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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

Related Topics:
Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
Scientist Adhi Agus Oktaviana studies handprints on the walls of a cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photo: Maxime Aubert/AP
Indonesia

Indonesia’s 68,000-year-old handprint: the birth of human art?

Found hiding beneath a chicken sketch, the faded outline proves ancient humans were capable of reflecting on their existence, scientists say.

Japan

In Japan, residents are bearing the brunt of the hay fever season. Here’s why

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Indonesia

‘Bali is so dirty’: waste woes under scrutiny after Prabowo warning

Japan

Japan’s deadly winter spurs warnings of more ‘disaster-level’ weather patterns

Severe snowfall and related accidents across Japan have killed at least 29 people, including foreign nationals on holiday, in recent weeks.

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Japanese military personnel remove snow from a rooftop in Aomori, northeastern Japan, on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Japanese military personnel remove snow from a rooftop in Aomori, northeastern Japan, on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Singapore

‘Stay calm’: crocodile sighting pauses water fun at Singapore’s Sentosa

Officials boost patrols, urge residents to follow safety signs and report sightings to NParks.

Japan

Japan child suicides reach record high as experts warn of mounting pressures

The rise in child deaths contrasts with a broader decline in suicides, prompting scrutiny of school pressure and mental health support.

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India

Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but experts say escalation unlikely

The virus’s high fatality rate has prompted precautionary measures across Asia, even as analysts say the outbreak remains limited.

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Quarantine doctors monitor thermal screening of passengers from India at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday after Thailand increased health checks due to Nipah virus cases in West Bengal. Photo: AP
Quarantine doctors monitor thermal screening of passengers from India at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday after Thailand increased health checks due to Nipah virus cases in West Bengal. Photo: AP
Singapore

‘City in Nature’: can Singaporeans and wildlife coexist in harmony?

Concerns about hygiene and attacks grow as wildlife becomes ubiquitous in Singapore’s urban landscape.

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Indonesia

‘No other option’: Indonesia begins returning toxic e-waste to US

Four containers of electronic waste deemed hazardous have been shipped out from Batam, following the government’s hardline warning.

The Philippines

Did shelved anti-disaster scheme lead to Philippines’ flood control woes?

The NOAH project, which ran daily from 2012 to 2016, helped the Philippines avoid ‘mass casualties in one place affected by a hazard’.

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Submerged houses and farmlands in Cagayan province, north of Manila, in November 2025, due to heavy rains brought about by Super Typhoon Fung-wong. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s Johor books 5 Singaporeans for littering under new enforcement regime

The cases come as the country enforces new rules sending littering offences to court as the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign rolls out.

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A night market in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where local authorities have stepped up enforcement against littering as part of a broader push to improve cleanliness. Photo: Shutterstock
A night market in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where local authorities have stepped up enforcement against littering as part of a broader push to improve cleanliness. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Long and short of it: why Okinawa lost crown as Japan’s island of longevity

Okinawan men fell from first to 43rd while women slipped to 16th in the last life expectancy survey, a slide that is expected to continue.

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Japan

Japan snaps into action as alligator weed chokes waterways

The seemingly innocuous alligator weed, or Alternanthera philoxeroides, poses a real problem, especially to rice farmers.

Malaysia

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Young people across Southeast Asia are using city spaces and new technologies to improve on traditional farming methods to grow produce.

Once seen as an unlikely career path for university graduates, farming is quietly being rebranded across Southeast Asia. Photo: Ushar Daniele
The Philippines

Philippines’ Cebu residents cry foul over mounting garbage, health risks

The fatal collapse of a garbage landfill in Cebu has also exposed lax enforcement and poor waste management.

Family members of missing workers react as rescue operations continue at a collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, Philippines, on January 11. Photo: AP
Family members of missing workers react as rescue operations continue at a collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, Philippines, on January 11. Photo: AP
Thailand

Thai PM moves to strip scandal-hit firm of contracts after second deadly accident

Amid public anger, PM Anutin issued an order to end two contracts and blacklist Italian-Thai Development after two crane disasters killed 34 people.

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Indonesia

Indonesia hails ‘99.9% successful’ free meals scheme amid food safety concerns

Critics have called for a ‘temporary halt’ to the programme to allow for further evaluation as food poisoning cases continue to grow.

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South Korea

Fury erupts over ‘mound of death’ in South Korea’s worst air disaster

Opposition MPs accuse officials of trying to bury a report that blames a known design flaw for the nation’s deadliest crash.

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The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters
The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed at Muan International Airport, South Korea, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

‘Who can we trust?’: Nestle formula recall rattles Malaysian parents

Despite assurances that local stocks are safe, wary parents are scouring ingredient lists and doing their own ‘due diligence’.

Japan

As the crow flies: how Tokyo’s 25-year pest purge ended in triumph

A mix of civic discipline, careful waste management and a willingness among Tokyo residents to change their habits helped rein in the crisis.

Japan

‘Easier targets’: is Japan safe for foreigners if disaster strikes?

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

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Foreign tourists visit a temple in Tokyo, Japan, last month. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Singapore takes stock of lessons from Hong Kong’s Tai Po blaze

The city state will study and incorporate into policy frameworks relevant observations made by the Hong Kong authorities about the fire.

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The Tai Po blaze in Hong Kong, which broke out on November 26 last year, killed 161 people, injured 79 and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Photo: AFP
The Tai Po blaze in Hong Kong, which broke out on November 26 last year, killed 161 people, injured 79 and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Soaring healthcare costs in the Philippines: are doctors’ fees to blame?

Doctors have hit back, saying that they are being unfairly blamed for deeper systemic failures in healthcare financing.

Human rights

Ageing Asia needs domestic helpers, but can it keep them safe?

While the region cries out for care, top source nations the Philippines and Indonesia have tightened controls to curb exploitation and abuse.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s new year revelry sees less waste as tougher littering laws kick in

Some 42 litterbugs caught in a nationwide operation face fines and community service amid stringent enforcement of waste laws.

Fireworks explode near the Petronas Twin Towers during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Xinhua
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