Social development
Midwife crisis: Laos slashes maternal mortality but Trump defunding threatens the progress made
Medical training has reduced maternal and infant mortality rates in rural Laos. US president’s decision to cease funding UN body behind the program, over accusation it backs forced sterilizations in China, could undo all the good work. Keep reading ...
Per Liljas
U.N. warns of catastrophe as Myanmar Rohingya exodus nears 150,000
Nearly 150,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in less than two weeks, officials said on Wednesday after the United Nations chief warned there is a risk of ethnic cleansing in the former Burma that could destabilise the wider region.Myanmar leader Aung San Suu ...
Wa Lone and Simon Lewis
ASEAN legislators 'alarmed by Cambodia crackdown'
Members of parliament from ASEAN countries have expressed grave concerns over the “worsening human rights situation in Cambodia” which has seen authorities continue to crack down on independent media outlets and civil society organizations.Keep reading ...
Bagus Saragih
Poverty Decreases, But Rural Areas Slower to Develop: Report
The number of people in Myanmar living in poverty has decreased from 32 percent of the population in 2004 to 19 percent in 2015, according to a recent report. The World Bank and the Ministry of Planning and Finance analyzed data on living conditions from ...
Thu Thu Aung and Rik Glauert
Laos striving to graduate from LDC status, Asian editors told
The government is pursuing its mission to remove Laos from Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2020 and become an upper middle income country by 2030, a senior government official told Asia News Network (ANN) editors last week.Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr ...
The rise of health tech entrepreneurs
The newest wave of tech startups in Thailand are health tech entrepreneurs — working on innovative services designed to change the face of healthcare and solve problems traditional caregivers avoid.Keep reading ...
Criminal Defamation Case Against British BBC Journalist Withdrawn
A lawyer has withdrawn a criminal defamation case against a British BBC journalist involving a report on foreigners being defrauded of property, the BBC reports. The case against Jonathan Head, BBC’s Southeast Asia correspondent, began Wednesday. “The plaintiff has withdrawn his case against BBC journalist ...
APEC looks at responsible use of resources for food production
APEC officials and leaders of agricultural businesses in the region met on Thursday to discuss responsible use of resources that will ensure long-term food production and decent living standards for everyone.Keep reading ...
Vietnam looks to bolster its internet censorship
Following the recent intensification of his country’s crackdown on political dissent, Vietnamese president Tran Dai Quang has argued for the need to develop a more robust internet censorship regime in an article published to a state media website. Quang said enemies of the state had ...
HydroCalculator: new, free, online tool helps citizens assess dams
Mega-dam construction is booming around the world, with promoters hyping hydropower as a green, renewable source of energy and a means of curbing climate change. But as these dams are built in the Amazon, Mekong and elsewhere, they’re doing great environmental and social damage and ...
