ASEAN and the world

The White House gift shop has introduced 1,000 coins, each worth USD100, to celebrate the 2nd United States (US) – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) summit.

Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has said that the increase in the export of farm commodities, including mangosteen which climbed up three times, has contributed to the local agricultural sector’s achievements.

Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres on February 25th said he hopes the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam, slated for February 27th and 28th, will reach an agreement on the concrete steps for peace and stability, as well as the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in on February 25th announced that his country will work hard to prepare for the resumption of economic cooperation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), stressing the need for the RoK to help the latter escape poverty.

The first-ever EU - League of Arab States (LSA) summit, under the slogan “Investing in Stability”, opened in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on February 24th - 25th.

The armoured train of Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un crossed into the Chinese border town of Dandong after 9pm on February 23rd (local time) ahead of his second summit with US President Donald Trump in Vietnam, according to international media reports.

The Indonesian government has invited American investors to invest in the digital economy and the development of "10 New Balis", a plan that aims to replicate the economic effects of tourism in Bali nationally.

Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un has departed by train for the second summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi next week, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

President Donald Trump has invited Czech Prime Minister (PM) Andrej Babis to visit the US in March, US Ambassador to the Czech Republic Stephen King announced.

The 7th round of high level US - China trade talks between trade negotiators from the two sides took place in Washington, with follow-up sessions at a higher level scheduled for later in the week.

US President Donald Trump on February 20th called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the upcoming summit between his nation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Myanmar government have signed a multi-year framework agreement to improve nutrition and food security in the country while safeguarding and sustainably managing the use of natural resources.

(CPV) - ADB is partnering in a new professional network launched in Kathmandu on February 20th 2019 to promote more female practitioners in South Asia’s energy and power sector.

Indonesia has officially entered the race to become the 2032 Olympic Games host after submitting a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

(CPV) - ADB, as part of its new Strategy 2030, is well-poised to contribute more significantly to the agriculture, natural resources, and rural development sector in Asia and the Pacific. This was highlighted by a panel of experts at a knowledge sharing workshop to discuss findings of the independent evaluation of ADB’s support to the sector.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced on September 19th that he will be running for US President in the 2020 election.

US President Donald Trump on February 19th called the Republic of Korea (RoK) President Moon Jae-in to discuss the 2nd summit with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam, next week.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD50 million loan to the Regional Development Bank (RDB) of Sri Lanka to provide affordable and accessible credit to rural micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

William Barr has been sworn in as the 85th Attorney General of the United States.

The Elysee has announced that President Emmanuel Macron chose the date March 11th as the National Day of tribute to the victims of terrorism.

Personal remittances from overseas Philippine people reached USD3.2 billion in December 2018, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, the Philippines central bank said on February 15th.

Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has strongly condemned the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, on February 14th.

The 28th International Book Fair is taking place from February 7th - 17th in Habana, Cuba, and is scheduled to attract 44 countries from five continents, including Vietnam.

Malaysia posted a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.7 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of last year, leading to an overall economic growth of 4.7 percent in 2018, Bernama news agency reported, citing Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)’s announcement.

President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jin-ping are expected to meet in March 2019, US Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Stephen Censky said.

The cabinet approved an agreement between the governments of Thailand and Myanmar to suppress human trafficking and eliminate the trafficking at organisational level effectively and in timely manner.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has taken up the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) from Rwandan leader Paul Kagame, at the 32nd ordinary session of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 10th.

The Singaporean Parliament on February 12th passed a new law on the establishment of a new agency to oversee food-related issues, a move to turn the country into an agriculture and food hub of the region.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s leader Kim Jong-un will arrive in Vietnam for his 2nd summit with President Donald Trump on a plane.

(CPV) - ADB and the Government of Australia, as well as Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) National Department of Health and Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority participated in an inauguration ceremony for the Jaffa Community Health Post, which was built under the ADB-supported Rural Primary Health Services Delivery Project.