ASEAN and the world

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on November 8th began their officially began official visit to China, the highest-profile stop of his five-nation swing through Asia.

(CPV) - Staggering numbers of children – some as young as 12 months old – are experiencing violence, often by those entrusted to take care of them, UNICEF said in a new report released on the early November 2017.

On November 7th, an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck Papua New Guinea, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

Te identification of the gunman who opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, a small town in Wilson County, Texas, has been confirmed as Devin Patrick Kelly, 26 years old.

On November 7th, US President Donald Trump arrived in the Republic of Korea (RoK), beginning the second stop on his 12-day trip to Asia.

(CPV) - The Australian Embassy Hanoi on November 8th announced that Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, The Hon Steven Ciobo MP, will visit Vietnam this week for APEC Ministerial Meeting in Da Nang.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has opened the World Youth Forum (WYF) which is titled “We need to talk” on November 5th (local time) in Sharm El sheikh, Egypt.

A military transport aircraft from Russia on Novemeber 6th touched down in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang to prepare for President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming arrival.

The Thai government is pushing for growth in the gemstone and jewelry sector, in a bid to make Thailand an industry hub in the next five years.

At least 27 people on November 5th were killed and 20 others were injured after a gunman opened fire at a church. The official death toll has not been confirmed yet.

US President Donald Trump on November 5th arrived in Yokota Air Base (Japan) and the first stop on his visit to five countries in Asia.

President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in is scheduled to pay a State visit to Indonesia from November 8th-11th, spokesperson of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir has said.

Philippine security is on high alert ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia summits and related meetings scheduled for November 10th-14th in Manila and Clark city.

The fourth meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is taking place in the central city of Da Nang on November 4th-6th with the participation of its members from 21 APEC member economies.

(CPV) - Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, announced on November 2nd that he will travel to Vietnam and the Philippines from November 6th-14th, 2017.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will accompany President Donald Trump on his visit to Asia, the State Department said in a statement on November 2nd.

Head of the New York FBI office William Sweeney said on November 1st that they were no longer looking for a second individual in connection with the terrorist attack in New York.

Mr. Shinzo Abe, 63, on November 1st was re-elected as Japanese Prime Minister (PM) by the Lower House of Parliament.

At least 10 people on November 1st were killed and hundreds injured in an explosion at a government-run coal-fired power plant in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district, India.

Visiting Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan held talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi, India on October 31st.

Construction of the Lao National Assembly House, a gift of the Vietnamese Party, State and people to the neighbouring country, began in Vientiane on November 1st.

At least 8 people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a man drove a Home Depot rental truck through a New York city cycle lane.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on October 31st confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted an invitation to Russia in 2018.

Indonesia’s investment activities are becoming more eventful as total investment capital in the third quarter rose 13.7 percent to IDR176.6 trillion (over USD13.3 billion), higher than IDR155.3 trillion (about USD11.7 billion) in the same time last year.

(CPV) - Business reforms continued at speed in East Asia and Pacific, with regional economies adopting 45 reforms during the past year, bringing to 371 the total number of private sector reforms enacted in the region over the past 15 years, says the World Bank Group’s latest Doing Business report.

At least five people were killed in the Czech Republic and Poland on October 29th.

On October 30th, at least one person was killed and several injured after a bridge collapsed in the southern state of Karela, India.

(CPV) - Royal DSM, a global science company active in health and nutrition, UN children’s agency UNICEF, and Swiss-based humanitarian nutrition think tank Sight and Life today announced a new partnership to deliver better nutrition to at-risk children and mothers in Nigeria. The partners will also advocate on a global scale for micronutrient supplementation.

(CPV) - The coming winter is the latest threat to children affected by crises in the Middle East. As UNICEF races to provide warm clothing, winter supplies and blankets before the cold sets in, the organisation is facing a USD60 million gap that could leave up to 1.5 million children exposed to the cold.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) released its roadmap to transform the local financial services industry on October 30th.