News

One of two Muslims allowed to run for the governing party in Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s general election on Sunday, Sithu Maung, worries fake news on Facebook could damage his chances. Within a torrent of racist abuse and misinformation posted about him ahead of the polls are false ...

The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre will step up measures over the next five years to cope with saltwater intrusion in its rivers during the dry season, according to the provincial People’s Committee. The coastal province, one of the delta’s hardest hit by saltwater intrusion, is spending 8.4 trillion ...

A total of 7,612 cases of dengue fever have been recorded across the country since January, according to the Lao Ministry of Health. Deputy Director-General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under Lao Ministry of Health, Phonepaserd Sayamoungkhoun, told a press conference in Lao capital ...

Ahead of elections in Myanmar on 8 November, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated his hope that the vote would help advance “inclusive sustainable development” across the country. Calling for a “peaceful orderly and credible” election process in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Guterres also expressed his hope that ...

Myanmar’s government says it will provide a fourth round of cash handouts for those struggling because of COVID-19. However, only the Yangon regional government has announced the cash plan and The Irrawaddy could not confirm if it would be replicated elsewhere. “This time the government will provide ...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$484-million (624.52-billion-kyat) loan to construct a new expressway connecting Bago Region and Mon State, which lie along Japan’s planned East-West Economic Corridor, a grand infrastructure scheme for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). The ADB said the new GMS ...

The Waste Summit Cambodia 2020 began on Monday and will run till Friday, covering a range of topics including using waste for financial benefit, the importance of waste separation, creating energy from waste and the circular economy ideology. This year’s summit is being held under the ...

Vietnam, as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, is set to develop a roadmap to implement market-based carbon pricing tools as part of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nguyen Tuan Quang, deputy director of the Climate Change Department under the Ministry of ...

Vietnam is set to receive tens of millions of dollars to help it keep a promise not to cut down trees, part of a controversial World Bank program that critics say does not produce its intended effect — carbon emission reductions. The Southeast Asian nation has ...

Across Southeast Asia, governments continue to view coal as a reliable and inexpensive energy source, despite the rapidly falling costs of renewable power and the growing number of companies making vocal commitments to meeting all their demand with it. These companies are clear about what ...