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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Coronavirus pandemic
Climate change
Wellness
A forensic police officer marks a bullet casing as evidence at the site of a shooting at the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation office on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Bullets and bloodshed: why Thailand is struggling to tackle gun violence

The recent school shooting and killing of an official have raised the tally to 12 in three weeks in the tiny province of Nonthaburi alone.

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Malaysia

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

Malaysia

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

Malaysia

Climate change in Malaysia turns up heat on youth

Unicef survey shows young people reporting significant concerns including worsening illnesses and heat-related health problems.

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A pedestrian carries an umbrella crosses a street in front of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: AP
A pedestrian carries an umbrella crosses a street in front of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: AP
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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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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Three lions have died of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo’s Tama Zoological Park in Japan. Photo: Tokyo Zoological Park Society/Kyodo
Three lions have died of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo’s Tama Zoological Park in Japan. Photo: Tokyo Zoological Park Society/Kyodo
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.

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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Malaysia’s total fertility rate fell to 1.6 children per woman from 1.7 in 2024, well below the replacement level of 2.1. Photo: Shutterstock
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
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.

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.

A tornado ripped roofing from workshop facilities at a construction site in Batam, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook/Kurniawan Edi
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
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.

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.

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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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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong
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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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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Rescuers work at the site of a fire in Bangkok, Thailand early on Monday. Photo: AP
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
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.

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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A pregnant woman holding an umbrella walks past a billboard of a happy family in Hanoi last month. Photo: AFP
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