Reuters
One-fifth of Mekong river fish species face extinction, report says
BANGKOK, March 4 (Reuters) – Unsustainable development threatens the health and diverse fish populations of the Mekong river, with one-fifth of fish species in Southeast Asia’s main artery facing extinction, a report by conservation groups said on Monday. The Mekong, stretching nearly 5,000 km (3,000 miles) ...
REUTERS
Dance moves and deepfakes: Indonesia presidential candidates duke it out on TikTok
JAKARTA, Feb 12 (Reuters) – At an Indonesian presidential campaign event, 22-year-old voter Irene Putri Aisyah was busy uploading everything she saw – from cute dances to cooking demonstrations – to short video app TikTok. To court young voters like Irene, all three candidates in the Feb. ...
Stanley Widianto
Vietnam's Mekong Capital plans Southeast Asia climate fund as early as 2024
Vietnam-focused private equity firm Mekong Capital is looking to build a climate fund worth up to $200 million as early as next year, focusing on investments that will help with the regeneration of forests in the Mekong region. The Ho Chi Minh City-based firm is setting ...
Yantoultra Ngui
U.S. Vice President Harris announces $20 million new clean energy funding for Mekong region
U.S Vice President Kamala Harris announced $20 million in new funding for clean energy projects in the Mekong region, during the last day of her tour of Thailand on Sunday following a regional summit. She spoke to civil society and business leaders in Bangkok after the ...
Poppy Mcpherson
Tiger seizures up in parts of Asia despite conservation efforts - report
Wildlife authorities in some Asian countries are seeing an increase in seizures of tigers and tiger parts despite efforts by conservationists to protect the endangered animal, according to a report by wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC. Tiger numbers globally have been decimated by poaching, trade, and habitat ...
Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Ed Davies
Malaysia deports Myanmar asylum seekers despite dangers back home - sources
Malaysia deported 150 Myanmar nationals this month, including former navy officers seeking asylum, and plans to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face at home, four sources familiar with the matter said. The deportations come despite Malaysia’s condemnation of violence in Myanmar since the military ...
Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi
Thai court throws out decade-long legal fight over Laos dam
A top Thai court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt purchases of electricity by the country from a hydropower dam in neighbouring Laos over environmental concerns, bringing an end to a decade-long legal battle. The case brought by 37 villagers from eight provinces along ...
Reuters
Mekong group urges better water management collaboration as record drought persists
The inter-governmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) on Thursday called on China and mainland Southeast Asian countries to better coordinate management of Mekong hydropower dams and reservoirs after three years of record low flows and extra dry conditions. The Mekong River’s flow dropped to the lowest levels ...
Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Martin Petty
U.N. says about half of Myanmar's people could sink into poverty in 2022
Urban poverty is on course to triple in Myanmar, pushing nearly half the population below the poverty line next year, the United Nations said on Wednesday, as the twin impact of the pandemic and a military coup threaten progress made in the past decade. The army ...
Reuters
Vietnam targeting carbon emission neutrality by 2050, minister says
Vietnam is targeting carbon emission neutrality by 2050, the country’s industry and trade minister said on Monday, joining scores of countries that have pledged to halt emissions by mid-century or thereabouts in order to stop global warming. Nguyen Hong Dien, speaking at a roundtable on the ...
Editing by Martin Petty and Sanjeev Miglani