ASEAN and the world

US President Donald Trump on January 3rd signed an executive order to dissolve the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, established by him, which ran from May 11th, 2017.

Bulgaria has taken over the rotating six-month European Union Council presidency from Estonia.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on January 1st appointed new ministers for defence, information and industry in the latest cabinet reshuffle.

Japan’s Emperor Akihito on January 2nd delivered his traditional New Year’s greetings to tens of thousands of well-wishers flocking to the Imperial Palace.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his New Year greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Republic of Korea's mobile carriers will likely invest more than KRW10 trillion (USD9.36 billion) in the fifth-generation network technology this year in a bid to lay a firm foundation for the high-end service, according to the RoK news agency Yonhap.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 1st spoke by phone and agreed to meet soon.

The Government of Thailand has ordered the Ministry of Commerce and related state agencies to fast-track preparations for talks on a free trade agreement with the European Union after the bloc agreed to resume political contact with Thailand.

(CPV) - Approximately 4,268 babies will be born in Viet Nam on New Year’s Day, UNICEF said today. An estimated 385,793 babies will be born globally on New Year’s Day.

(CPV) – The atmosphere of the New Year 2018 jubilated everywhere as people around the world happily welcomed a new beginning with the best things in the year.

(CPV) - ADB's Board of Directors has approved a USD25 million policy-based grant to continue ongoing efforts to improve the investment climate in the Kyrgyz Republic and encourage the private sector to contribute more effectively to the country’s growth.

(CPV) - ADB's Board of Directors has approved a USD15 million loan for an internet submarine cable project to connect Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands has joined Samoa, Niue, and French Polynesia to implement a regional cable system—Manatua—to have access to faster and more affordable internet.

The Vietnam News Agency has selected the top ten world events for 2017 as follows:

(CPV) - ADB expresses its condolences to the families of those who were killed in the recent tropical storms in the Philippines that impacted the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has held a press conference on the 37th ASEAN Tourism Forum 2018 (ATF 2018), which will take place in Chiang Mai province in January 2018.

Retail sales in the Republic of Korea increased more than 9 percent in November from a year earlier, led by strong demand for products sold through online malls and convenience stores, Yonhap news agency reported, citing government data.

Non-oil and gas exports of Indonesia to 11 West African countries in January-October surged 20.7 percent on a yearly basis.

Iran’s trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has witnessed strong growth, reaching USD2.63 billion in eight months to November 22nd.

The global reinsurance firm Swiss Re has revealed that disasters in 2017 caused an estimated USD306 billion in total economic losses.

On December 28th, Russia’s central election commission (CEC) accepted documents from Vladimir Putin to register him as a candidate in next March’s presidential ballot.

Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella on December 28th signed a decree to dissolve the Parliament and effectively opened the campaign for the first national elections in five years.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on December 28th had a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss concerns related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and further steps towards resolving the Syrian crisis.

The Thai government is planning to move faster in the implementation of the Eastern Economic Corridor project.

(CPV) - “Children are being targeted and exposed to attacks and brutal violence in their homes, schools and playgrounds,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes. “As these attacks continue year after year, we cannot become numb. Such brutality cannot be the new normal.”

(CPV) - On December 27th 2017, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbassi inaugurated the Hasan Abdal-Havelian Expressway (E-35), which was constructed with the support of ADB and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).

On December 26th, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al Safadi in the framework of his visit to the Middle East.

Senior members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Japan's ruling coalition, formed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner the Komeito Party, attended the 7th meeting in east China's Fujian province from December 25th to 26th.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has announced that Japan will provide some USD40 million in aid to Palestinians.

The bodies of 37 employees of a US-based company who were trapped in a blaze that gutted a shopping mall in southern Davao city on December 23rd have been found.

Countries around the world have tightened security ahead of Christmas and New Year.