People and government

Flooding from heavy rain in North Korea has killed 133 people in its northeast while 395 are missing, with many homes and critical infrastructure destroyed, a U.N. agency said on September 12. News of the natural disaster came as North Korea looked even more isolated from ...

Only certain species of trees grown in managed plantations may be exported, not all species, the government spokesman said last week. Eucalyptus and kathinnalong trees whose trunks measure 12 centimetres or less may be felled for export but trees with larger trunks must not be used ...

Strides have been made in Viêt Nam to eradicate illiteracy over the last seventy years, and efforts to promote literacy continue on September 12. Việt Nam met the national standard for literacy in 2000, with 94 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 35 ...

International lawyers have welcomed Myanmar’s new investment law, saying it will create a better investment environment for both local and foreign investors once enforced. Jo Daniels, managing partner of Baker & McKenzie Myanmar, said at a media roundtable that the new law could be one ...

The Information and Communications Technology Minister Uttama Savanayana, on September 12, will hold a meeting with relevant state agencies to discuss ways to reform the satellite industry, following the Cabinet’s recent acknowledgement of its reform proposal. The reform includes the ministry’s plan to bring the existing ...

Farms, market gardens, packaging units and companies that export plants and other agricultural products to the EU are required to register with the relevant authorities. This will enable them to obtain certification from district agriculture and forestry offices, according to a recent announcement by the Ministry ...

The representative of the United Nations Development Program has called on the Duterte administration to adopt the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, saying it would help make a difference in poverty reduction and socioeconomic development. UNDP country manager Titon Mitra told reporters the Philippines would be able ...

To meet the target of limiting global warming to 2-degrees-Celsius established in the Paris Climate Agreement, it is crucial to curb tropical deforestation and encourage the reforestation of tropical forests that have already been cut down. Not only is tropical deforestation and forest degradation the source ...

Emergency response across South-East Asia got a shot in the arm with the 11 countries in the region establishing a fund to build preparedness for natural disasters and health emergencies. The fund aims to make health systems in the region, which is among the most disaster-prone ...

A series of plants making fertilizer from domestic waste have been built in recent years with ODA capital.  And a lot of them, capitalized at tens or hundreds of billions of dong have been left idle. In late 2012, the Hai Duong fertilizer plant was put ...