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South China Sea agreement expected in November: official
Asian countries will likely agree on a code of conduct for the South China Sea when regional leaders meet for a summit in November, Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo said Monday. Manalo spoke at a panel on the achievements and challenges of ...
Abe's belt and road pivot signals push to improve bilateral ties
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conditional support for China’s Belt and Road infrastructure plan tells Beijing that Tokyo is ready to work toward warmer bilateral ties as the future of Asian security grows more uncertain. Abe praised the initiative’s “potential to connect East and West” in ...
Animal farms in Southeast Asia fuel an illegal trade in rare wildlife
The tiger paced back and forth in its cage, groaning mournfully. A second big cat slept soundly in the corner, while a third stared blankly at the bars. Next to this cage was another containing three more tigers, and after that three more cages: a ...
China's ivory ban sparks dramatic drop in prices across Asia
The price of raw ivory in Asia has fallen dramatically since the Chinese government announced plans to ban its domestic legal ivory trade, according to new research seen by the Guardian. Poaching, however, is not dropping in parallel.Undercover investigators from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) ...
Thailand advised to take proactive cyberlaw stance
Thailand needs to establish cybersecurity and data protection laws in order to tackle the surge in more sophisticated cyberattacks, says DellEMC, a leading information management firm. Most countries have already endorsed privacy protection laws, but Thailand has yet to do so, said P K Gupta, global ...
Financing sustainable agriculture possible, if terms fit farmers’ needs
Much of the deforestation in the world’s tropical rainforests comes so that we humans have enough to eat. But sustainable agricultural practices exist that help farmers coax more corn and soybeans, coffee and cacao, and a host of other products from the soil, without having ...
Hòa Phát to issue over 250 million shares
Steelmaker Hòa Phát Group (HPG) plans to issue over 250 million shares to raise capital for investment in the second phase of Hoà Phát Dung Quất iron and steel production complex. HPG will sell those shares at a price of VNĐ20,000 (US$0.8) per share, expecting ...
Rice farmers encouraged to plant maize after harvests
Low-land rice farmers will be encouraged to plant maize after rice harvests in an attempt to reduce high-land forest encroachment to clear land for maize cultivation. Agriculture Minister Chatchai Sarikalya said on Monday that, from his discussion with representatives of the animal feed manufacturers’ association, ...
Private sector urged to get involved with infrastructure development
Infrastructure development under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model is taking shape in Laos as the government requires huge capital investment to improve road networks and other facilities. Lao economists have supported the initiative, saying that with the government’s limited funding, it’s critical to encourage the involvement ...
A rising chorus of voices condemns Laos’ planned Pak Beng dam
A damning review of plans for the controversial Pak Beng hydropower dam on the Mekong River in Laos was released this week by US-based advocacy group International Rivers, adding weight to calls for the project to be halted until new impact assessment studies are completed.The ...
