ASEAN and the world

The Russian Communist Party on December 23rd chose Mr. Pavel Grudinin as its presidential candidate to challenge President Vladimir Putin next year.

Russia’s State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin highlighted the role of international cooperation at an international conference addressing the challenges of terrorism and regional cooperation which took place in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

At least 29 people died and other 29 are injured in a fire at a sports centre in the central city of Jecheon, the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The Philippine police said on December 23rd that the death toll from tropical storm Tembin has climbed to 133 while scores of people have been missing and more than 50,000 others displaced.

Indonesia will deploy some 180,000 security personnel ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays, local authorities said on December 22nd.

The Cuban National Assembly on December 21st announced that its current term would run through April 19th, 2018, instead of ending in February because the impact of Hurricane Irma in September had delayed the start of the cycle.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Canada to co-host an international meeting on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) crisis.

President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in highly appraised his official four-day visit to China.

The red colour of Santa Claus costumes bring the 2017 Christmas atmosphere all over the world.

(CPV) - On December 20th 2017, ADB, the European Union, and the governments of New Zealand and Samoa commissioned the Alaoa, Fale-o-le-Fee, and Samasoni hydropower plants, cofinanced from the Samoa Renewable Energy Development and Power Sector Rehabilitation Project, which will help cut the country’s reliance on fossil fuel and increase energy security.

(CPV) - ADB signed a USD14.27 million loan agreement with the Government of Georgia on December 19th 2017 to upgrade and improve the Tbilisi metro, which currently benefits over 300,000 commuters daily.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (RoK) announced on December 18 that it will focus on attracting more visitors from Southeast Asia, as part of efforts to diversify its tourist portfolio after suffering a sharp drop in inbound foreigners as a result of a diplomatic row with China.

Russia’s next presidential election will be held on March 18th, state-run news agency Tass reported.

The third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Mekong – Lancang Cooperation (MLC) took place in Dali, the southwest China’s Yunnan province on December 15th, with the attendance of foreign ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Vietnam.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 15th appointed Mr. Richard Wagner to be the next Supreme Court Chief Justice.

The current most urgent issue is to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and diplomacy would be the only remedy, said Jeffrey Feltman, the UN under-secretary general for political affairs who has finished his visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in five days.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) on December 12th re-appointed Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, former Norwegian Prime Minister, as the Secretary General.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi, 47, was elected on December 11th as new President of the Congress Party.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has appointed Development and Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as Prime Minister.

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf has presented the 2017 Nobel laureates their awards in the capital Stockholm.

The Czech Republic’s Billionaire Andrej Babis has been sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister, after his ANO Party came first in an October election.

(CPV) - Countries in the Pacific should step up their efforts to adapt to more extreme weather conditions and mitigate disaster risks to improve the region’s economic growth and development prospects, according to the latest issue of ADB's Pacific Economic Monitor launched on December 7th 2017.

(CPV) - Almost 17 million babies under the age of one live in areas where air pollution is at least six times higher than international limits, causing them to breathe toxic air and potentially putting their brain development at risk, according to a new UNICEF paper released on December 7th 2017. More than three-quarters of these young children – 12 million – live in South Asia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will seek a new six-year term in elections in March.

The second round of the municipal elections of delegates to municipal assemblies in Cuba taking place in 1,103 districts, distributed in 153 municipalities of the island concluded.

President Donald Trump has appointed Mr. Philip Goldberg, US former Ambassador to the Philippines and Bolivia, as Charge d’Affaires to Cuba.

Thousands of Cubans on December 4th participated in a ceremony to pay tribute to their revolutionary father, Fidel Castro in Santiago de Cuba on the first anniversary of his death.

On December 5th, Mr. Yoshihide Suga, Chief Cabinet Secretary, formally reported to the Cabinet that Japan’s Emperor Akihito will abdicate in April 2019 at the age of 85.

The Russia’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed a planned meeting of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US State Secretary Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of the 24th Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council in Vienna, Austria, to be held from December 7th - 8th.

Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau on November 4th met with Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Li Keqiang for the second Annual Leader’s Dialogue.