ASEAN and the world

The death of outstanding figures who have contributed to the progress of mankind has left much grief for people worldwide.

Russian investigators said that they believed a fault with the wing flaps was the reason the Tu-154 plane belonging the Defence Ministry plunged into the Black Sea.

Pop superstar George Michael, writer of the hit song “Last Christmas”, has died at his home in Oxfordshire aged 53 from suspected heart failure.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that rescuers have found fragments of the Tu-154 plane which crashed in the Black Sea near Sochi, Russia.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Barack Obama on December 26th began their visit to Pearl Harbor.

On December 25th, an earthquake measuring 7.7 earthquake on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of southern Chile, 40 km southwest of Puerto Quellon, according to the US Geological Survey.

On December 25th, a Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including 84 passengers and eight crew members, crashed in the Black Sea near Sochi, Russia.

Thousands of Indonesians on December 26th prayed for their loved ones at mass graves and mosques to mark a tsunami which devastated Aceh province 12 years ago, one of the worst natural disasters in human history.

The Malaysian police has teamed up with the army to tighten security at public places, shopping centres and malls across the country.

A total of 10,248 residents from about 200 villages in Mong Koe town, northern Shan State in Myanmar, who had to evacuated from their homes due to armed clashes late November this year, have returned home after the situation was stabilised, according to local media.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has proposed the Lao National Mekong Committee continue working with Vietnam to monitor and examine practical impacts of hydropower plants on the trans-boundary river and protect its environment.

The Malaysian police has teamed up with the army to tighten security at public places, shopping centres and malls across the country.

Cambodia will host an international tourism fair for the first time at Koh Pich (Diamond Island) Convention and Exhibition Centre, downtown of Phnom Penh capital next year, 2017.

Several Southeast Asian countries were put on alert on December 23rd on the threshold of Christmas and New Year following two foiled bomb plots in Australia and Indonesia and the arrest of suspected militants in Malaysia.

Cooperation among six countries that share the Mekong – Lancang River should focus on water management for mutual benefit and sustainable growth in the region, said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Over 1,400 journalists have received accreditation to attend the annual news conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 23rd, the Kremlin's press service said.

Malaysia will hold a tripartite meeting with Australia and China on the search for Malaysia Airlines MH370 that has been missing since March 2014.

(CPV) - ADB has signed a transaction advisory services agreement with the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan to develop a bankable public-private partnership (PPP) structure for the Karaganda University Hospital project.

(CPV) - ADB and the Government of Mongolia signed three grant agreements on December 22nd 2016 totaling USD4.8 million for projects to promote gender equality, provide affordable sanitation for low-income communities in the capital, and build sustainable tourism in Mongolia’s northern region at Khuvsgul Lake National Park.

A Bolivian government investigation into the plane crash that killed dozens of Brazilian soccer players last month concluded that a Bolivian airline and pilot were directly responsible, Public Works Minister Milton Claros said on December 21st.

On December 21st, an earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale hit Indonesia’s Leti Islands, off the coast of East Timor in the Banda Sea.

French screen legend Michele Morgan, who starred in some 70 movies and took home the best actress prize at the first-ever Cannes film festival, has died at 96.

(CPV) - ADB held a training and capacity building workshop in Shanghai on December 20th 2016 for Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) officials in facilitating their capacity to efficiently address the increasing demand for energy saving buildings in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Three people have been killed and at least 47 injured after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale hit Ecuador’s Pacific coast.

On December 20th, Japanese Prime Minister said he hoped to visit Russia early next year.

Australia and France have signed an agreement to build the world's largest diesel-electric submarines in the Australian industrial town of Adelaide.

Donald Trump surpassed the necessary 270 votes in the Electoral College on December 19th, taking the next step in the official process to become the 45th President of the United States.

New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Bill English has announced his new cabinet.

On December 12th, Hokkaido authority has begun culling about 210,000 birds at a poultry farms due to the avian flu.

(CPV) - The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved funding to support a proposed ADB program that will assist seven Pacific island countries to transition to a renewable energy future.