In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
U.S. goals of establishing regional free trade and an environmental policy at the APEC summit are useful but too ambitious for some developing nations, China said on Monday, days before President Hu Jintao heads to Hawaii for the meeting. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members from 20 countries have taken a …
Lending credence to the Asia Pacific region’s importance in global emission trading market, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) launched the Annual Greenhouse Gas Market report for the first time at the Carbon Forum Asia 2011 in Singapore. Featuring strategic white papers describing the policy developments and current emissions abatement …
As uncertainty looms over the future of the Kyoto Protocol, the delegates of the Carbon Forum Asia 2011 met at Singapore in an attempt to iron out differences and arrive at new solutions. The sombre note was provided by the World Bank assessment that global carbon markets have stalled after …
Over two dozen countries, including Pakistan, will take part next week in a full-scale test of the Indian Ocean`s tsunami alert system, using the 2004 Sumatra quake as the basis for the exercise, Unesco said on Thursday. Exercise IOWAVE 11 will re-enact the seismic events of Dec 26, 2004, simulating …
Thailand aims to revive a long-stalled plan to become an oil trading and biofuel hub in Southeast Asia, challenging Singapore's dominance, its new energy minister said on Thursday. The net oil importer plans to boost its crude reserves, excluding refined oil products, to 29 days from 18 days now to …
China urged Myanmar to protect the rights of its companies after the Southeast Asian nation's president ordered the suspension of construction of a contested hydroelectric dam backed by Beijing. The move underscored political tension between the strategic neighbors and growing opposition faced by China's dam builders as they take on …
Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) said Monday that it won't restart its fire-hit oil refinery at Pulau Bukom, Singapore unless safety is ensured, even though the damage is limited to the vicinity of a pump-house. "We do not expect any of the units to be restarted until a thorough investigation …
Japanese and South Korean companies have won the highest marks in Asia for “responsible” investing, which remains in its infancy in these countries, in a new survey by Eiris, an environmental research house. Companies based in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, meanwhile, failed to make progress in this arena, with …
Myanmar’s government suspended on Friday a controversial $3.6 billion, Chinese-led dam project, a victory for supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and another sign of apparent reform in one of Asia’s most repressive states. After weeks of rare public outrage against the Myitsone dam, Myanmar’s largest hydropower project, …
How does a city-state that has no natural water body, very little groundwater and even less land to store rainwater quench the thirst of its five million people? Singapore faces this question just as one of its 50-year water import agreement with Johor, now a part of Malaysia, expires in …
Royal Dutch Shell Plc finally put out a blaze at its massive Singapore refinery after firefighters struggled to contain it for a day and a half, forcing the firm to start shutting its biggest plant worldwide. The closure of the 500,000 barrel per day refinery, which makes up more than …
A fire that forced Royal Dutch Shell to shut down some units and evacuate non-essential staff at its massive Singapore refinery on Wednesday has been contained after burning for nearly half a day. The fire hit the 500,000 barrel per day (bpd) plant, Shell's biggest worldwide, at 1:15 p.m local …
The U.N. nuclear agency endorsed an action plan on Thursday to help strengthen global nuclear safety in the wake of Japan's Fukushima accident six months ago, despite criticism from some countries that it does not go far enough. The International Atomic Energy Agency's 151 member states, at their annual general …
It is often said that if you see someone in the Lion City (Singa-pura) with oriental features and in good humour, he or she must be either a Filipino or a Filipina. The average Singaporean does not emote freely. They ensure their intentions are not misinterpreted; rarely do they smile, …
Infrastructure developer GVK group on Friday said it had acquired a strategic part of a large coal resource and infrastructure development project from Hancock Prospecting in Queensland, Australia, for $1.26 billion. The Hyderabad-based group acquired up to 79 per cent in the Alpha and Alpha West coal projects in the …
Australia's second-largest city Melbourne has been rated the world's best city to live in, and Mumbai one of the worst, according to a new survey. In the survey of 140 cities around the globe, Melbourne secured the top slot with a score of 97.5 per cent, followed by Austrian capital …
More than a dozen regional governments in Japan will conduct tests to determine whether locally grown rice contains too much radioactive cesium, farm ministry officials said on Monday, as food safety worries spill into the country's traditional staple. Public fears over radiation in food have grown after the world's worst …
One step is the installation of retro-reflective display boards giving names of roads and directions to landmarks With the tourist season being rather dull now, tourists from European countries particularly students, professionals on corporate tours and some domestic tourists are the only relief for tour operators and travel planners. October …
The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched an updated edition of drinking water guidelines on July 4 to push water suppliers to systematically manage the potential risk of contaminants entering water, from the catchment to the consumer. Launched at the Singapore International Water Week (http://www.who.int/en/ and http://www.siww.com.sg/), they can help governments …
JAIPUR: Continuous depletion of ground water in the state has become a cause for concern and people's help is needed to conserve water. This was the crux of the discussion organised by the ground water department on Wednesday. Strategies to meet the water crisis were also discussed at the workshop. …
