South-East Asia human trafficking now a global crisis, Interpol says
Singapore Reuters Organised crime rings who fuelled an “explosion” of human trafficking and cyber scam centres during the pandemic have expanded from South-East Asia into a global network making up to $US3 trillion a year, the head of Interpol said on Wednesday. “Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by COVID, […]
Trafficking for cyber fraud an increasingly globalised crime, Interpol says
Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Interpol said on Friday its first operation targeting human-trafficking fueled cyber fraud showed the criminal industry was going global, spreading beyond its origins in South-East Asia, with scam centres emerging as far away as Latin America. The global police coordination body said law enforcement from more than 20 countries in October carried […]
Essay: Pakistan floods – ancient grains like millet could be key to rebuilding food systems
In an article first published on The Conversation, SHAILAJA FENNELL, of the University of Cambridge, argues that cultivating “pseudograins” like millet would let farmers compensate for falling yields as intensifying heatwaves make wheat cultivation increasingly difficult…
Pandemic sends 4.7 million more people into extreme poverty in South-East Asia – ADB
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters The pandemic added 4.7 million more people to Southeast Asia’s most extreme poor in 2021, reversing gains made in fighting poverty, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday, while urging governments to take steps to boost economic growth. The number of people in extreme poverty – defined as those living on less […]
South-East Asia’s people back new nature goals, as nations bide time
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation People living in three of the world’s most biodiversity-rich nations in South-East Asia strongly back efforts to protect 30 per cent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030, according to a survey published on Thursday. The online poll of more than 3,000 people living in Indonesia, Malaysia and the […]
South-East Asia COVID-19 cases hit new highs, Malaysian doctors protest
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaReuters Thailand reported a record number of coronavirus cases on Monday, while Malaysia has notched up more than one million infections, as the virulent Delta variant carves a deadly path through South-East Asia – now a global epicentre for the virus. Thailand had 15,376 new coronavirus cases, a daily record for a second […]
Without ICUs, doctor in Jakarta hospital battles to help COVID-19 patients
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Indonesian doctor Cheras Sjarfi says the small public hospital where she works in south Jakarta was not ready for the influx of COVID-19 patients who arrived after a surge of new infections in the world’s fourth-most-populous country. Only equipped for basic health care, her facility has had to treat COVID-19 patients even though […]
South-East Asia’s coronavirus surge prompts shutdowns and alarm
Reuters A sharp rise in coronavirus cases from new variants in parts of South-East Asia that had been less affected by the pandemic has prompted new restrictions, factory closures and attempts to rapidly scale up vaccination programs across the region. The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in Malaysia has soared past India’s on a […]
South-East Asian ministers aim to encourage Myanmar talks as crisis intensifies
Reuters Foreign ministers from Myanmar’s South-East Asian neighbours were due to hold talks with its ruling military on Tuesday in an effort to quell deadly violence and open a channel to resolve its escalating political crisis. The talks will come two days after the bloodiest day of unrest since the military removed Aung San Suu […]
Fears world’s biggest trade deal could spark conflicts, hurt farmers
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation An Asia-Pacific trade deal backed by China could hurt small scale farmers, cause more land conflicts, and leave workers in poorer nations without protection as they struggle to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights groups said on Friday. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – that also includes Japan, South […]