Advertisement
Advertisement
This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

Related Topics:
Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
People walk past abandoned vehicles on a flooded Petchaburi road in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP
A man uses a large plastic tube to wade through floodwaters in the Bang Bua district of Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP
People walk past abandoned vehicles on a flooded Petchaburi road in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Bangkok declares flood disaster across city as thousands flee from homes

Rains have pounded the city since Wednesday, with no respite forecast until late Sunday as waters rise to at least two feet.

The Philippines

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

videocam
Japan

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

videocam
Malaysia

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

All 108 schools in Serian close again as API readings break 200, highlighting the limits of cloud seeding while monsoon winds persist.

videocam
The Kuala Lumpur Tower is obscured by toxic haze from Indonesian wildfires on Monday. Photo: AFP
Motorists travel along a road as the prime minister’s office is partially obscured by haze in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in September. Photo: AP
Firefighters arrive to battle peatland and forest fires in Banjar, South Kalimantan, Indonesia on Monday. Photo: AFP
A helicopter drops water on forest fires in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan province, Indonesia on Monday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
A still from a social media video shows crew members clinging to railings in the aftermath of the ship collision in the Singapore Strait last week. Photo: X
A still from a video filmed from aboard the fishing boat shows water pouring on to the deck after the collision. Photo: X
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.

videocam
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.

4
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.

videocam
6
An elderly woman rests at a heat relief shelter in Guryong district, Seoul, South Korea in August. Photo: AFP
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.

videocam
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
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’.

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.

videocam
4
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.

A woman walks against a mural in Kuala Lumpur in August. A Malaysian court has acquitted a 15-year-old boy of murdering his schoolmate on the grounds that severe schizophrenia had left him legally insane. Photo: EPA
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
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.

videocam
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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
Men push a small boat along a flooded street after intense monsoon rains in Quezon City, the Philippines, last month. Photo: AP
Men push a small boat along a flooded street after intense monsoon rains in Quezon City, the Philippines, last month. Photo: AP
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.

Asean

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

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

videocam
7
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.

Cooling facilities are seen on the roof of a data centre building (bottom centre) as people at a restaurant are reflected on a pane of glass in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: AFP
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
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

Mount Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait, South Lampung, spews smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. Photo: AFP/Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW