In the next two weeks, thousands of world leaders, business representatives, climate experts, activists and lobbyist, as well as indigenous and local communities, will be congregating in the Polish coal city of Katowice, for the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP24.

The current global practice of production, over-consumption and disposal of plastic products has birthed countless never-ending environmental, social-economic, climatic and well-being problems within our societies.

Malaysia’s indigenous peoples comprise over 67 ethnic groups, representing around 14 percent of the country’s population. While they live in almost every state and territory within the country and are afforded special status by the constitution, indigenous people often suffer from poverty and social exclusion. Despite socio-economic limitations, the indigenous people of Malaysia seem to be saddled with the responsibility of having to fight for the survival of the country’s forested areas.

A crashed Lion Air jet should have been grounded over a recurrent technical problem before its fatal journey, Indonesian authorities said Wednesday, as details from the new jet's flight data recorder suggested that pilots struggled to control its anti-stalling system.The preliminary crash report from Indonesia's transport safety agency also took aim at the budget carrier's poor safety culture, but did not pinpoint a cause of the October 29 accident, which killed all 189 people

A defamation case by a Thai poultry farm against an activist who tweeted allegations of labour abuse should be dropped, a rights group urged Wednesday, as the complainant vowed further action against "so-called human rights defenders".

In the Southeast Asian region, loss of area under natural forests is largely driven by natural resources extraction and demand for more land for production of food and other commodities. Earlier this year, progress tracking of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals for Southeast Asia revealed disappointing outcomes for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15. The SDG 15 measures forests and forested land protection, restoration and sustainable use.

Sand mining for reclamation of coastal areas is both, a geopolitical and conservation issue for the Southeast Asian region, with many of the more developed countries in the bloc playing culprits. Leading the regional pack for reclaiming land from its coasts is Singapore, with Malaysia close behind. In Singapore, the total land area has literally grown more than 25 percent since the nation first came into being.

Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In the Philippines the days between 25 November and 12 December are observed annually as the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women (VAW). The tradition that emphasises VAW as a human rights violation has been going on since 1991. During this period, issues surrounding VAW take centre stage in the country at the forefront of gender equality in Southeast Asia.

Every morning Buddhist monk Pipit Sarakitwinon takes walks around his temple and does hundreds of arm exercises, part of a new regimen aimed at shedding pounds as a health overhaul for members of the clergy gathers pace in Thailand.Followers have been showering monks - who are deeply respected in the kingdom - with foods loaded with sugar, fat and oil, contributing to a brewing health crisis."Before I started to diet, I could barely walk 100 metres without getting tired", Pipit, 63,

Xuan Thu started at the front desk of Victoria Resort in Can Tho, located at the southern end of Vietnam, and worked her way up to the very top. In a year, she was made Front Office Manager and within another four, she was promoted to Room Division Manager.