The ASEAN Summit will be held on February 13-14, 2019 at the Summit Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This summit is the first time that the ASEAN leaders will be meeting together as a bloc. The ASEAN leaders will discuss the current regional and global situation, including the trade and economic integration, the security and development cooperation, and the environment and climate change. The ASEAN Summit will be held on the first day of the 11th ASEAN Summit.
The 5th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will be held in Vietnam on February 19-20, 2019. ASEM 5 will be held at the Ca Na Bi Golf Resort in Ha Noi. The theme of this summit is “Energizing Asia-Europe Cooperation in a New Era”. The leaders of the 21 ASEM 5 participating countries will discuss how to take advantage of the new opportunities that will be opened up by the development of new technologies and innovations. The main topics will include the ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement, trade and investment, human resource development, and science and technology.
The 7th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting will be held in Papua New Guinea on February 20-21, 2019.
Makati Mayor Joy Belmonte said the first Metro Manila-based city to legalize gay marriage is still at risk of being voted out of office.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Belmonte said that her office will not be able to provide a written explanation for the reason why she is the only city mayor to be running for re-election against opponents who are all openly gay.
“Sa kasong kapag may gay marriage namin ang pinakamalaki at pinakamataas na rin sa ating bansa, dapat naman na ang sinasabi namin, ang kahit na bago ang kaso ay kapag may gay marriage namin ang pinakamataas na rin sa ating bansa,” she said.
(In the case of gay marriage, the highest and most progressive among our countries, we should be able to explain the reason why we are the highest and most progressive.)
“But because I am the only one running against gay-marriage opponents, we will not be able to provide a written explanation.”
She also said that her mayoral office has been asking the Office of the President for a clarification regarding the issue.
An economic crisis is looming over India
The financial crisis in India is the worst since 1991, as economic growth has slumped to the lowest level in six years, while the rupee has hit record lows.
The Reserve Bank of India has been trying to stem the bleeding by cutting interest rates, but economists say it is not enough.
The World Bank predicts that India’s economic growth will be 3.3 percent this year, down from 7.3 percent in 2017, while the World Economic Forum said the country will be the worst performer among major emerging economies this year.
In December, India’s benchmark 10-year bond yield hit a record high of 7.45 percent, up from a low of 6.62 percent in November.