"Pakistan ordered fresh evacuations from Sindh province on Thursday as the country struggled to bring relief to millions displaced by flooding and sought international help to rescue its economy. Pakistan's finance minister and central bank governor joined International Monetary Fund talks in Washington that are focused on salvaging the economy.

Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said his country wants to keep pursuing an $11 billion IMF loan program and demonstrate its resolve to make tough economic decisions, dismissing reports that Pakistan might abandon the program. Pakistan is expected to seek easier terms under the IMF program agreed in 2008 to ensure the country can meet fiscal and monetary targets and keep qualifying for IMF funds."

"The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will meet next month with major trading partners with which it has signed free trade deals to discuss the future of East Asia economic integration, relevant countries' economic ministers said Thursday. The meeting will discuss proposals by Japan and China on the concept or framework for East Asian economic integration.

China has been pushing for an East Asia Free Trade Area as the basis for East Asian economic integration while Japan has been pushing for a 'Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia.' ASEAN has established four working groups to study the two proposals, focusing specifically on rules of origin, tariffs, customs procedures and economic cooperation."

"Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, population 9.59 million, is overcrowded, set in an earthquake zone, prone to flooding and crippled by inadequate infrastructure. President Yudhoyono has floated the idea of moving part of the capital in recent months, and earlier this month proposed increasing infrastructure spending, with plans to build 14 new airports as well as roads and railways, to lure foreign investment and boost growth.

Jonggol is one of several sites being considered as a new administrative seat in a bid to relieve Jakarta's congestion, but at a potential cost of billions of dollars. A new capital could be an emblem of national coming-of-age with careful urban planning and new infrastructure."

"A major international study will be conducted in eight countries, including India, to examine whether shame is a key part of the experience of being poor. The study will look at whether being poor necessarily results in low self esteem or feelings of shame and whether welfare policies are counterproductive when claimants are stigmatized.

The researchers will carry out a statistical analysis of existing data on poverty in the World Values Survey. They will also explore the language and practices used by the agencies responsible for implementing social assistance and anti poverty programmes to see whether they are more or less likely to make people ashamed of asking for help."

"South Asia is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and a coordinated and cooperative approach for meeting this challenge across the Saarc region would benefit every member-country, through pooling of expertise and consolidation of experience. The first step is to ensure linkages among research institutions in the region.

The Bhutan summit held earlier this year focused on climate change. An urgent follow-up is needed to bring various institutions and organisations together to meet this common challenge. Political barriers should not come in the way of ensuring the welfare and livelihoods of the current and future generations."

"China's trade deficit with Southeast Asian nations ballooned to a record since the bilateral free trade agreement was put into force this year, sparking concerns that the agreement has become a catalyst for the trade deficit. Bilateral trade between China and ASEAN members rose to $161 billion in the first seven months, up 50 percent year on year.

China's trade deficit with Southeast Asian nations soared to $7.5 billion in the first seven months, compared to $400 million in the same period last year, thanks to the free trade agreement that into effect on Jan 1 this year."

"Bhutan's economy of agriculture remained self-sufficient, poor and isolated until recent decades. As the country modernises, the economic challenge is not growth in gross national product, but in gross national happiness (GNH). Part of Bhutan's GNH revolves, of course, around meeting basic needs -- improved health care, reduced maternal and child mortality, greater educational attainment and better infrastructure, especially electricity, water and sanitation.

There are serious risks. Global climate change threatens Bhutan's ecology and economy. Bhutan is asking how economic growth can be combined with environmental sustainability -- a question that it has answered in part through a massive effort to protect the country's vast forest cover and its unique biodiversity."

"About 400 Japanese enterprises will join the $12 billion Smart East Asian Community Initiative by the government to rebuild the cities of the ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, under a public-private partnership. These joint ventures will work with local authorities to set up an overall plan in March 2011, to rebuild the urban areas in the cities of the ASEAN bloc, and will begin construction in Jakarta, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the next five years.

Once implemented, the Japanese government will provide loans worth 70-80 percent of the total cost of each project through Japan Bank for International Cooperation and consider the use of Official Development Assistance for some projects."

"India overtook Japan in demand for oil among Asian nations in the second quarter of 2010, reflecting its rapid economic growth. The country's demand for oil in April-June stood at 3.1 million barrels per day. Industry experts say India's energy demand would only increase, but needs to be managed with efficient demand- and supply-side intervention for it to remain insulated from price shocks.

Since India is primarily dependent on imported crude, the government needs to work out a pricing mechanism that would make domestic oil prices internationally linked to ensure energy-efficient demand. Deregulation of petrol prices in June was a step in that direction. The barrel per capita consumption of oil remains very low in India compared with China or other developed countries."

"On the eve of its 30th birthday as China's first economic reform zone, Shenzhen received a lavish 'coming out' gift from the central government. The State Council, China's Cabinet, Wednesday decreed the southern coastal city bordering Hong Kong is to become 'a national economic center' and 'a city of global clout' in exchanges of culture, economy and technology.

Its new status carries with it the role of the economic axis to drive the development of surrounding cities such as Guangzhou, Dongguan and Huizhou, as well as Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to its north. The city is required to deepen its ties with Hong Kong, give priority to public and green transport, and become a sustainable and environment-friendly habitat complete with quality public services in education, health care, social security and housing for low-income families."

"Vietnam's trade deficit amounted to $900 million in August from $978 million in July. For the eight months through August, the deficit totaled $8.16 billion. The high trade deficit has led to the devaluation of the nation's currency, the dong, which has slumped more than 5 percent so far this year.

The International Monetary Fund recently warned that Vietnam's foreign-exchange reserves had fallen to the equivalent of seven weeks of imports from less than two-and-a-half months in December -- raising the remote potential for a balance of payments crisis. In fact, fears about the country's weak balance of payments position was one of the reasons cited by Fitch Ratings when it downgraded Vietnam's foreign currency debt rating to B+ from BB-, at the end of July."

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