What it’s like to study marine biodiversity in one of the world’s most disputed zones. This past summer, a scientific research vessel from the Philippines was crewed and provisioned, ready to set sail to the heart of the South China Sea to survey coral reefs, collect coral, fish, and other samples, and measure rising ocean temperatures.

Heat waves from rising temperatures become more dangerous with high humidity. India, Middle East and South-East Asia are most vulnerable to heat stress. The heat could hurt labour and farm output, with knock-on effects on economies. [SAN FRANCISCO] Hundreds of millions of people in India, the Middle East and South-East Asia could endure dangerous levels of heat stress by the middle of the century due to climate change, researchers say.

When it comes to discovering plant and animal species, this densely packed metropolis of more than 5 million people is full of surprises. A year ago, a slender woody tree known as Alangium ridleyi, which was believed to have been lost to development, was discovered hiding in plain sight in the middle of Singapore’s heavily visited Botanic Gardens.

The Chinese government has undertaken a review of its wildlife protection law and conservation groups worry that under pressure from the nation's powerful farm lobby the government might overturn even modest protections on captive tigers. Across China, some 6,000 tigers are held in a couple of hundred farms.

Doughnut giants Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme have made pledges to source deforestation-free palm oil for the sweet treats they produce – a first for the industry. American doughnut and coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts on Tuesday declared it would commit to frying its doughnuts in palm oil from suppliers that do not clear forest or peat areas by 2016, and within 24 hours, competitor Krispy Kreme followed suit.

On the night of October 1, a candlelight vigil lit up Singapore's Hong Lim Park. Roughly 300 people dressed in black, and wearing yellow ribbons in solidarity with pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong chanted slogans and sang Cantonese protest songs. but not without a touch of irony. Hong Lim Park is a 2.3 acre patch that is currently this semi-authoritarian city state's only space for legal public demonstrations (some have called it a token pressure valve).

On a sunny Saturday afternoon here, children scamper about on a broad green lawn, families lay mats down for picnics, and a man maneuvers a kite in the sky. This is no ordinary lawn; it's three floors up on the roof of a pump house next to Singapore’s first urban reservoir, Marina Bay. "It's an easy place to fly kites," says Erich Chew, 45, whose day job is running a small IT business, but whose passion is aerial photography by kite.