This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

Related Topics:
Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
About one in 50 people in Japan have strabismus, with patients having one eye that is turned outward being most common. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

Thailand

Thailand to require cannabis shops to convert into clinics staffed by doctors

South Korea

Off the hook: South Korean fishers forced to dump US$1.9 million of bluefin tuna

videocam
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’.

A researcher logs coral reef coverage near a Japanese island. Environmentalists warn that deep-sea extraction of rare earths could have disastrous consequences for marine life. Photo: AFP
A researcher logs coral reef coverage near a Japanese island. Environmentalists warn that deep-sea extraction of rare earths could have disastrous consequences for marine life. Photo: AFP
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

Rising microplastic waste is fast becoming a global health hazard. Photo: Shutterstock
Rising microplastic waste is fast becoming a global health hazard. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

Japan

Explainer | 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.

videocam
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.

A marijuana flower bud being prepared for a customer at a cannabis shop in Bangkok. Photo: AP
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.

videocam
An aerial drone photo of the gas pipeline fire in Malaysia on April 1. Photo: Xinhua
An aerial drone photo of the gas pipeline fire in Malaysia on April 1. Photo: Xinhua
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.

videocam
Japan

Japan’s bear attacks surge: is social media clout worth risking life and limb?

Climate change, fewer hunters and shrinking habitats are causing the animals to venture into human territory, naturalist says.

videocam
Pacific nations

The future of climate migration? Tuvalu’s people seek a new home in Australia

About 3,125 Tuvaluans have entered the ballot for a climate visa to live in Australia, but analysts warn of brain drain.

The serpentine coastline of Funafuti Atoll of Tuvalu. Scientists have warned Tuvalu is likely to have only 80 years before it becomes uninhabitable. Photo: AFP
Pacific nations

A drop in the ocean? Pacific nations tap local know-how for marine conservation

Among the measures being taken are a ban on fishing and mining activities in vast marine protected areas.

Children take a canoe to school in Solomon Islands. Pacific island nations have stepped up their marine conservation plans. Photo: Shutterstock
Children take a canoe to school in Solomon Islands. Pacific island nations have stepped up their marine conservation plans. Photo: Shutterstock
Indonesia

Mount Rinjani tragedy puts spotlight on Indonesia’s adventure tourism safety

The death of Brazilian climber Juliana Marins follows a string of accidents at some of Indonesia’s most popular natural attractions.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s fake cooking oil scandal shakes trust in food safety

The criminal network raked in an estimated US$3.14 million in revenue selling the popular Ofood cooking oil over the past three years.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Japan

Japan quake swarm and volcano reignite fears linked to viral manga prediction

Airlines are cancelling flights to Japan due to reduced demand attributed to anxiety over the disaster prediction.

videocam
10
Plumes of smoke rise from Mount Shinmoe in Kyushu during an eruption on October 11, 2017 – the volcano’s first in six years. The same volcano erupted again in June 2025 amid heightened seismic activity across southern Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Plumes of smoke rise from Mount Shinmoe in Kyushu during an eruption on October 11, 2017 – the volcano’s first in six years. The same volcano erupted again in June 2025 amid heightened seismic activity across southern Japan. Photo: Kyodo
Indonesia

‘No, thank you’: is Indonesia set to follow Hong Kong with its own tiny homes?

Housing authorities are mulling reducing the floor space for affordable homes to a mere 18 square metres (194 sq ft).

videocam
Climate change

Asia is heating up at double the global rate amid climate crisis, UN warns

Asia’s vast land mass is intensifying extreme heatwaves as its sea surface warms at twice the global average, a new UN report reveals.

videocam
Malaysia

Singaporean trio held in Malaysia’s US$1.7 million cocaine vape bust

The latest arrests spotlight Malaysia’s emerging role as a ‘transit point’ for narcotic trafficking.

videocam
A man smoking an e-cigarette. Vaping is fast catching on in Malaysia. Photo: dpa
Tourism

‘I just felt sick’: how a free shot in Laos cost a British backpacker her life

Bethany Clarke’s dream backpacking trip turned into a nightmare when seemingly harmless free shots proved to be poison.

videocam
Simone White (back) and Bethany Clarke (front) tubing down a river in Laos on November 12, last year. Both would fall ill with methanol poisoning within 24 hours. Photo: Facebook/Bethany Clarke
Simone White (back) and Bethany Clarke (front) tubing down a river in Laos on November 12, last year. Both would fall ill with methanol poisoning within 24 hours. Photo: Facebook/Bethany Clarke
Japan

Japan on alert against scorching temperatures after 4 die of heatstroke

Meteorological agency issues precautions against early heatwave, as experts warn temperatures this year are likely to be ‘above normal’.

videocam
Japan

Japan plans to expand nuclear risk payouts for towns, critics call it a ‘bribe’

The proposal would expand subsidies to towns within a 30km radius of nuclear facilities, up from the current 10km.

videocam
South Korea

Blood cancer cases at Seoul Metro spark workplace safety concerns

Thirteen maintenance workers affected so far, with new study citing prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals such as benzene as possible cause.

Commuters use their phones while travelling in a metro train in Seoul on May 28. Thirteen maintenance workers with Seoul Metro have so far been diagnosed with blood cancer. Photo: AFP
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW