ASEAN and the world

At least 36 people have been confirmed dead, after a horrific Oakland warehouse blaze that has since been deemed one of the country’s deadliest structure fires, sheriff's officials said.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Steven Mnuchin as his Treasury Secretary, his transition team announced on November 30th.

On December 1st, Francois Hollande announced he would not compete in next year’s French presidential election.

Thousands of Cubans gathered at Havana's Plaza of the Revolution to bid farewell to Fidel Castro, who died on November 25th at the age of 90.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on November 30th recognized the Belgium Beer Culture.

On November 30th, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam was named chairman of the Group of Thirty (G30) consultative group, succeeding outgoing chairman and former European Central Bank (ECB) president Jean-Claude Trichet.

China is the biggest investor in Cambodia, with cumulative investment exceeding USD14 billion from 1994 to October 2016, according to the Council for Development of Cambodia.

Singapore and Malaysia have decided to postpone the signing of a bilateral agreement on a USD14.7 billion high-speed railway project due to slow scheduling and other administrative issues.

(CPV) - A major expansion of economic corridor networks and new areas for economic investment will strengthen links between the capital cities of Mekong countries, and provide unprecedented opportunities for cross-border trade and investment under an agreement reached today by officials attending the 21st Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Conference.

(CPV) - Having been ranked as one of the most liveable countries in the world, Finland is best known for its unique tranquillity and stunning natural landscapes. This is a place where nature lovers would love to spend their holidays exploring every corner and every moment of the day.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecasted Indonesia’s economic growth will reach 5.1 percent in 2017, mostly driven by domestic expenditure and private investment.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD98.49 million loan to help advance Myanmar’s education reforms and equip youth with skills needed in a modern economy and society.

The aircraft, which had departed from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was transporting the Chapecoense soccer team to Medellin's Jose Maria Cordova Airport when it slammed into the Andes Mountains.

Cuba began official funeral rites for former President Fidel Castro on November 28th, firing a 21-gun salute in the capital Havana and the eastern city of Santiago.

On November 28th, President-elect Donald Trump scheduled to meet with David Petraeus, the former CIA director and retired Army general; 2012 Republican Party (GOP) presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, regarding his search for a new U.S. Secretary of State.

French President Francois Hollande, who is attending the 16th Francophone Summit in Madagascar, has called for the lifting of the economic embargo on Cuba in his speech on Fidel Castro’s death.

Cuba has declared nine days of public mourning for its late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and said his ashes will be buried at a ceremony on December 4th in Santiago, Cuba.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, a towering figure of the 20th century, died in Havana on November 25th at the age of 90, announced his brother, President Raul Castro.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Ms. DeVos, a former Head of the Michigan Republican Party and an education activist, as the Secretary of Education in his incoming administration.

President-elect Donald Trump has offered Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The National Assembly of Cambodia has ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck off Japan's Fukushima prefecture at 06h23 on November 24th, local time, Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Lithuania's parliament has approved former interior minister and police commissioner Saulius Skvernelis as the country's new Prime Minister.

Tsunami waves of up to 1.4 meters have hit the Japanese coast after an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck off shore on November 22nd.

Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon has won in the first round of the Presidential primaries in the centre-right Republicans party with 44.1% of the vote.

The National Assembly of Cambodia on November 22nd passed the budget of 5.04 billion USD for the government spending in 2017.

The Philippines and the United States have agreed to scale down joint exercises and reduce participating US troops, said a Philippine general involved in the talks between the two sides’ military officials in Manila on November 22nd.

(CPV) - ADB approved financing on November 22nd 2016 to support the Government of Solomon Islands and Solomon Power to convert electricity networks in five provinces almost entirely to solar power.

Laos has set goals to achieve an average growth rate of 7.3 percent and GDP of more than USD70 billion for 2020.

(CPV) – Despite enormous progress realized for children since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, the rights of millions of children are being violated every day, UNICEF said on November 20th 2016 as it marked Universal Children’s Day.