ASIA
Culture: Amman was officially announced as the capital of Islamic culture for 2017 by Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).
Economics: The GDP grew 2.0% in the final quarter of 2016, up from 1.8% in the third quarter. However, growth is still comparably slow due to the Syrian-Iraq conflict.
Politics: His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and an envoy for President Trump, Jason Greenblatt, held talks about reviving long-stalled efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, on the basis of a two-state solution.
Culture: The North Sulawesi Provincial Government launched Tomohon International Flower Festival 2017 in Jakarta. Meanwhile, the LGBT community continues to face public flogging.
Economics: The Head of Indonesia’s Fiscal Policy Agency, Suahasil Nazara, predicted that the country’s economic growth in 2018 will be 5.4-6.1 percent.
Politics: Indonesia and Sweden strengthened bilateral cooperation in creative industry, air navigation, and violence against children. The King and Queen of Sweden recently visited Indonesia to meet with the President and his wife.
Culture: Burmese childhood is greatly influenced by foreign cultures, one of which is ninja culture. This was presented by Japan Culture House on May 21 to a wide audience.
Economics: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), compared to the United States and Japan’s Trans-Pacific Partnership, can substantially benefit Myanmar.
Politics: Female representatives of a wide spectrum of ethnic groups have developed policies to promote gender equality after holding a discussion called “Gender and Culture: Redefining Peace and Politics by Women” on May 5.
JORDAN
Maen, Bridge the Divide Ambassador
INDONESIA
Fadhil, Bridge the Divide Ambassador
SOUTH KOREA
Valerie, Bridge the Divide Ambassador
MYANMAR
Khanh, Bridge the Divide Ambassador
Culture: Seoul's newly constructed "Skygarden” recently opened, a hopeful symbol of the future under Moon Jae-in's presidency.
Economics: South Korean buying drove bitcoin prices to an all-time high recently, with the value doubling since the beginning of 2017.
Politics: A video of a South Korean politician's "no-look pass" of his suitcase to his assistant at the airport went viral last week.