File photo of a suspension footbridge in Thailand. (Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada to boost defence, cyber security in Indo-Pacific policy

New policy document puts focus on 'disruptive' China

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada launched its long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy on Sunday, outlining $2.3 billion in spending to boost military and cyber security in the region and vowed to deal with a “disruptive” China while working with it on climate change and trade issues. The plan detailed in a 26-page document said Canada will tighten

Indonesia aims to get foot and mouth disease under control

Indonesia is aiming to get its foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak under control by the end of this year, a government official said, as it forges ahead with a program to vaccinate millions of livestock. More than 455,000 livestock in 23 of the archipelago’s 37 provinces have been infected with the disease as of


Sea Temple of Pura Luhur, Uluwatu, south Bali, Indonesia. (CIA.gov)

Indonesia’s foot-and-mouth outbreak prompts international measures

'Viral fragments' detected in meats brought into Australia

Reuters — Australia and New Zealand say they’ve stepped up protections against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at their international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia. Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the

Foot and mouth disease casts shadow over Indonesian festival

Reuters – An outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Indonesia disrupted a ritual of slaughtering animals to mark the festival of Eid al-Adha this year, with livestock traders in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation bemoaning low sales. Eid Al-Adha, known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the main holidays in the Islamic





CBOT July 2022 soyoil (candlesticks, right column) with July 2022 soybeans (yellow line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soyoil futures rally to record high

Corn hits highest since August 2012

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soyoil futures surged to a record high on Wednesday after Indonesia broadened its export ban on raw materials for cooking oil to fight food inflation, traders said. “The move dramatically tightens an already tight global supply of edible oils that saw global prices surge when the Russian invasion of Ukraine

File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia’s palm oil export ban seen short-lived on limited storage

Jakarta/Mumbai | Reuters — Indonesia’s ban on palm oil exports is unlikely to last more than a month as Jakarta has limited infrastructure to store the surplus oil and the country faces mounting pressure from buyers to resume shipments, industry officials said. The world’s top palm oil exporter announced plans to ban exports on Friday,


File photo of fresh palm fruits and palm oil. (Slpu9945/iStock/Getty Images)

Indonesia bans palm oil exports as global food inflation spikes

Government under pressure to control cooking oil prices

Jakarta | Reuters — Indonesia, the world’s top palm oil producer, announced plans to ban exports of the most widely used vegetable oil on Friday, in a shock move that could further inflame surging global food inflation. The halting of shipments of the cooking oil and its raw material, widely used in products ranging from