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This Week in Asia /
Health & Environment
Related Topics:
Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
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.
30 Jan 2026 - 5:59PM
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India
Nipah cases in India raise regional anxiety but experts say escalation unlikely
28 Jan 2026 - 8:08PM
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Singapore
‘City in Nature’: can Singaporeans and wildlife coexist in harmony?
27 Jan 2026 - 9:57AM
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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.
26 Jan 2026 - 8:25PM
Indonesian customs and environmental enforcement officers inspect discarded electronic equipment seized from containers at Batu Ampar port in Batam in October. Photo: Batam Customs
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’.
25 Jan 2026 - 12:46PM
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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.
21 Jan 2026 - 5:57PM
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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.
23 Jan 2026 - 9:26AM
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Japanese women in Okinawa show off vegetables freshly picked from their garden. Photo: Getty Images
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.
19 Jan 2026 - 9:32AM
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.
19 Jan 2026 - 8:00AM
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.
16 Jan 2026 - 5:35PM
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.
15 Jan 2026 - 9:49PM
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A crushed car sits among the debris after a crane collapses at the under-construction Rama II Expressway on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua
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.
13 Jan 2026 - 8:46PM
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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.
13 Jan 2026 - 5:09PM
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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’.
13 Jan 2026 - 11:08AM
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.
13 Jan 2026 - 9:30AM
A crow caws from an overhead power line. A survey conducted in December showed the number of crows in Japan’s capital had fallen to less than 20 per cent of its early-2000s peak. Photo: dpa
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.
14 Jan 2026 - 9:13AM
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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.
12 Jan 2026 - 9:39PM
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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.
12 Jan 2026 - 1:10PM
Medical professionals attend to a patient at the government-run National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines. Photo: Getty Images
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.
3 Jan 2026 - 12:00PM
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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.
2 Jan 2026 - 11:59AM
Malaysia
‘Less than friendly’: Malaysia’s tourism minister flags visitor complaints
Authorities have also called for a major clean-up ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026 in response to reports of dirtiness in tourist areas.
1 Jan 2026 - 3:33PM
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India
In India, New Delhi’s smog crisis exposes the high price of clean air
The winter smog has widened the affordability gap among residents, with many lower-income families lacking the means to buy an air purifier.
31 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM
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People take part in a protest against lack of action to control air pollution in New Delhi, India, in November. Photo: AP
Extreme weather
Asia’s year of costly climate disasters spurs calls for ‘decisive action’
With Asia accounting for four of the world’s six costliest weather disasters in 2025, experts urge investment in climate resilience.
30 Dec 2025 - 5:09PM
Japan
‘Built on tofu’: safety fears as Japan prepares to restart nuclear plant
While Fukushima operator Tepco says it is ‘committed to safety’ at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, critics believe it is a disaster waiting to happen.
27 Dec 2025 - 3:03PM
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Indonesia
Power, protests and policy shake-ups shape Indonesia’s 2025
President Prabowo Subianto asserts his authority as he navigates the global stage and domestic challenges in his first full year in office.
26 Dec 2025 - 4:00PM
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