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 […]
Wow!: Asia’s aspiring ‘green-collar’ workers hope for jobs in COVID recovery
BEH LIH YI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how a Singapore-based website, in a South-East Asian first, aims to link workers with “green” jobs…
Paperwork not patrols: South-East Asian policewomen face career obstacles
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Female police officers in South-East Asia are rarely allowed out on patrol and instead given administrative roles that hold back their careers, the United Nations and international police organisation Interpol said last week. Women account for between six to 20 per cent of police officers in the 10-member Association of Southeast […]
Pandemic pace slows worldwide except for South-East Asia, eastern Mediterranean – WHO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The COVID-19 pandemic is still expanding, but the rise in cases and deaths has slowed globally, except for South-East Asia and the eastern Mediterranean regions, the World Health Organization said. In its latest epidemiological update, issued on Monday night, it said that the Americas remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for half of newly […]
Garment workers seen losing up to $US5.8 billion in wages during coronavirus
London, UK/Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Garment workers supplying global fashion brands have been underpaid or not paid at all during the coronavirus crisis, with lost wages potentially amounting to nearly $US6 billion, researchers said on Monday. With the pandemic leading to store closures and falling sales, many retailers cancelled orders or demanded discounts from suppliers, […]
Virus-hit Asian nations brace for double disasters as extreme weather looms
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation Countries from India to the Philippines, already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, are likely to also battle weather-related crises, from heat waves to cyclones, in coming months, disaster experts warned Thursday. In India – currently under lockdown with more than 12,000 confirmed cases of the virus – the cyclone season starts […]
Five trees or a latte? Coastal communities seek crowdfunding for mangroves
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Would you forgo a cup of coffee to plant mangroves aimed at helping coastal communities fend off climate change? A Singapore-based online platform is counting on crowdsourcing donations for projects to add a billion mangrove trees by 2025. The Global Mangrove Trust plans to launch an app and website in the next […]
In Africa and Asia, coronavirus myths put most vulnerable at risk
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation From drinking cow urine to sleeping by chopped onions, myths about how people can catch and cure coronavirus are spreading rapidly. Concerns are growing that the rumours could fuel the spread of the virus among vulnerable people in Africa and South-East Asia. The World Health Organization has described this as an […]
“Pragmatic” Asia fast-tracks hi-tech coronavirus solutions
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Disinfecting drones. Talking robots. Artificial intelligence that can scan thousands of medical images in a flash. These are just some of the technologies rolled out by Asian countries including Singapore and China to contain the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 7,000 people worldwide. A man wears a mask as […]
Trafficked ‘brides’ stuck in China due coronavirus after fleeing abuse
Phnom Penh, VietnamThomson Reuters Foundation Coronavirus travel restrictions have forced anti-trafficking groups to suspend rescue operations of Vietnamese and Cambodian “brides” from China, with some now in hiding having escaped the homes of men holding them against their will. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of South-East Asian women have been lured to China […]