This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
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The High Seas Treaty, aimed at protecting marine life in international waters, requires ratification by at least 60 countries for it to take effect. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Philippines urged to ratify UN marine resource treaty or risk being sidelined

France is seeking ratification of the High Seas Treaty by at least 60 countries ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice next week.

Japan

Japan faces ‘critical’ demographic crisis as birth rate hits historic low

Japan

Japan on alert as Hokkaido tremors reignite megaquake fears

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Indonesia

Calls grow for removal of Indonesia’s health chief as rift with doctors deepens

Criticism of Budi Gunadi Sadikin has surged in recent weeks, and analysts warn the tension risks undermining healthcare reform.

Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in 2023. Photo: AFP
Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in 2023. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s AI speed trap plan sparks backlash as lorry crash deaths pile up

The government says the AI-based system will enhance safety, while detractors argue trucks pose a greater threat, as shown by recent accidents.

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Japan

Japan wants to reintroduce wolves to tackle marauding monkeys, deer damage

The Japan Wolf Association says returning wolves to the wild would help curb costly agricultural damage by deer, wild boar and monkeys.

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Climate change

Rising snow and glacier melt puts almost 2 billion in South Asia at risk: report

The risks are aggravated by black carbon pollution, which could curb water supply from many rivers flowing through the Himalayan plains.

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Snow and glacier melt across the Himalayas has been accelerating, aggravated by black carbon pollution. Photo: EPA-EFE
Snow and glacier melt across the Himalayas has been accelerating, aggravated by black carbon pollution. Photo: EPA-EFE
Indonesia

Indonesia issues Covid-19 warning over surge in cases in Asia

There has been a rise in Covid-19 cases in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong as health officials warn about new strains emerging.

Thailand

Thai restaurant owner calls for more public toilets after defecation issues

Pannatat Asawapitakchon says he saw a female tourist defecating behind the Buddha statues outside his restaurant.

Japan

Japan reschedules iconic summer festivals to avoid increasingly extreme heat

Faced with record high temperatures and ageing communities, event organisers are adapting to keep traditions alive.

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Spectators throw buckets of water onto a portable shrine during the Fukagawa summer festival in Tokyo on August 15, 1999, a ritual meant to purify and cool participants amid the summer heat. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thai river turns orange as dangerous toxins from Myanmar mines flush downstream

Authorities say arsenic levels in the Kok Thai river now exceed safety limits, sparking fears of ecological disaster.

Authorities say arsenic levels in the Kok River have now reached dangerous levels. Photo: Earth Thailand
Authorities say arsenic levels in the Kok River have now reached dangerous levels. Photo: Earth Thailand
Asean

South China Sea tensions ‘won’t stop’ Asean’s blue economy growth: official

Despite a senior Asean official’s confidence, observers warn ongoing disputes could impede sustainable growth and vital marine conservation.

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Australia

What’s in the air? Australian state reels from deluge of dust

New South Wales is grappling with a widespread dust storm days after record flooding that killed five and displaced 50,000 people.

Japan

Plague of flying pests adds to Osaka World Expo’s woes in Japan

Though the ‘chironomids’ do not bite or suck blood, they may cause asthma or allergic reactions, experts warn.

A close-up of one of the insects swarming the Osaka World Expo. Photo: X/@TomoPlanz
The Philippines

Removal of Philippines’ beloved ‘sherpa cat’ Pugal sparks heated debate

Online users berate officials who extracted the animal from popular hiking trail over predatory concerns.

Pugal the cat has gained online fame in the Philippines. Photo: Facebook/furventloveanimal
Pugal the cat has gained online fame in the Philippines. Photo: Facebook/furventloveanimal
India

‘Very painful’: Indian mob kills and mutilates endangered Bengal tiger

This is the third recorded tiger death in as many months in Assam, which is home to only 227 of the big cats.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s Bali bans small plastic bottles: bold move or industry killer?

Bali’s governor has banned small plastic bottles to combat waste, sparking debate on environmental impact versus industry concerns.

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The Philippines

Philippines to deploy Korean-speaking police in response to crime wave

Language-trained officers aim to better protect South Korean nationals in the Philippines from a recent spate of thefts, killings and scams.

South Koreans living in the Philippines put on headbands with the South Korean national flag during an event in 2010. Photo: AFP
South Koreans living in the Philippines put on headbands with the South Korean national flag during an event in 2010. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia’s online porn crackdown nets 380,000 content removals

Authorities have also blocked dozens of social media groups and accounts, including some promoting incest and child porn.

Japan

Fatal crash spotlights Japan military’s ageing aircraft, recruitment struggles

Safety concerns are mounting following another fatal military aircraft crash, amid warnings it could worsen a long-standing manpower shortage.

Japan

‘Definitely an issue’: in Japan, 6 in 10 admit being addicted to their phones

A new survey reveals a surge in smartphone addiction in Japan post-pandemic, undermining well-being – especially among the young.

A woman looks at her phone with Tokyo Tower in the background. Photo: AFP
Thailand

‘Never seen anything like this’: lizard found eating abandoned baby near Bangkok

Horrified residents near Bangkok found a monitor lizard eating a newborn’s remains. Police are trying to find the mother to determine if the baby was alive.

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In Thailand, a monitor lizard was found with the body of a baby in its mouth. Photo: Facebook/Nakon45
In Thailand, a monitor lizard was found with the body of a baby in its mouth. Photo: Facebook/Nakon45
Indonesia

Is Indonesia a ‘guinea pig’ in Bill Gates-backed TB vaccine trial?

The controversy began after President Prabowo Subianto said that Bill Gates was developing a tuberculosis vaccine to be tested in Indonesia.

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Malaysia

Malaysia grapples with human-nature conflict after elephant calf’s road death

Eight elephants have been killed in traffic collisions in Peninsular Malaysia over the past five years, three of them in this year alone.

Malaysia

Mother’s Day heartbreak for Malaysian elephant mourning calf in viral video

Distressing footage shows the mother desperately trying to move the lorry that crushed her baby on a Malaysian highway.

A still from a video circulated on social media shows the mother elephant trying to free her calf after it was hit by a lorry on Malaysia’s East-West Highway on Sunday. Photo: Facebook
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