ASEAN and the world

Foreign investment in Cambodia between 1994 and 2014 reached USD20 billion, according to a report of the country’s National Bank (NBC) and the Cambodia National Institute of Statistics (NIS) under the Ministry of Planning.

(CPV) - “Four hospitals in eastern Aleppo city – al-Dakkak, al-Bayan, al-Hakim and al-Zahraa – and a blood blank were reportedly hit several times on July 23rd and 24th disrupting key life-saving health services for up to 300,000 civilians.

(CPV) - UNICEF shares the concerns demonstrated by national authorities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and relevant social sectors about the consequences of the current circumstances for children and adolescents in the country.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in Philadelphia, becoming the first woman to be nominated by a major party for the country’s highest office.

On July 28th, former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, 77, has been sworn in as Peru’s new President.

According to the statistics, more than 100 people have been killed in monsoon floods in South Asia.

(CPV) - At the 13th Annual Meeting of the Working Group on Agriculture (WGA AM-13) of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), agriculture officials discussed ways to improve food safety and trade, climate friendly agriculture and bioenergy and biomass management.

Foreign ministers of ASEAN member states and China issued their joint statement on the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) in Vientiane on July 25th.

(CPV) - Some 77 million newborns – or 1 in 2 – are not put to the breast within an hour of birth, depriving them of the essential nutrients, antibodies and skin-to-skin contact with their mother that protect them from disease and death, UNICEF said.

Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) adopted a number of ministerial statements, including ones on enhancing cooperation among maritime law enforcement agencies proposed by Vietnam, at the 23rd meeting in Vientiane, Laos on July 26th.

Former Secretary of State has officially become Democratic Presidential candidate.

The 73rd Venice International Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Venice on August 31st - September 10th.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on July 26th he will encourage the Philippines and China to engage in dialogue and negotiations, following an international arbitral tribunal ruling over the dispute earlier this month.

The Mexican Institute for Friendship and Cooperation with Vietnam (IACMV) and Poland’s Saint Stanislaw Brotherhood have voiced their support for the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on the Philippines’s lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a loan of USD115 million and USD3.8 million in grants to help Sri Lanka meet its goal of achieving 100% electrification and improve the reliability of its electricity supply, including in former strife-torn areas and on small isolated islands.

On July 27th, Nepali Ministry of Home Affairs announced at least 54 persons were killed and dozens of people were injured in floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rain in Nepal.

Foreign ministers of ASEAN member states and China issued their joint statement on the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) in Vientiane on July 25th.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the central bank of Singapore, on July 25th, forecast a 1-3 percent growth for the country’s GDP growth in 2016 amidst a gloomy world economy.

ASEAN foreign ministers had separate meetings with the bloc's partners on July 25th as part of the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49) in Vientiane, Laos.

(CPV) - Amid a rise in the number of suspected cases of cholera in South Sudan, UNICEF is rapidly increasing its response activities.

The 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 49) opened in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, on July 24th under the chair of Laos, the rotary Chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year.

The Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) on July 22nd banned the distribution and possession of the Al Fatihin newspaper published by Furat Media, a company linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group (IS).

(CPV) - Strategic investments and new initiatives in the transport sector can propel Myanmar to reach its high growth potential and reduce poverty and inequality, says a new ADB policy note.

More than 130 people have lost their lives and hundreds of people remained missing after heavy rains touched off floods and landslides in China.

The current Zika epidemic in Latin America is likely to burn itself out within three years.

(CPV) - China needs to further reform its health system with a number of critical steps to meet the growing health needs of the population and further control spending increases, despite impressive achievements in healthcare reform and rapid progress toward universal health coverage.

Around 500 Indonesian soldiers began participating in a joint military drill with Malaysian counterparts in Tanjung Gelang, Kuantan Pahang, Malaysia, from July 21st to August 3rd.

The ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) took place in Vientiane, Laos, on July 22nd, with the aim to prepare for the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings slated for two days later.

On July 20th, President of the European Council Donald Tusk announced that Estonia would replace the United Kingdom in the rotational presidency of the European Union Council in 2017.

The United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) has added 21 new World Heritage sites at the 40th annual meeting of its World Heritage Committee in Istanbul, Turkey.