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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
The logo of the US company Discord shown on a smartphone and a screen. Philippine officials said the app had servers associated with nihilistic violent extremism and grooming. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Philippines’ short-lived Discord ban exposes cracks in online safety strategy

The abrupt ban following recent school shootings has drawn backlash over ‘performative governance’ and free speech risks.

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Japan

Japan’s cut-price morgues cash in on legal loopholes as lonely deaths rise

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Malaysia

‘Open, close, reopen’: return of choking haze traps Malaysian schools in limbo

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Malaysia

Why small quakes in Malaysia’s Sabah are sounding seismic alarms

Scientists say the mountainous regions of Keningau and Tambunan have been overlooked in the state’s monitoring for earthquake risks.

Keningau district in Sabah, Malaysia. The area experienced a magnitude 3.4 tremor on September 3. Photo: Shutterstock
Keningau district in Sabah, Malaysia. The area experienced a magnitude 3.4 tremor on September 3. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan begins clean-up after Typhoon Dujuan kills 4, batters east

Landslide warnings remained in force on Tuesday after the 25th typhoon of the season left thousands without power and ruined holiday plans.

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Singapore

Cargo ship slams into Chinese fishing boat in Singapore Strait

Dramatic footage shows the moment a Panama-flagged bulk carrier collided with a Chinese trawler in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

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The Philippines

Easy access to family guns fuels Philippines’ school shootings

Three fatal attacks since June have been traced back to state-linked weapons, exposing fatal flaws in official gun control.

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Workers arrange handguns displayed for sale at a defence and sporting arms expo in Manila, the Philippines, in 2024. Photo: AFP
Workers arrange handguns displayed for sale at a defence and sporting arms expo in Manila, the Philippines, in 2024. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan surgeon cuts healthy brain, leaving patient on ventilator

The veteran doctor ignored negative biopsy results during the 10-hour surgery at Kyoto University Hospital, leaving the tumour intact.

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Japan

The cooling trap: how Asia’s air conditioners are making heatwaves worse

As heatwaves intensify across Asia, soaring air-conditioner use is threatening power grids and warming urban nights.

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Nepal

Young Nepalis battle climate dread in wake of flood disaster

After August’s glacier collapse killed more than 1,400 people, young Nepalis are demanding justice, not just sympathy.

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Houses buried in mud after flash floods in Nepal’s Nuwakot district in August. The August 26 tsunami-like surge of water, mud and debris from a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border has left more than 5,650 missing. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand makes weight-loss pens prescription-only to counter abuse

The country’s consumer watchdog aims to help patients receive ‘higher quality, safer, and more appropriate for their treatment’.

Billboards feature advertisements for beauty clinics in central Bangkok. Photo: Tibor Krausz
Billboards feature advertisements for beauty clinics in central Bangkok. Photo: Tibor Krausz
The Philippines

Filipino fishers count the cost of South China Sea dispute

Blocked from accessing Scarborough Shoal and hit by local dredging, Zambales fishermen say their weekly incomes have collapsed.

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Malaysia

Malaysia confronts complexities of schizophrenia after school killing ruling

One woman details her experience of living with schizophrenia, saying ‘I had no idea what was real’ during severe psychotic episodes.

Indonesia

Indonesia faces reckoning over maritime safety after deadly ferry disaster

Experts say poor enforcement and inadequate supervision continue to leave passengers vulnerable, amid a rise in maritime incidents.

A video image released by Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows the bottom of passenger ferry Virgo Transport 8 is seen above the water after it overturned in bad weather in the Java Sea on Sunday. Photo: BASARNAS via AP
Indonesia

How wildfires are threatening Indonesia’s economy and carbon market

Total economic and health costs from January to August as a result of the haze could reach US$6.9 billion, analysts warn.

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A drone view shows a barge being towed along the Kapuas River, shrouded in haze from wildfires, in Pontianak, Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
A drone view shows a barge being towed along the Kapuas River, shrouded in haze from wildfires, in Pontianak, Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘This is our culture’: Japan defenders stand firm as Iceland plans whaling ban

Reykjavik’s move to end hunts increases international pressure on Tokyo as low consumption of whale meat and high subsidies fuel debate.

The Philippines

Why men account for 80% of suicide deaths in the Philippines

Filipino men rarely seek help for mental illness, despite making up 80 per cent of suicide deaths. Advocates say it’s time for change.

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Indonesia

When Indonesia burns, these women run towards the fire

Meet the all-female volunteer brigade risking their lungs and lives to fight Indonesia’s devastating wildfires.

A member of the Power of Mama on night fire patrol at a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, last month. Photo: Garry Lotulung
A member of the Power of Mama on night fire patrol at a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, last month. Photo: Garry Lotulung
Asean

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

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Thailand

Data centres sprouting in Thailand fuel fears of public health impact

The discovery of a data centre in Bangkok that was illegally storing 200,000 litres of oil prompted authorities to close a legal loophole.

Japan

Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival rebrands as snowfall dwindles

Warming winters and military labour shortages are forcing the world-famous Hokkaido event to pivot towards sustainability.

Snow is carried to Odori Park in Hokkaido, northern Japan, in January 2020, to create snow and ice sculptures for the Sapporo Snow Festival. Photo: Kyodo
Indonesia

Wildfires threaten Indonesia’s new capital as carrier ordered in

The president has ordered water-bombing drones and an aircraft carrier to Kalimantan as 400 hectares burn near Nusantara.

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A firefighter sprays water to extinguish a wildfire in East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, in September. Photo: Reuters
A firefighter sprays water to extinguish a wildfire in East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, in September. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Why Indonesian students are still falling ill despite free meal safety rules

In three days last week alone, close to 2,000 students suffered from food poisoning after eating meals from Prabowo’s flagship programme.

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Indonesia

Indonesia knew a volcano was erupting. Could it have prepared better?

An expert advises Jakarta to take steps such as announcing evacuation routes and releasing maps following a pre-eruption alert.

Nepal

‘Nothing left’: Nepal’s flood survivors face a homeless future

With homes and savings washed away, survivors of last month’s devastating floods in Nepal are seeking work abroad.

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The trail of destruction left by the August 26 flood in Dhunge Bazaar, Nuwakot, Nepal. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
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