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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
A victim lies on the floor. A 62-year-old woman is in critical condition after being set on fire on Sunday. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysian MP offers US$1,200 bounty for arsonist after attack on elderly woman

The 62-year-old victim suffered 50 per cent burns to her body after she was doused with petrol and set on fire at a Kuala Lumpur shop.

Malaysia

‘Out of our control’: haze returns to Malaysia as Indonesian wildfires rage

Malaysia

Climate change in Malaysia turns up heat on youth

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South Korea

As record heatwave hits Asia, fears of energy crisis and health risks mount

Asia’s power infrastructure may come under pressure due to high demand for air conditioning amid lingering concerns over energy supply.

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Two tourists use a hand fan and an umbrella to seek relief from the extreme heat in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Two tourists use a hand fan and an umbrella to seek relief from the extreme heat in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Malaysian police investigate how pilot smuggled drugs past airport checks

A KLIA security screener will be summoned for questioning after a Malaysia Airlines pilot is arrested with 70,000 Ecstasy pills in Jakarta.

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Japan

3 lions perish at Tokyo zoo as Japan bakes in ‘cruelly hot’ summer

Authorities at Tama Zoological Park have strengthened cooling measures to help the animals beat the heat.

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Thailand

Thai justice system under fire after freed criminal confesses to killing 5

The suspected ringleader behind the murders of two Russian siblings and a Thai family was released just seven weeks before the first crime.

Thai murder suspect Thana Kerdthong is arrested by police officers after a multi-province manhunt on Friday. Photo: Royal Thai Police/EPA
Thai murder suspect Thana Kerdthong is arrested by police officers after a multi-province manhunt on Friday. Photo: Royal Thai Police/EPA
Nepal

‘Always inspiring’: Nepal mourns Nirmal Purja after body found on mountain

The British-Nepali climber was renowned for ascending all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in a record 189 days in 2019.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s baby bust accelerates shift towards greying society

Seniors now account for 8.4 per cent of the population, with Malaysia projected to be classified as an aged nation by 2048.

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Japan

Japanese mall is rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. Then it collapses again

Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the Aeon mall after an earthquake hit Kumamoto, followed by an explosion on Tuesday.

A rescue worker walks in front of Aeon mall in Kashima, Kumamoto, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, on Wednesday. Photo: AP
South Korea

South Korean team discovers how facial massage flushes dementia-causing waste

The breakthrough offers hope for new Alzheimer’s treatments – and provides a scientific basis for the benefits of facial massage.

The researchers found that gently stimulating vessels around the eyes and nose can enhance brain-waste clearance. Photo: Shutterstock
The researchers found that gently stimulating vessels around the eyes and nose can enhance brain-waste clearance. Photo: Shutterstock
Cambodia

Cambodia’s tourism slump leaves Angkor Wat eerily quiet

Tourist arrivals have collapsed by nearly 50 per cent this year, forcing local operators to rethink Cambodia’s entire pitch.

Indonesia

Tornado rips roofing from Indonesian construction site, sends workers fleeing

Officials say there were no fatalities from the brief incident in Batam, but warn that unstable conditions can trigger further sudden storms.

Japan

Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts

As small quakes cluster off the coast, a new seabed study shows the Nankai Trough’s ‘locked zone’ is far more fluid than scientists believed.

A collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori prefecture, Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region in December last year. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Myanmar

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

A joint study for a 2,790MW hydropower project is more political stunt than power plan, critics say.

The Mekong as seen from the intersection of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Photo: Rivers and Rights
The Mekong as seen from the intersection of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Photo: Rivers and Rights
Japan

Helicopters and hashtags: Japan’s mounting problem with unprepared hikers

Locals make up the vast majority of Japan’s mountain rescues, yet internet anger is largely reserved for ill-equipped tourists.

Energy

Asia’s AI boom has a dirty secret: the coal that powers it

In the rush to build the digital future, regional tech hubs are digging up the past.

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The Philippines

‘All talk’: farmers warn Philippines isn’t ready for ‘super’ El Nino

Rice output could be slashed by 700,000 tonnes as dams dry up, evoking memories of the Philippine drought of 1997-98.

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A Filipino farmer inspects rice for pests at a farm in Palawan province. Photo: AFP
A Filipino farmer inspects rice for pests at a farm in Palawan province. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

20-hour days, 2 hours’ sleep: Filipino helpers’ Saudi Arabian nightmares

The kingdom says kafala is gone, but advocates say employers still wield unchecked authority over domestic workers.

Thailand

Bangkok bar fire: 27 die as distraught relatives dread the worst

The bar in Thailand’s capital was crowded with hundreds of revellers at the time of the suspected electrical fire.

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Malaysia

What is driving rise in crocodile encounters across Malaysia?

Over 300 have been captured in Peninsular Malaysia since 2024, and experts warn more could follow as humans encroach into crocodile habitats.

A crocodile fitted with a satellite tag enters the Kinabatangan River in Malaysia’s Sabah state. Photo: Danau Girang Field Centre/AFP
Thailand

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

Media attend a press briefing where Thai police showed pictures of surrogate babies in 2014, the year before Thailand banned commercial surrogacy. Photo: AP
Media attend a press briefing where Thai police showed pictures of surrogate babies in 2014, the year before Thailand banned commercial surrogacy. Photo: AP
Singapore

Singapore carer burnout highlights invisible burden of super-aged society

The city state crossed the super-aged threshold this year, making carer support even more critical, experts say.

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Vietnam

Vietnam bets on baby bonuses to get rich before it grows old

Hanoi is throwing cash and housing at its low birth rate, scrambling to protect an export boom that is fast running out of young workers.

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Thailand

Thai PM warns may ‘shut down’ cannabis industry after global smuggling spike

Four years after decriminalisation, a wave of international drug busts could force Asia’s only legal cannabis market to recriminalise.

Customs officers stand next to packages of seized cannabis buds during a press conference in Gresik, Indonesia’s East Java province, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
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