ASEAN and the world

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed 170 lives, health authorities said.

ASEAN countries will step up cooperation and share resources to ensure energy security through expanding power grid connectivity and developing renewable energies.

(CPV) - The Board of Directors of ADB has approved a grant and loan package totaling USD50 million to support the development of a more responsive and efficient primary health care system in four underserved Sri Lankan provinces.

Electoral authorities have confirmed Jair Bolsonaro, 63, will become Brazil’s President after winning in the runoff on October 28th, 2018.

(CPV) - ADB Vice-President Mr. Wencai Zhang has expressed confidence in Azerbaijan’s development agenda and said ADB is ready to increase its support for the government’s economic reforms.

(CPV) - ADB and the Government of Solomon Islands signed a grant agreement on October 25th 2018 to fund a new facility which will finance the design and implementation readiness of the government’s priority transport projects.

Ethiopian members of Parliament have elected Sahle-Work Zewde,69, as the first female President of the country.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) Ministry of National Defence on October 25th announced that the RoK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US-led UN Command (UNC) wrapped up the process of disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Demilitarized Zone.

More than 40,000 Cuban nationals from around the world have applied for repatriation after the Cuban government introduced reforms five years ago that broaden the ability for Cubans living abroad to seek permanent residency on the island.

The world’s longest sea crossing has been inaugurated in the city of Zhuhai, China, on October 23rd.

Singaporean Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the launch of Infrastructure Asia at the eighth Asia-Singapore Infrastructure Roundtable on October 23rd.

(CPV) - Regional cooperation is increasingly necessary to tackle a rising number of cross-border challenges in Asia and the Pacific, including infrastructure gaps, trade connectivity, financial contagion, and climate and disaster-resilience, according to a new report from ADB.

The 63rd International Belgrade Book Fair under the slogan “The Joy of Reading” has opened in Belgrade, Serbia.

Thailand’s exports in September defied analyst expectations, dropping for the first time in 19 months, according to data from the country’s commerce ministry.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) Ministry of National Defense on October 22nd announced that the two Koreas will hold general-grade talks at the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone, on October 26th.

The Republic of Korea's agricultural exports to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) topped USD680 million in the first half of this year, making the bloc the biggest importer of RoK farm produce, according to the Yonhap news agency.

(CPV) - ADB signed an agreement on October 19th 2018 to provide a USD25 million equity investment to Exacta Asia Investment II, L. P. (Exacta II), a private equity fund, to provide much-needed investments for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia.

Defence Ministers of the ASEAN bloc and eight dialogues partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US) have agreed to step up collaboration to counter terrorist threats, and consolidate mutual trust and understanding.

President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman on October 16th appointed Mr. Tomas Petricek as the new Foreign Minister.

The UN General Assembly on October 16th voted 146 to 3 in favor of appointing Palestine as head of the Group of 77 and China, a coalition of developing nations at the UN.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) held the first three-way talks with the United Nations Command (UNC) at the Joint Security Area (JSA) to discuss ways to remove landmines.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) Ministry of Unification (MoU) has announced the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the RoK agreed to hold high-level talks at the border village of Panmunjom.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) in Singapore on October 15th and 16th to prepare for the 33rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

Cambodia exported 389,264 tonnes of milled rice in the first nine months of 2018, down 8.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.

The World Bank (WB) has decided to provide loans worth up to USD1 billion for Indonesia after the country was struck by a series of disasters, including a deadly earthquake-tsunami that killed thousands

Leaders of the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank (WB) on October 12th visited Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province which was stricken by earthquakes and a tsunami last month.

US President Donald Trump on October 9th said he would announce his nominee for Nikki Haley’s replacement as US Ambassador to the United Nations in two to three weeks.

More than 420,000 readers of the United States (US) travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler have chosen Tokyo as the world’s best big city outside the US for the third year in a row.

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 11th called on the global community to support every girl to develop her skills, enter the workplace on equal terms and reach her full potential.

The 40th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) opened in Hanoi on October 11th, with 23 plans of action and cooperation on the agenda.