This Week in Asia /
Health & Environment
Related Topics:
Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
Pakistan
Climate chaos is threatening Pakistan’s food security. Can it adapt in time?
Scientists warn that the country’s ‘new normal’ of extreme heat, floods and erratic rainfall is pushing farms and supply chains to the brink.
26 Jul 2025 - 3:00PM
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Malaysia
Malaysian students allowed to stay at home as annual haze crisis begins
25 Jul 2025 - 12:38PM
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Climate change
World’s top court just changed the game for climate action
24 Jul 2025 - 5:00PM
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Japan
Whale of a row in Japan as Interpol drops activist’s red notice
Tokyo’s foreign ministry has vowed to continue requesting the Sea Shepherd founder’s extradition to Japan.
24 Jul 2025 - 9:30AM
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Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson during a visit to Nice, France, on February 28. Photo: AFP
Indonesia
Rabies fears rise in Bali as tourist hotspots declared ‘red zones’
Officials say the recorded number of dog bites in the affected areas remains low but the risk of the disease spreading is still high.
23 Jul 2025 - 5:39PM
India
Skeletal remains force India to probe Dharmasthala mass burial claims
Hundreds of secret burials linked to Dharmasthala, Karnataka, have come to light as a whistle-blower eyewitness seeks protection.
22 Jul 2025 - 4:10PM
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Malaysia
Malaysia on edge as police hunt armed robbery suspect amid surge in shootings
A series of audacious shootings has rocked Malaysia. The latest saw a robbery suspect fire a gun outside a Johor store on Saturday.
21 Jul 2025 - 4:15PM
A police dog from a K-9 unit takes part in a Police Day parade in Malaysia. The latest violent incident unfolded in Seri Alam township, less than an hour’s drive from the Singapore border. Photo: AFP
The Philippines
Haunted waters: the Philippine murder mystery spoiling Taal Lake’s catch
As divers brave volcanic eruptions and storms to search for human remains, their discoveries have a nation demanding answers.
21 Jul 2025 - 4:32PM
Indonesia
Indonesia’s dream of a ‘smart forest’ capital becomes a vice-ridden nightmare
Sex work, cockfighting and illegal gambing are rife in Indonesia’s planned capital city, officials say, raising doubts about its future.
21 Jul 2025 - 8:00AM
Aviation
After 2025’s string of aviation scares, are the skies still safe?
Experts say air travel is still the safest mode of transport and accidents such as the Air India crash remain ‘statistical outliers’.
20 Jul 2025 - 8:00AM
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South Korea
South Korean man drowns in flood after telling wife: ‘car being swept away’
Intense rainfall has battered South Korea in recent years, prompting questions about its flood prevention measures.
21 Jul 2025 - 5:42PM
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Flooding caused by torrential rain in Yesan, South Korea. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters
Indonesia
Bali urges tourists to assess fitness after spike in accidents and rescues
The warning comes amid a string of emergencies involving foreigners on the island.
14 Jul 2025 - 7:08PM
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Japan
Japan megaquake ... again? Disaster fears re-emerge over rash of island tremors
Japan’s weather agency has logged at least four ‘felt quakes’ in the area with an intensity of 4 on the country’s Shindo scale since Sunday.
14 Jul 2025 - 7:07PM
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Japan
The smartphone squint: a closer look at Japan’s cross-eyed epidemic
The highest proportion of patients with the condition are middle and high school students, according to a recent study.
12 Jul 2025 - 9:00AM
Thailand
Thailand to require cannabis shops to convert into clinics staffed by doctors
Officials say only around 2,000 of the country’s 18,000 marijuana dispensaries are expected to stay open after the new rules go into effect.
10 Jul 2025 - 7:43PM
A cannabis shop on Sukhumvit Road, one of the most popular tourist spots in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Reuters
South Korea
Off the hook: South Korean fishers forced to dump US$1.9 million of bluefin tuna
After catching more than 1,300 bluefin tuna, the fishers from Yeongdeok county had to throw away the fish under an international obligation.
9 Jul 2025 - 5:46PM
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Japan
Japan dives deep in race for rare earths, stirring a green backlash
While rich mineral deposits promise centuries of supply, critics argue Japan’s deep-ocean venture risks an irreversible ‘race to the bottom’.
9 Jul 2025 - 8:00AM
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Singapore
Do Singapore’s insurers and private hospitals need a rethink as costs surge?
Great Eastern’s suspension of pre-treatment approval for admission to two Mount Elizabeth hospitals has sparked a debate on cost management.
8 Jul 2025 - 8:52PM
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Great Eastern in Singapore has suspended pre-treatment approval for its policyholders seeking treatment in two Mount Elizabeth hospitals. Photo: Great Eastern SG/YouTube
India
As Delhi scraps vehicle ban plan, what next for clean air in India’s capital?
Better traffic management and addressing gaps in public transport could be a start to fixing the problem, analysts say.
8 Jul 2025 - 5:00PM
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Asean
Eating plastic: the hidden cost of convenience in Southeast Asia
If plastic pollution continues to worsen in the region, its people could face a wide range of health issues, medical experts warn.
7 Jul 2025 - 7:37PM
India
Bollywood star’s sudden death reignites India’s quick-fix beauty treatment debate
The death of Shefali Jariwala, 42, a user of anti-ageing injections, has raised concerns about cosmetic treatment safety and heart-related deaths among young adults.
4 Jul 2025 - 5:32PM
Japan
Explainer
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What is Japan’s viral manga quake prophecy and how likely is it to come true?
Ryo Tatsuki’s manga novel predicts that a ‘megaquake’ will hit Japan on Saturday, creating tsunamis three times as tall as those from 2011.
5 Jul 2025 - 3:50AM
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Massive tsunami waves triggered by a major earthquake in northeastern Japan engulf houses in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, on March 11, 2011. Photo: Kyodo
Thailand
Thailand’s doctors have to show cannabis use for medical reasons in new form
The reversal of Thailand’s decriminalisation of cannabis in 2022 is a major setback for retail sellers of the drug across the country.
1 Jul 2025 - 6:10PM
Malaysia
Soft soil caused Malaysia’s huge gas pipeline fire: authorities
A high-level special committee will be formed to ensure sufficient measures are in place to prevent the incident from recurring.
30 Jun 2025 - 7:56PM
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Indonesia
The rat in the room: understanding Indonesia’s hantavirus cases
Medical experts say there is no cause for alarm as the 8 reported cases of a disease linked to the virus happened at a local level.
28 Jun 2025 - 1:48PM
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