This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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A fisherman looking at the Suralaya coal-fired power plant in Cilegon in Indonesia’s Banten province. Photo: AFP

Indonesia’s clean energy transition in doubt after US withdrawal from JETP

Despite Jakarta’s ambitious net-zero goals, analysts say the country has limited political will to fulfil its climate commitments on its own.

14 Mar 2025 - 12:00PM

South Korean medical schools threaten to expel striking students

13 Mar 2025 - 3:45PM

Is Jakarta prepared for climate change and more frequent floods?

11 Mar 2025 - 9:12PMvideocam

Singapore bans Malaysian coffee brand for containing erectile dysfunction drug

The Singapore Food Agency warned consumers not to consume Kopi Penumbuk, citing potential health risks including heart attack and stroke.

11 Mar 2025 - 9:14PM

Singapore has ordered the recall of a Malaysian coffee product due to the presence of a drug used for treating erectile dysfunction. Photo: Lazada

Malaysia mandates safety tests after Chinese woman loses leg in ceiling collapse

The accident could have been caused by the age of the building in Sabah’s Kota Kinabbalu and structural weakness in the ceiling, authorities say.

11 Mar 2025 - 5:04PM

Fears mount in Japan of a massive 2011-style earthquake on disaster anniversary

Scientists warn seismic energy accumulating under the Chishima Trench off Hokkaido has the potential to trigger a magnitude-8.8 earthquake.

11 Mar 2025 - 9:48AMvideocam

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Should there be an age limit for climbers on Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu?

Industry player says the state’s natural attractions are ‘too special to only be marketed to hardcore adventurers’.

5 Mar 2025 - 1:11PM

Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia’s Sabah state. Photo: Nam Cheah

Set sail for convenience: Bali eyes water taxis to tackle traffic woes

The Indonesian island’s ambitious maritime plans don’t stop at water taxis, either – seaplane services could soon be on the way as well.

4 Mar 2025 - 3:38PM

Thousands flee as Japan’s biggest wildfire in decades rages on

An area of at least 2,100 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, has been destroyed by the blaze. At least one person has died.

4 Mar 2025 - 11:03AMvideocam

Can Modi’s call to cut down on cooking oil help address India’s obesity crisis?

The prime minister calls it a small change for better health, but experts say bigger action is needed to prevent a crisis.

1 Mar 2025 - 12:35PMvideocam

Street vendor frying mutton samosa in Bangalore. Photo: Getty Images

Indonesia’s Bali warns tourists of rabies risk after local death from dog bite

The man, 35, died six months after getting bitten and not reporting his injury to receive a post-bite vaccine.

28 Feb 2025 - 6:45PMvideocam

A dog in Bali being given rabies vaccination. Photo: AP

‘Zombie cigarettes’: Thai authorities warn of deadly drug-laced vapes

The e-cigarettes contain the narcotic etomidate, an anaesthetic agent that is potentially fatal.

26 Feb 2025 - 8:36PMvideocam

Australia hospital under fire after 3 child deaths occur within 6 weeks

Latrobe Regional Hospital in Victoria is facing scrutiny over the allegedly preventable deaths and accusations of mismanagement.

25 Feb 2025 - 8:46PMvideocam

The Philippines

Birth of rare Philippine eagle chick lifts survival hopes

Riley was born at the National Bird Breeding Sanctuary in Davao City, the first Philippine eagle chick hatched without human help.

23 Feb 2025 - 6:45PM

Riley is the first Philippine Eagle chick to be hatched without human intervention. Photo: Philippine Eagle Foundation

Blackout exposes Sri Lanka’s precarious path to greater reliance on renewables

Experts warn of further grid instability as Sri Lanka pushes for 70 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

21 Feb 2025 - 8:02PMvideocam

A grocery vendor illuminates his shop with candlelight amid power cuts in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Photo: EPA-EFE

Interns expose dark side of medical training in Nepal

An explosive social media post has ignited a movement to address the grim conditions faced by Nepal’s aspiring healthcare professionals.

20 Feb 2025 - 8:30PM

67 false killer whales die in stranding in Australia, 90 others to be euthanised

Experts are investigating the cause of the stranding, which is unusual for this species in the region.

19 Feb 2025 - 7:45PM

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Bleached and broken: how mass tourism is killing Malaysia’s coral paradise

Beneath Redang’s turquoise waters lies a growing crisis of coral bleaching, trash and human negligence.

17 Feb 2025 - 8:00AM

A diver documents the extent of coral bleaching on a reef in Malaysia. Photo: Reef Check Malaysia

Japan’s 2035 tipping point looms as cities set to shrink amid population ageing

Japan faces urban population decline by 2035, with ageing societies challenging city sustainability and prompting calls for immigration reform.

16 Feb 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

Toxic tides: life in Indonesia’s most polluted village

Once a pristine fishing hamlet, Tanjung Uma is now drowning in garbage and disease as it bears the brunt of unchecked waste and environmental collapse.

17 Feb 2025 - 9:26AM

‘People can die’: US funding freeze decimates Mekong demining work

Demining advocates argue the US has a moral obligation to solve a problem it helped create.

14 Feb 2025 - 2:27PMvideocam

A member of a demining team prepares to detonate unexploded ordnance in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province: Photo: AFP

Indonesia’s Prabowo launches another ‘quick-win priority’ – free health checks

The programme provides a free voucher of basic health screening for every Indonesian and is set to cost US$287.3 million this year.

12 Feb 2025 - 6:54PMvideocam

A man undergoes a medical check-up for hypertension, cholesterol and diabetes in Banda Aceh on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur airport targeted by exotic animal traffickers: watchdog

Malaysian authorities seized over 74,000 animals and 194 tonnes of wildlife parts from 2014 to 2023, according to wildlife watchdog Traffic.

12 Feb 2025 - 4:03PM

South China Sea

China and Vietnam cause most damage to South China Sea’s corals: report

The report, which also lists the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan, says the claimants’ activities have caused ‘irreparable’ damage.

12 Feb 2025 - 2:13PM

Does Malaysia have enough water to power its data centres?

Data shows that water infrastructure in three states can only provide 142 million litres a day to firms, far short of the total 808 MLD needed.

11 Feb 2025 - 5:28PMvideocam

The Johor-Singapore Causeway. The Malaysian state is a data centre heavyweight in Southeast Asia. Photo: AP

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