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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
Vessels are seen at anchor in the Singapore Strait as a drone flies on April 21. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Knives out: sea robbery fears stalk Southeast Asia’s busiest straits

Opportunistic nighttime raids in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are testing security in a vital maritime chokepoint.

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Malaysia

Malaysia warns of health risks from heatwave, 2 deaths recorded this year

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South Korea

South Korean team behind new stroke research, treatment cites Chinese interest

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Japan

Rapidly ageing Japan’s ‘macho carers’ lend muscles to benefit elderly, disabled

Japan’s care industry is facing a shortage of workers, and one company is plugging the gap by deploying ‘cool’ and well-toned staff.

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Care worker and bodybuilder Takuya Usui (right) chats with Madoka Yamaguchi as he helps her sit on a bed at a care home for people with disabilities operated by Visionary in Ichinomiya, Aichi prefecture. Photo: AFP
Care worker and bodybuilder Takuya Usui (right) chats with Madoka Yamaguchi as he helps her sit on a bed at a care home for people with disabilities operated by Visionary in Ichinomiya, Aichi prefecture. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Elephants never forget? Malaysians demand Japan return ‘homesick’ trio

One video shows Dara, Amoi and Kelat responding to their names in Malay while another reportedly reveals one of the elephants ‘weeping’.

Japan

Japan survey finds sexual abuse at 15% of hospitals. Is the true scale higher?

Under-reporting is a concern as children and severely disabled patients may not know how to voice their complaints.

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Japan

Japan aims to build world’s largest wind farm. Can it power on by 2035?

The plan calls for wind turbines to supply power to the Izu Islands and Tokyo, with an eventual capacity of 1 gigawatt.

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A wind turbine electric generator for renewable energy in Sakata town, Japan. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
A wind turbine electric generator for renewable energy in Sakata town, Japan. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Indonesia

Can Indonesia’s front-of-pack nutrition labels help fight rising obesity?

Indonesians welcome the new labelling system to reduce sugar, salt and fat intake, but experts warn it is not a ‘silver bullet’.

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Vietnam

Pangolin win: Vietnam sends scale smugglers to prison for 8 years

The Asian pangolin has been hunted for its meat and scales to the point of extinction, causing poachers to turn to its African cousins.

US, Israel war on Iran

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

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A couple looks at a model of the entire industrial chain of green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and oil displayed at the China Energy Engineering Group pavilion in Boao on March 25. Photo: Xinhua
Food and agriculture

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP
Women sit and eat rice noodles on the sidewalk in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 14. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Bali, Sumba and the Flores Islands are expected to be the worst hit from a megathrust earthquake in the Sumba fault.

Japan

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

The Japan Meteorological Agency has upped the risk of a megaquake to 1 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent at other times.

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Malaysia

‘River of mud’ in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands prompts accountability calls

Environmental NGO calls on authorities to adopt a more responsible approach when granting approvals for development projects in the area.

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Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands is a popular tourist destination. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

‘Worst I’ve seen’: forest fires rage across Thailand, Mekong region

The region faces a perennial haze scourge, with enforcement of bans against slash-and-burn farm practices remaining patchy.

Smoke rising from a hillside wildfire in Chiang Mai, Thailand, earlier this month. Photo: AFP
Smoke rising from a hillside wildfire in Chiang Mai, Thailand, earlier this month. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Why Iran war is making petrol cars an unwanted luxury in Asia

From Nepal to Vietnam, soaring fuel costs are making petrol cars a luxury as Asia outpaces Europe in the race to go electric.

Social media

Southeast Asia wants children off social media. Will it work?

Indonesia is leading a regional push to ban children from social media platforms. Enforcement is another matter, however.

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Japan

Japan warned of ‘hellish summer’ as energy fears mount

A prolonged Iran war, combined with an unusually early spell of hot weather, could leave Japan facing power shortages this summer.

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People walk under a parasol in Shizuoka, Japan, where temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, on April 11. Photo: Kyodo
People walk under a parasol in Shizuoka, Japan, where temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, on April 11. Photo: Kyodo
US, Israel war on Iran

Shock therapy: war forces oil-addicted Asia to finally go green

Burned by soaring energy prices, Southeast Asian nations are racing to future-proof themselves against the volatility of war.

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Japan

Japan’s Trump tariff deal faces climate backlash over projects’ 20% carbon surge

Campaigners said the three US projects could generate greenhouse gas emissions equal to about 20 per cent of Japan’s annual total.

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South Korea

Solo in Seoul? South Korean capital offers helpers for US$4 an hour

The city’s ‘companion service’ aims to help single-person households move house or visit hospital.

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People walk through Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this month. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

‘Alarming’ film poster sparks debate on child mental health in Indonesia

Psychologists warn provocative posters like the ones for ‘I Must Die’ can trigger suicidal ideation amid rising mental health struggles.

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About 10 per cent of Indonesian children suffer from mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, a recent report has revealed. Photo: Shutterstock
About 10 per cent of Indonesian children suffer from mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, a recent report has revealed. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

‘Unable to handle rejection’: the forces driving Japan’s knife crime wave

Experts warn a generation raised on screens is losing the ability to handle real-world rejection.

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Japan

Solomon Islands residents live in fear of WWII bomb explosions

With more people on the islands killed or injured due to the munitions, a UN team calls for international efforts to remove the danger.

US, Israel war on Iran

Is the Strait of Hormuz a ticking environmental time bomb?

A major oil spill in the Gulf could damage fragile marine habitats, leading to dire consequences for the region, conservationists warn.

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Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, the United Arab Emirates, on March 11. Photo: AP
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