ASEAN and the world

(CPV) - British Council and China’s National Education Examinations Authority on December 2nd-3rd jointly hosted the 5th New Directions in English Language Assessment Conference in Shanghai.

The US Geological Survey said an earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale has struck along the coast of Ecuador, 19 km from Bahia de Caraquez at 06h19 local time.

Zimbabwe’s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced a 22-member Cabinet made up entirely of ruling party members.

Sail Sabang - the 9th edition of the international annual maritime tourism event, opened in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh on December 2nd, with the participation of 100 yachts from Asia, Europe, Australia and the US.

(CPV) - ADB has provided a USD200,000 grant to the Government of Vanuatu in the wake of volcanic eruptions on Ambae Island, Penama province in Vanuatu. The grant, provided by the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, will help fund the Vanuatu Manaro Volcano Disaster Response Project.

Lao Party General Secretary and President Bounnhang Volachith chaired a meeting with diplomatic corps in Vientiane on December 1st on the occasion of the country’s 42nd National Day (December 2nd).

(CPV) - ADB signed USD20 million in loan agreements with Agripacific Holdings (APH) and Kunming Hasfarm Flowers (KHF) on December 1st 2017 to help develop high-value horticulture in Viet Nam, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and Indonesia.

HeForShe campaign, designed to encourage men and boys to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, was launched by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on November 30th in response to International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25)th.

Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, former Secretary-General of ASEAN, has passed away at the age of 68 on November 30th.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 30th received former US President Barack Obama at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro will run for another term in next year’s election, Vice President Tareck El Aissami said.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has been sworn in for a second and final five-year term.

Cuba has been paying tribute to its revolutionary father, Fidel Castro, on the first anniversary of his death.

The 7th International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Games with the slogan “Military Glory, World Peace” will be held in Wuhan city, China’s Hubei province, from October 18th - 27th in 2019.

Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau will conduct an official visit to China from December 3rd -7th.

The French President Emmanuel Macron started a four-day visit to Africa, including Ghana, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, from November 27th, trying to boost France's flagging influence on the continent.

President Donald Trump has appointed Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Mick Mulvaney as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), after former Director Richard Cordray stepped down on November 24th.

(CPV) - ADB has approved a USD44.76 million grant to develop Afghanistan’s first 20 megawatts (MW) on-grid solar photovoltaic plant and boost the country’s renewable energy generation and supply.

King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn on November 24th approved the list of Thailand’s cabinet members proposed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha a week ago.

An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale struck the Wulong district in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on November 23rd, the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC) has reported.

The Government of Bangladesh announced on November 23 that its country and the neighbouring Myanmar have agreed on returning Rohingya Muslim refugees in two months.

(CPV) - Countries in Asia and the Pacific with developed financial markets, strong local financial institutions, and diverse financing resources are more likely to secure public-private partnership (PPP) projects, according to a new ADB report.

At least 50 people on November 21st were killed in a suicide blast in a northeastern Nigerian town.

Mr. Robert Mugabe has resigned as President of Zimbabwe shortly after lawmakers began the impeachment process to end his nearly four decades of rule.

Zimbabwe’s former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old liberation war veteran, will be sworn in as President on November 24th, according to Zimbabwe’s state broadcaster.

More than 140,000 people were forced to evacuate as Mount Agung on the Indonesian island of Bali erupted for the first time in more than 50 years.

President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone to discuss issues involving Syria, Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Ukraine, according to the White House.

On November 20th, at least three people were killed and 15 others are feared trapped under debris after a three-storey plastics factory caught fire and collapsed in the northern Indian state of Punjab.

On November 20th, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for new election after coalition talks between German parties collapsed over the weekend.

China has proposed building an economic corridor with Myanmar to further enhance the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.