ASEAN and the world

Residents of the Thousand Islands off Jakarta’s coast are battling waves of trash, with an estimated 40 tonnes of rubbish collected daily over the past week.

Over half a century, ASEAN has brought great benefits to Southeast Asian and Asian-Pacific countries by providing a peaceful and stable environment for development, and an open cooperation space, stated Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on November 29th warned that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s deadly Ebola outbreak is now the second largest in history, behind the devastating West Africa outbreak that killed thousands a few years ago.

(CPV) - ADB President Mr. Takehiko Nakao and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana met at ADB headquarters together with senior staff of both institutions to discuss deepening their collaboration.

The 18-day joint railway inspection on the east and west coast of the Korean peninsula began on November 30th.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD2.5 million policy-based grant to support the second subprogram of the government-led Kiribati Strengthening Economic Management Reform Program.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on November 29th that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha had made a successful state visit to Germany and had assured his host that a general election in Thailand is still slated for February.

The Malaysian Government has not set any deadline for ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Malaysian national news agency Bernama quoted International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking as saying.

Democrats in the US House of Representatives on November 28th picked Ms. Nancy Pelosy to be their nominee for the Speaker.

Nineteen leaders of the world's biggest economies and a representative of the European Union have begun to arrive in Buenos Aries (Argentina) for the Group of 20 summit.

Thailand’s exports increased 8.7 percent in October from a year earlier, nearly double the forecast of 4.5 percent.

(CPV) - ADB has approved USD38.6 million in development financing to help modernize irrigation systems, improve agriculture and land management, strengthen disaster risk management, and enhance data collection and analysis in the Kyrgyz Republic.

US President Donald Trump and Republic of Korea (RoK)’s President Moon Jae-in will meet on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this week.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Unification spokesman Baik Tae-hyun on November 26th reported that the two Koreas were in talks to launch a joint railway inspection this weekend.

At least 35 people died in a boat accident on Victoria lake on November 24th, the Uganda Police Force reported.

A number of activities were held on November 26th to mark the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack that left 166 people dead and more 300 injured.

The ASEAN and other new regional Asian groups became the focus of a plenary session on November 26th, part of the 2018 Horasis Asia Meeting held in the southern province of Binh Duong.

The 2018 G20 summit will take place in Buenos Aires on November 30th and December 1st.

A number of activities were ỏganised on November 24th across Cuba to mark the second anniversary of the death of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (25/11/2016 - 25/11/2018).

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economy Darmin Nasution said the pressure on rupiah would not yet be over although it is relatively stable hovering in a narrow range of IDR14,500 - IDR14,600 per USD after dropping to the level of IDR15,000 per USD a few weeks ago.

Singapore's core inflation edged up to 1.9 percent year-on-year in October, the highest level in four years.

Laos and India charted a roadmap to ratchet up their ties and cooperation in the future at the ninth meeting of their joint committee in Vientiane, Laos, on November 23rd.

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Defense on November 20th said the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) destroyed 10 guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Seoul Conference 2018, an Entrepreneurs Dialogue themed “An Open and Innovative Asia”, was organized at the Shilla Hotel, Seoul, on November 19th - 20th.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD500 million emergency assistance loan to support the Government of Indonesia’s recovery and rehabilitation of Lombok and Central Sulawesi after recent disasters claimed thousands of lives and destroyed infrastructure, property, and livelihoods.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a campaigned called “Let’s go no plan” with the aim of encouraging tourists to visit the country’s second-tier cities.

(CPV) - Short-term risks continue to cast a shadow over emerging East Asia’s local currency bond markets. However, they should be able to weather the challenges so long as the region’s policymakers remain vigilant, says the latest edition of ADB's Asia Bond Monitor.

Ghanaian Police officer Phyllis Ama Tebuah Osei has been awarded the annual United Nations (UN) Female Police Officer of the Year Award (formerly known as the International Female Police Peacekeeper Award) 2018 at the UN headquarters in New York.

Chief negotiators from the 11 members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will gather in Tokyo, Japan, on November 20th-21st to discuss policies after the deal takes effect in late this year.

(CPV) - ADB welcomed the PHP1 billion bond issued by AEON Credit Service (Philippines) Inc. (AEON Philippines) on November 19th 2018. The bond is the first in the Philippines guaranteed by the Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility (CGIF) and issued under the ASEAN+3 Multi-Currency Bond Issuance Framework (AMBIF).