Social development
Enterprises urged to pursue sustainable development goals
Government officials urged businesses to achieve sustainable development goals and come up with practical plans at a seminar about environmental protection held on June 5 in Vũng Tàu City. Hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and ...
New synthetics impede Southeast Asia’s fight against drugs: UN
The spread of a “new psychoactive substances” is devastating countries around the world, and a report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) identifies East and Southeast Asia as the main origin of such substances.The substances include drugs such as ...
Hungary to initiate major credit aid for Laos
Laos is expected to receive the biggest ever fixed aid credit programme worth US$160 million from Hungary to develop a food safety system, water management and information technology. The information was revealed during Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith and his delegation’s official visit ...
Interior Ministry mulling investigations into NGOs' "neutrality"
Human rights NGOs Licadho and Adhoc were among a group of organisations who were warned by the Ministry of Interior today that they are being scrutinised for allegedly violating their neutrality by supporting the opposition CNRP. News of the inquiry was first disclosed by government-aligned ...
Governor halts work on coal railway being built without permits in Indonesian Borneo
After coming under public scrutiny, Central Kalimantan Governor Sugianto Sabran halted the construction of a railroad being built to transport coal through forested areas of the province. The governor’s decision followed a May 21 report by Mongabay’s Indonesian sister site, which documented that the developers ...
Energy-drink ad exposes uncomfortable truth in Thai society
A TV commercial for an energy drink has become a social phenomenon in Thailand as it depicts the privileged elite being humbled, to the delight of the majority here. In the commercial for Lipovitan D, a drink from drugmaker Osotspa Taisho, a wealthy young woman ...
Oz offender ban may be felt in Cambodia
The Australian government on May 30 announced plans to ban those listed on the country’s national sex offender registry from travelling abroad – a plan that would nullify the passports of 20,000 offenders, including those who may be living or travelling in Cambodia. Australian Foreign Minister ...
At 97, this Vietnamese grandma has mastered the Internet
At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss Le Thi as just another raddled old woman. At 97, she has lost almost all her teeth and a severe hunchback impedes her movement. She spends most of her time lying in bed on her side, slowly chewing ...
Japanese life insurers take hit from BOJ's negative rate policy
The Bank of Japan’s negative interest rate policy dealt a blow to Japanese life insurance companies last fiscal year, with premium income shrinking at 11 out of 15 major players. Basic profit — a measure of profitability from core operations — decreased at seven groups for ...
Day care wait lists still growing in much of Japan
Day care waiting lists have declined slightly overall but still grew on the year in 16 of 34 major Japanese municipalities, suggesting that the government remains far from its goal of clearing the chronic backlog. The Nikkei surveyed 20 cities and Tokyo’s 23 wards, with ...
