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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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

Myanmar

Myanmar and Laos plan downstream Mekong’s biggest dam yet

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.

A traveller walks past an image of Mount Fuji in the arrivals terminal at an airport in Tokyo in May. Photo: AFP
A traveller walks past an image of Mount Fuji in the arrivals terminal at an airport in Tokyo in May. Photo: AFP
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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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.

Repatriated Filipino workers arrive in Manila from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on undocumented workers by Riyadh in 2013. Photo: AFP
Repatriated Filipino workers arrive in Manila from Saudi Arabia following a crackdown on undocumented workers by Riyadh in 2013. Photo: AFP
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.

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
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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Content creator Edgar Tang speaks to his father in a nursing home. Photo: Handout
Content creator Edgar Tang speaks to his father in a nursing home. Photo: Handout
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.

Indonesia

As Bali battles a rabies surge, dog meat draws fresh scrutiny

Nearly 30,000 people have been bitten by suspected rabid animals on the Indonesian resort island this year. Five died.

A health worker prepares to vaccinate a dog against rabies in Badung regency, Bali, Indonesia. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Is super-ageing Singapore headed for population decline?

With babies in short supply and its birth rate tanking, the city state is weighing a future of robots and immigrants.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
Illustration: Huy Truong
Japan

Bear spray surge in Japan sparks safety concerns after accidental discharge

A Vietnamese man has apologised for accidentally discharging the spray in a Nagoya post office, resulting in five people being hospitalised.

Japan

Japan’s disaster plans fail to keep pace with tourist boom

Japan regularly drills its schoolchildren for earthquakes evacuations, but foreign visitors are another matter entirely.

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Malaysia

No more warnings for litterbugs as Malaysia’s Penang deploys bodycams

Duty officers are empowered to issue a notice to offenders, who could face a maximum fine of US$489 or up to 12 hours of community service.

Residential buildings and hotels at the Tanjung Bungah area of George Town on Malaysia’s Penang Island. Photo: AFP
Residential buildings and hotels at the Tanjung Bungah area of George Town on Malaysia’s Penang Island. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

‘Providing a solution’? Why some Filipinos risk their lives amid abortion ban

Filipinos wanting to end unwanted pregnancies have resorted to black-market alternatives that can result in life-threatening consequences.

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Malaysia

In Malaysia, military veterans are sent to schools to teach bullies a lesson

The first 16 former Malaysian Armed Forces personnel will start work as wardens at eight selected Mara Junior Science Colleges on Wednesday.

Malaysia

Border security stepped up after 2 Malaysians hurt in roadside bomb in Thailand

A total of 4.4 million Malaysians crossed the border last year, making the country Thailand’s largest inbound tourism market.

A Thai border patrol policeman inspects a villager’s vehicle on June 19. Photo: EPA
Nepal

Why scientists are alarmed by Nepal’s worsening bird flu outbreak

Nepal has culled 600,000 birds as H5N1 sweeps Kathmandu, closing the capital’s only zoo and raising fears it could mutate to infect humans.

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Members of a rapid response team from Nepal’s Department of Livestock Services are disinfected after culling chickens at a poultry farm in Bhaktapur last week. Photo: EPA
Members of a rapid response team from Nepal’s Department of Livestock Services are disinfected after culling chickens at a poultry farm in Bhaktapur last week. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Burning point: Southeast Asia’s haze fight faces cost test

Indonesia has come under renewed attention after President Prabowo Subianto committed to cracking down on agriculture-linked fires.

Extreme weather

Asia’s ‘dangerous’ humid heatwaves push human body to its limits

Parts of Southeast Asia are set to experience at least six months of dangerous humid heat days annually, a report says.

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Singapore

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew seen as cool guy amid Europe’s deadly heatwave

In the midst of record-breaking temperatures, social media users are praising the late statesman’s foresight in embracing air conditioning.

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People cool down near water misters in Cologne, Germany, on Thursday. Photo: AFP
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