BBC News

One of Vietnam’s best-known climate activists has been sentenced to three years in prison over tax evasion. Hoang Thi Minh Hong is the fifth Vietnamese activist to be jailed over the charge. Campaigners say it is part of a state-authorised move to silence criticism of the country’s ...

Cambodia’s leader Hun Sen has quit Facebook and threatened to block it in his country after the platform’s oversight board recommended he be suspended for six months. Hun Sen had called for violence against his political opponents in a video in January which was viewed 600,000 ...

The killing of a prominent indigenous expert and a British journalist in Brazil is yet another safety issue for environmental and land activists around the world. Bruno Pereira, former head of Brazil’s indigenous organization Funai, and British journalist Dom Phillips were previously declared missing while reporting ...

Mother Nature is a group made up of young activists attempting to protect Cambodia’s environment from widespread destruction. But the group has increasingly been targeted, with some even jailed for their activism. Thon Ratha and Long Kunthea are passionate, young environmental activists for Mother Nature. They ...

Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to arrive in Thailand today as the country reopens to tourists after 18 months of Covid restrictions. Vaccinated tourists from more than 60 “low-risk” nations are allowed to enter the country and avoid hotel quarantine. Tourist numbers are forecast to ...

Some of the world’s biggest financial institutions are working on a plan to speed the closure of coal-fired power plants in Asia, the BBC has been told. The initiative was developed by UK insurer Prudential, is being driven by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and includes ...

Thailand has blocked access to online petition site Change.org, after it hosted a petition calling for King Maha Vajiralongkorn to be declared persona non grata in Germany. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society said the petition’s contents violated Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. King Vajiralongkorn has been ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says the Covid-19 pandemic has pulled the region’s developing economies into recession. It is the first time in six decades that “developing Asia” – a designation that includes 45 countries – has seen a regional slump. The ADB says developing Asia’s economy ...

Thai police have detained a prominent student leader amid a growing movement calling for political reforms. Parit Chiwarak, 22, was arrested on the outskirts of Bangkok for taking part in a demonstration last month. Students have held regular protests since then. They are calling for a new ...

Vietnam has banned the import of wildlife and wildlife products to reduce the risk of new pandemics. The move also bans wildlife markets for such items, including online sales. Vietnam has previously been accused of turning a blind eye to the sale of products such as pangolin ...