ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - “ADB values its deep and strong ties with Hong Kong, China and will continue to work with its authorities, the private sector, and financial institutions to support urban development priorities in the region, such as water and waste management,” said Mr. Nakao. “Hong Kong, China, as a major financial center, has contributed to development in the People’s Republic of China and other countri

Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu on January 14th began his first visit to India to promote defence, trade and energy ties.

Defending President Milos Zeman won the first round of the 2018 Presidential election, which was held in the Czech Republic on January 12th - 13th, according to the Czech Statistics Office.

The Philippines on January 14th raised the alert for the Mayon Volcano in the central province of Albay from level one “abnormal” to level two “increasing unrest” after authorities said it shows signs of rising magma that could led to hazardous eruptions.

(CPV) - ADB operations—comprising approvals of loans and grants, technical assistance (TA), and cofinancing—reached USD28.9 billion in 2017 in its continued efforts to help meet Asia and the Pacific’s development needs, according to preliminary figures released on January 12th 2018.

As holding the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore will make efforts to strengthen the bloc’s collective resilience against common threats such as terrorism, cybercrimes and climate change.

The Agung volcano in Bali resort island of Indonesia spew an ash column of 2,500m to the sky in its latest eruption on January 11th.

Indonesia will import 500,000 tonnes of rice from Vietnam and Thailand to contain rice price hikes and declining supply in the local market, said Indonesian Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita.

Heavy rains unleashed destructive rivers of mud and debris in Southern California on January 9th, leaving at least 13 people dead.

The US State Department on January 11th said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will co-host the Vancouver Foreign Minister’s Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Japanese Prime Minister (PM) Shinzo Abe will visit the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and three Eastern European nations including Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, for six days from January 12th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

International leaders on January 9th welcomed the result of the high-level talks between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) Governments which took place at Panmunjeom’s Peace House.

On January 10th, US President Donald Trump said the US could "conceivably" return to the 2015 Paris climate accord if the agreement treated America more fairly.

Prime Minister Theresa May appointed former management consultant and the Conservative Member of Parliament for Salisbury, John Glen as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

(CPV) - ADB signed three project loan agreements with the Government of Cambodia on January 9th 2018 to provide support for road network improvement, provincial water supply and sanitation, and smallholder farmers development in Tonle Sap.

(CPV) - In its Global Economic Prospects issued on January 9th, the World Bank (WB) forecast that global economic growth to edge up to 3.1% in this year after a much stronger-than-expected 2017.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet arrived in Cuba on January 8th for her two-day official visit.

US President Donald Trump will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, later this month, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on January 9th.

(CPV) - General Electric (GE) has announced the appointment of Wouter Van Wersch as President & CEO of the newly created APAC (Asia Pacific) region (based in Singapore).

The Thai Ministry of Agriculture has forecast that the country will export 9.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018, lower than 11.3 million tonnes in 2017 due to low stockpile and modest production caused by heavy rains.

ADB launched a photo contest on January 8th 2018 on Instagram to showcase the development progress in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and demonstrate how a focus on increased regional cooperation and integration can improve people’s lives.

British PM Theresa May has appointed Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis as the new Conservative Party Chairman.

The National Election Commission (NEC) announced on January 8th that Egypt’s presidential election will take place on March 26th - 28th.

Two civilians and one firefighter were injured after a fire broke out on the roof of Trump Tower on January 8th, which is owned by US President Donald Trump, in New York city.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on January 7th welcomed the intra-Korean talks on Pyongyang's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but warned that "dialogue for the sake of dialogue is meaningless".

French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on January 7th laid a wreath outside the former office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the third anniversary of two attacks by Islamic extremists.

Elysee Palace said President Emmanuel Macron on January 7th left Paris for his official visit to China for talks aimed at boosting the global influence of both countries and forging closer ties with the European Union.

Laos could reach an economic growth of 7 percent in 2018, but needs to speed up mega projects, a Lao economist has said.

ASEAN should intensify its disaster management efforts after the region was recently hit by several deadly storms, emphasised ASEAN’s new Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on January 3rd welcomed the reopening of a hotline between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (RoK), and voiced hope for more diplomatic initiatives to end the peninsula's nuclear standoff.