"If Asian-Pacific governments follow a more sustainable energy paradigm they can shave $766 billion off the estimated $9 trillion needed to improve their energy infrastructure by 2030, a United Nations report concluded Monday. The cost of expanding and modernizing energy systems in the Asia-Pacific region to meet soaring demand between now and 2030 is expected to reach 9 trillion dollars, but this could be cut to 8.3 trillion if the region follows a sustainable energy scenario."

The region's governments face a double challenge of meeting their people's growing energy needs while doing so in a more sustainable manner. Over the next 22 years, for instance, China will need to spend $1 trillion on transmission and distribution networks alone and India will need to spend $700 billion in the electricity and oil sectors."

"India's central bank unexpectedly ordered lenders to set aside more reserves for the second time in two weeks to tame runaway inflation. The Reserve Bank of India raised its cash reserve ratio to 8.25 percent from 8 percent. Governor Reddy said the Reserve Bank may have to take more measures to curb inflation that's near a three-year high while ensuring economic growth of at least 8 percent.

The government had planned to accelerate growth to as much as 10 percent by 2012 to generate jobs and reduce poverty, fulfilling a 2004 election pledge. But raising borrowing costs may slow growth in Asia's third-largest economy to a four-year low, the Reserve Bank said."

"ASEAN is ready to implement a number of measures, including the strengthening of its existing food security mechanisms, to tackle the rising food prices and ensure longer-term adequacy of rice supply to prevent any adverse impact on the ASEAN economies. A regional coordinated approach is needed to allow a more appropriate set of responses for protecting the poor and ensuring food security in the region.

High food prices have already caused concerns, particularly in rice-importing countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Currently, ASEAN has existing mechanisms that are directly related to food security in the region, including the ASEAN Food Security Reserve and the East Asia Emergency Rice Reserve comprising the ASEAN plus Three Countries of China, Japan and Korea."

"Mongolia is just one difficult environment where microfinance -- the business of providing financial services in small transaction amounts to poor, under-served markets -- has taken off in the past five years. But its experience showcases some of the changes now buffeting the industry as microfinance institutions and their markets mature, private investors arrive on the scene in force and traditional microfinance values are questioned.

Last year, regulators began to worry about the increasing practice in some villages of family members getting two or three loans from two or three different banks and pledging the same assets as collateral. While the Central Bank is working to find solutions, banking-sector non-performing loan rates remained quite low, standing at 2.7% at the end of 2007."

"Malaysian Prime Minister Badawi has called for greater cooperation to ensure stability and prosperity along the border shared by Malaysia and Thailand, including getting Thai investors to explore business opportunities in the Northern Corridor Economic Region.

Mr Abdullah said investments from Thailand would contribute towards the wellbeing of people living in the border areas of both countries, particularly those in southern Thailand. Total trade between Malaysia and Thailand has grown from $15.7 billion in 2006 to $417.2 billion last year."

"Turkmenistan's first step along the road of monetary revaluation has had the curious effect of making the national currency suddenly look more attractive than the country's unofficial favorite, the US dollar. On April 14, President Berdymuhammedov told cabinet ministers that a new official exchange rate for the manat would come into effect on May 1, in preparation for a re-denomination next year which will knock three zeros off the current face value.

Five days later the Central Bank increased the value of the manat by changing its commercial bank exchange rate from 20,000 to the dollar to 17,600. The immediate reaction was long queues at currency exchanges as people tried to turn dollars into Turkmen banknotes at the new, more favorable rate."

"Short of cash, the World Food Program, the United Nations agency that feeds the world's poorest people, can no longer supply 450,000 Cambodian children with a daily meal of domestically grown rice supplemented by yellow split peas and tuna. The suspension of the breakfast program illustrates one of the many ways that the global food crisis is hurting the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.

Rice is plentiful in Cambodia, and the country has been a net exporter for the past decade. But it is becoming less and less affordable for the very people who grow it. In a 2006 survey, well before the spike in food prices, 22 percent of Cambodians in rural areas could not meet their own basic food needs."

"It is estimated that some 600 tons of gold have been imported into Vietnam. Only a small part of the volume has been deposited at banks or crossed the borders again. Though banks have been trying to attract more gold, people still do not want to make deposits in gold. Vietnamese people have the habit of keeping gold to save up their money rather than doing business.

Since 2001, the government has allowed the resumption of gold imports. Ten tons of gold were imported in the first year, while the figures increased gradually the next years: 64 tons in 2006, 60 tons in 2007."

"After enduring extreme cold this past winter, Central Asia is bracing for what some officials say will be a dry summer. Those predictions, in turn, are stirring fears of prolonged power shortages that seriously impair economic functions. The severe winter has already upended Central Asia's always tenuous water balance.

Complicating matters is the fact that water management has tended to be oriented toward agriculture, not industry. In theory, the region still relies on a system devised during the Soviet era, under which upstream countries -- Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- are supposed to collect water in winter and release it to arid downstream states -- Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- in summer to irrigate crops and cotton fields. The system, however, has broken down amid the clash of national interests."

"In Ho Chi MInh City, Vietnamese researchers and scientists have received the good news that the Ministry of Science and Technology has launched the Vietnam Research and Education Network (VINAREN) nationwide. VINAREN connects 50 leading research and training establishments in Vietnam with an information highway.

Thanks to the promotion of international co-operation, the government has invested VND 80 billion in building the network for research and training activities. VINAREN allows users to get fast access and download a huge amount of information."

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