ASEAN and the world

A ceremony to inaugurate Rod al-Farag Axis, the widest suspension bridge in the world, was organized on May 15th.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 15th offered homegrown softwood lumber and steel to help with the construction of Paris’ famed Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Thai Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office is scheduled to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for financial support of investment projects next week, according to Thailand’s media.

Indonesia posted its widest monthly trade deficit in history in April as exports plummeted, while the pace of fall in imports was slower than expected.

Singapore and the Republic of Korea (RoK) signed a revised double taxation avoidance pact on May 13th, said the RoK’s Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Malaysian police have detained four men suspected for plotting assassinations and terror attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

(CPV) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has received USD20.19 million from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) to support women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs) to access critical financing and training in Viet Nam and the Pacific.

The Government of Thailand is striving to turn Thailand into a transport hub for six countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), following an infrastructure development project worth THB100 billion (over USD3 billion) in the Thai border provinces.

(CPV) - Making it easier for women in the Pacific to start businesses and gain formal employment will improve livelihoods and create more open and productive economies, says a recently released book by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and five nations in the Mekong sub-region - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – were high on the agenda of the RoK-Mekong Peace Forum in Hanoi on May 10th.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people and injured 24 outside Lahore’s Datar Darbar, the largest Sufi shrine in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab.

In an announcement on May 9th, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn affirmed that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired two suspected short-range missiles.

A high-level dialogue on human rights in ASEAN to assess the decade-long operation of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 9th.

(CPV) - Uzbekistan currently has a unique demographic window of opportunity as 500,000 youths will join the labor force annually over the next few years. Successfully integrating these job seekers to the labor market could transform Uzbekistan into a rapidly growing and diversifying economy.

Denmark’s Prime Minister (PM) Lars Lokke Rasmussen on May 7th called a general election for June 5th.

Nearly 27 million South Africans have begun voting in national elections on May 8th.

Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) announced on May 8th the list of 149 member of parliaments (MPs), with 26 political parties entering the House of Representatives of the National Assembly following the March 24 general election.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) said US President Donald Trump supported the country’s plan to provide humanitarian food aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Indonesia will deploy 450,000 military troops and police personnel to handle possible riots when the 2019 elections results are announced on May 22nd, according to Indonesian Military Commander Hadi Tjahjanto.

Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) on May 7th announced the list of 349 candidates who won seats in the House of Representatives in the March 24th election.

Former Crown Prince Naruhito formally took his place as Emperor at a solemn ceremony on May 1st, following the abdication of his father Akihito on April 30th, 2019, beginning the Reiwa period.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on May 6th held talks with his U. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Finland.

A private jet with more than a dozen people on board crashed in northern Mexico on its way down from Las Vegas.

Despite the 65 years that have passed, the memories of Colonel Jacques Allaire – a French veteran who fought in the Dien Bien Phu campaign – have remained intact.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) is set to hold open hearings in Seoul on May 7th to promote the country’s free trade agreements (FTAs) with the Philippines and Malaysia.

China is consider cancelling trade talks with the United States this week after President Donald Trump vowed to a new tariff hike on Chinese goods.

At least 41 people were killed after a Russian Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet burst into flames while attempting an emergency landing at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport on May 5th.

The Republic of Korea’s Yonhap News Agency delivered an article saying that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on May 4th tested unidentified short-range projectiles, in a location in Gangwon province.

Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) is set to announce 95 percent of the official election results on May 7th-8th, according to the local media.

The coronation of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn – Rama X officially kicked off at the Grand Palace on May 4th, which observes the beginning of the 10th king of Thailand’s Chakri dynasty.