News
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 ...
Canada beats U.S. in pork sales to China - feet, elbows and all
Canada has overtaken the United States as the top North American supplier of pork to China as farmers and meat packers in both nations battle for lucrative shares of the biggest global market. Canada’s pork sales to China, after a sharp rise last year, exceeded ...
Oil resumes slide on worries Middle East rift could sap drive to cut output
Oil prices on Tuesday resumed their slide from the previous session, hit by concerns that a political rift between Qatar and several Arab states would undermine an OPEC-led push to tighten the market. Persistent gains in U.S. production also dragged on benchmark crude prices, traders ...
One belt, one road: China’s grand enterprise
Dubbed by some as a modern-day Marshall Plan, China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative will build roads, ports and railway tracks along ancient trading routes to Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, OBOR is a China-backed ...
Trump withdraws U.S. from Paris Climate Accord; scientists respond
Donald Trump, who called climate change “a hoax” during his campaign, has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, rejecting a pact that is being honored by more than 190 nations.The U.S. signed and ratified the agreement under President Obama, and it is ...
After TPP: The Future of US-Japan Trade Relations
When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with U.S. President Donald Trump in February, they agreed to convene a bilateral economic dialogue – led by U.S. Vice President Michael Pence and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso – to “[explore] cooperation across ...
China tells Donald Trump there is an 'international responsibility' to act over climate change
There is an “international responsibility” to fight climate change, China’s Premier Li Keqiang has said in a clear message to Donald Trump ahead of his expected announcement that the US will withdraw from the historic Paris Agreement.Despite widespread reports of the US’s imminent departure, Mr ...
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 ...
Southeast Asia tends to defenses in South China Sea
With Vietnam welcoming foreign warships to a key port and the Philippines building on a disputed island, Southeast Asian nations are working to reinforce their South China Sea claims in the face of an increasingly assertive Beijing.Japan’s Izumo helicopter carrier — one of the country’s ...
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 ...
