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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
A farm worker holds rice saplings as he prepares to plant them in a field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. Photo: Reuters
India

Can India’s rice farmers reap from US$30 million Amazon carbon credit deal?

The pact promises green farming and methane emission cuts, but raises questions over payouts and corporate climate accountability.

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Singapore

Asia faces low hantavirus risk as Singapore isolates 2 from cruise over cases

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Singapore

Knives out: sea robbery fears stalk Southeast Asia’s busiest straits

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Malaysia

Malaysia warns of health risks from heatwave, 2 deaths recorded this year

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has ordered cloud-seeding operations to be carried out in the worst-affected states.

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The sun sets behind the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Temperatures in Malaysia have soared to the mid-30s degrees Celsius. Photo: AP
The sun sets behind the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Temperatures in Malaysia have soared to the mid-30s degrees Celsius. Photo: AP
South Korea

South Korean team behind new stroke research, treatment cites Chinese interest

Animals given an experimental drug have shown significant improvement in motor function, with their brain damage reduced.

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Japan

Rapidly ageing Japan’s ‘macho carers’ lend muscles to benefit elderly, disabled

Japan’s care industry is facing a shortage of workers, and one company is plugging the gap by deploying ‘cool’ and well-toned staff.

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Malaysia

Elephants never forget? Malaysians demand Japan return ‘homesick’ trio

One video shows Dara, Amoi and Kelat responding to their names in Malay while another reportedly reveals one of the elephants ‘weeping’.

The three Malaysian elephants stand in their enclosure at the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka. Photo: Facebook/The Patriot Studio
The three Malaysian elephants stand in their enclosure at the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka. Photo: Facebook/The Patriot Studio
Japan

Japan survey finds sexual abuse at 15% of hospitals. Is the true scale higher?

Under-reporting is a concern as children and severely disabled patients may not know how to voice their complaints.

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Japan

Japan aims to build world’s largest wind farm. Can it power on by 2035?

The plan calls for wind turbines to supply power to the Izu Islands and Tokyo, with an eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt.

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Indonesia

Can Indonesia’s front-of-pack nutrition labels help fight rising obesity?

Indonesians welcome the new labelling system to reduce sugar, salt and fat intake, but experts warn it is not a ‘silver bullet’.

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A street vendor sells drinks and other items at a beach in Bali. Many food and drink products in Indonesia already have a Guideline Daily Amount nutrition facts label. Photo: EPA-EFE
Vietnam

Pangolin win: Vietnam sends scale smugglers to prison for 8 years

The Asian pangolin has been hunted for its meat and scales to the point of extinction, causing poachers to turn to its African cousins.

A rescued pangolin bought off a wildlife seller rests at the Green Finger Garden in Lagos, Nigeria. Photo: Reuters
A rescued pangolin bought off a wildlife seller rests at the Green Finger Garden in Lagos, Nigeria. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

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Food and agriculture

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

Indonesia

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Bali, Sumba and the Flores Islands are expected to be the worst hit from a megathrust earthquake in the Sumba fault.

The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Bali recorded 547 earthquakes last year. Photo: AFP
Japan

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

The Japan Meteorological Agency has upped the risk of a megaquake to 1 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent at other times.

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An electronic signboard in Ofunato city, Iwate prefecture, displays a sign saying “Hokkaido and Off the Sanriku Coast Aftershock Advisory” early on Tuesday. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP
An electronic signboard in Ofunato city, Iwate prefecture, displays a sign saying “Hokkaido and Off the Sanriku Coast Aftershock Advisory” early on Tuesday. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP
Malaysia

‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

Environmental NGO calls on authorities to adopt a more responsible approach when granting approvals for development projects in the area.

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Thailand

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

A man looks at an EV from a Chinese carmaker at an auto expo in Shanghai. Photo: AP
A man looks at an EV from a Chinese carmaker at an auto expo in Shanghai. Photo: AP
Social media

Southeast Asia wants children off social media. Will it work?

Indonesia is leading a regional push to ban children from social media platforms. Enforcement is another matter, however.

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Japan

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

A prolonged Iran war, combined with an unusually early spell of hot weather, could leave Japan facing power shortages this summer.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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Floating solar panels are seen at a hydro-solar farm run by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand in Ubon Ratchathani province. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

Campaigners said the three US projects could generate greenhouse gas emissions equal to about 20 per cent of Japan’s annual total.

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US President Donald Trump met Japan’s economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in Washington on April 16, 2025. The meeting came as Tokyo sought relief from US tariff pressure. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump met Japan’s economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa and his delegation in Washington on April 16, 2025. The meeting came as Tokyo sought relief from US tariff pressure. Photo: Reuters
South Korea

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

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Indonesia

‘Alarming’ film poster sparks debate on child mental health in Indonesia

Psychologists warn provocative posters like the ones for ‘I Must Die’ can trigger suicidal ideation amid rising mental health struggles.

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Japan

‘Unable to handle rejection’: the forces driving Japan’s knife crime wave

Experts warn a generation raised on screens is losing the ability to handle real-world rejection.

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Japanese police investigators work near the scene of a stabbing of a woman in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 11. Photo: Kyodo/AP
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