Tshering today discussed ADB’s support to the country in its fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB Provides $30 Million Extra to Mongolia Health Project to Fight COVID-19

ADB has approved $30 million in extra financing for a health sector project in Mongolia to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.




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ADB-Funded Laboratory to Scale Up COVID-19 Testing in the Philippines

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH), with support from ADB, has set up a new laboratory in Pampanga province, north of the capital Manila. It will significantly increase the government’s testing capacity for COVID-19...




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Five-star hotel comes down to make room for apartments

CHENNAI: City builder Ceebros has started pulling down the unfinished JW Marriott Hotel in the city, which it had bought from Hyderabad-based Viceroy Hotels for 480 crore last year. Viceroy group sold the property in MRC Nagar after completing the shell of the hotel because the hospitality sector in Chennai is going through a serious crisis with low occupancy in most five-star hotels. With more than half a dozen new star hotels being opened in the city in recent years, there is very high room inventory and hotels are struggling for business, say industry sources. Ceebros is pulling down the unfinished J W Marriott structure to redevelop it into a […]




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Home sales expected to rise 26 per cent in second half of 2014: Knight Frank

After a lacklustre first half, home sales across the top six cities in the country are expected to rise 26 per cent in the second half of 2014 compared to a year ago, according to a research report by property advisory firm Knight Frank. A negative sentiment among home buyers due to the slow economy, high interest rates, inflation and also political uncertainty had tempered home sales in the first half of the year. While new launches in the period dropped 32 per cent, sales volume was down 27 per cent. But now, with a positive election result, a stable government at the centre and sops for the housing sector […]




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Property portal CommonFloor raises $30 million

BANGALORE: Online real estate portal CommonFloor has raised $30 million (over Rs180 crore) in its fifth round from existing investor Tiger Global. In January, the Bangalore-based company had raised about Rs 65 crore from Tiger Global and Accel Partners. Sumit Jain, cofounder and chief executive officer of CommonFloor, confirmed the investment. “We will invest in technology, product development, hiring and expanding to at least 22 new cities in the next one year,” he said. While the company did not disclose the valuation it received, Jain said that Common Floor expects to earn a revenue of $25 million in the next one year. “We have grown 100% in terms of revenue […]




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UNWRA launches coronavirus appeal

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) launched an emergency coronavirus appeal Friday, saying Palestinians across the Middle East were suffering a devastating socio-economic impact.




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Saudi Arabia coronavirus cases exceed 35,000

The number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia exceeded 35,000 on Friday as the kingdom struggles to get to grips with rising numbers of new infections.




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18 bodies of drowned Afghans recovered at Iran border

Afghanistan has recovered 18 bodies of migrants who were allegedly beaten and tortured before being forced into a river by Iranian border guards last week, a senior Afghan official said Friday.




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Kuwait imposes 20-day 'total curfew' from May 10 to curb coronavirus

Kuwait will enact a "total curfew" from 4pm (1300 GMT) Sunday through to May 30 to help to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the Information Ministry said on Twitter Friday.




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Pompeo, resuming travel, to meet Israel coalition government

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel in a show of support for the new coalition government, resuming travel after a coronavirus suspension, the State Department announced Friday.




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Iran-linked hackers recently targeted coronavirus drugmaker Gilead

Hackers linked to Iran have targeted staff at U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc in recent weeks, according to publicly-available web archives reviewed by Reuters and three cybersecurity researchers, as the company races to deploy a treatment for the COVID-19 virus.




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U.S. approves helicopters to Egypt but says rights concerns remain

The United States has approved a $2.3 billion deal on attack helicopters for Egypt, but an official insisted Friday that Washington was still pressing on human rights concerns.




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Vimeo / Scott’s videos




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Pakistan: National Trade Corridor Highway Investment Program (Tranche 1)

The government requested financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support the National Highway Authority (NHA) in constructing new roads and improving existing ones along the backbone from Peshawar to Karachi, to Gwadar Port in Baluchistan, as well as connections between Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China. Following the completion of loan preparatory activities in May 2007 and loan negotiations in October 2007, the ADB Board in December 2007 approved a multitranche financing facility (MFF) for $900 million to support the NTCIP–Tranche 1.




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Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund, 2007–2019

ONGOING EVALUATION. : This evaluation will assess the performance of the Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund (RCIF) against its establishment objectives and provide recommendations for its future directions.




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Kyrgyz Republic: CAREC Corridor 1 (Bishkek–Torugart Road) Project 3

The Bishkek–Torugart road serves several important functions. It is part of the CAREC Corridor 1(c) extending from Troitsk in the Russian Federation to Kashi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC, and is the shortest route from Bishkek to Kashi. It is the only north–south trunk road in the central Kyrgyz Republic connecting Naryn oblast, the poorest of the Kyrgyz Republic’s seven oblasts, and the city of Naryn to the rest of the country. It is the only road providing direct access to Issyk Kul Lake region, which is one of Central Asia’s well-known tourist destinations.




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Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 7 February 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 7 February 2020.  DEC and the Independent Evaluation Department (IED) discussed three topics presented by IED: Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD), Independent Evaluation Methods, and DEC-IED Retrospective/Prospective Exchange.




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Responding to the Novel Coronavirus Crisis – 13 Lessons from Evaluation

The 2019 novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), first reported from Wuhan, People’s Republic of China (PRC), on 31 December 2019, is the latest emerging infectious disease to be declared a public health emergency of international concern. The situation is rapidly evolving, with more than 43,000 confirmed cases reported from at least 25 countries, and more than 1,000 deaths as of 11 February 2020, with PRC accounting for nearly all (99%) cases and deaths.




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Technical Assistance Completion Report Validation Guidelines

This guideline specifies framework for validating technical assistance completion reports (TCRs) to capture lessons learned from completed technical assistance (TA) operations and to improve accountability for achieving results, the quality of completion reports, and the independence of project ratings.




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Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 25 March 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 25 March 2020. The commitee discussed the sector-wide evaluation report ADB Support for Transport, 2010-2018.




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Papua New Guinea: Validation of the Country Partnership Strategy Final Review, 2016–2020

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) country partnership strategy (CPS), 2016–2020 for Papua New Guinea (PNG) sought to assist the country in planning and implementing a successful conversion of its resource wealth into inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth. ADB’s sovereign program, comprising approved, completed, and ongoing loans, grants, and technical assistance (TA), totaled $2.11 billion during the period 2016 to May 2019. Transport was the sector receiving the largest amount of support (72% of total financing), followed by health (15%), and energy (9%). 




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Chair’s Summary of the Committee Discussion on 14 April 2020

This paper documents the Chair's Summary of the Development Effectiveness Committee (DEC) discussion held on 14 April 2020. The commitee discussed the 2019 Development Effectiveness Review (DEfR), and the 2019 Annual Portfolio Performance Report (APPR).




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How to boost accountability and learning in aid for COVID-19 - Marvin Taylor-Dormond and Stoyan Tenev

The world is experiencing what some may think is a “typical” black swan event: rare, extremely impactful, and only retrospectively predictable. 



  • Op-Ed / Opinion

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People’s Republic of China: Integrated Ecosystem and Water Resources Management in the Baiyangdian Basin Project

The project’s key objective was to demonstrate an innovative integrated ecosystem and water resources management that will improve the environmental conditions in the Baiyangdian Basin in Hebei province, southwest of Beijing. It focused on the need to conserve Baiyangdian Lake—one of the most important and vulnerable ecosystems in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It would also contribute to achieving the goals of the Baoding municipality’s Eleventh Five-Year Environmental Protection Plan.




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Senior Administration and Communications Assistant

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Senior Administration and Communications Assistant in the Strategy, Policy and Partnerships Department. The deadline for submitting applications is on 31 May 2020.




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Communications Specialist

ADB has a vacancy for the position of Communications Specialist in the Department of Communications. The deadline for submitting applications is on 12 May 2020.