This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

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Left: Thai singer Chayada Prao-hom, who died on Sunday. Right: An x-ray image posted by Chayada to social media. Photos: Facebook / Chayada Prao-hom

Health & Environment

20-year-old Thai singer’s death sparks warnings about ‘neck-twisting’ massages

Thai doctors have been highlighting the risks of untrained masseuses following Chayada Prao-hom’s death.

9 minutes ago

Malaysia to foot US$250 million flood bill amid warning of more misery

4 Dec 2024 - 1:30PMvideocam

Is Indonesia ready for Prabowo’s dream of phasing out fossil fuels?

4 Dec 2024 - 2:27PM

Health & Environment

The Philippines

Philippines warns against eating sea turtle meat after 3 deaths

At least 35 people were hospitalised with gastrointestinal symptoms, including three who died from the suspected food poisoning incident.

3 Dec 2024 - 3:18PMvideocam

The shell of a sea turtle that was eaten by villagers in Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. Photo: Facebook/DatuMohamadSinsuatJr

People

Uproar in Malaysia as exams go ahead despite flood chaos

With more than 140,000 displaced and six lives lost, families question the government’s decision not to postpone the key exams.

2 Dec 2024 - 7:08PMvideocam

Economics

Indonesia’s nuclear energy push pits growth against safety concerns

President Prabowo Subianto plans to build two new nuclear plants as part of Indonesia’s goal to derive more energy from clean sources.

1 Dec 2024 - 4:00PM

Health & Environment

Is Asia’s climate funding hope fading over ‘unclear’ Cop29 pledges?

Experts say the summit outcome lacks details, making it challenging to secure financing for Southeast Asia and South Asia.

29 Nov 2024 - 8:33PMvideocam

Damaged buildings and debris on a street after Super Typhoon Yagi hit Ha Long, in Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, on September 8. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

Floods wreak havoc in Malaysia, Thailand as tens of thousands evacuated

Malaysia mobilises nationwide relief efforts to rescue victims affected by flooding, with more than 80,000 people forced to evacuate.

29 Nov 2024 - 6:27PM

A man wades through a flooded area in Klang, Malaysia’s Selangor state, on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Health & Environment

‘Shall I kill you?’: why Japan is mulling a social media ban for under-16s

Australia has approved laws that stipulate fines against social media platforms for failing to ban children below 16 from having accounts.

29 Nov 2024 - 2:59PMvideocam

Health & Environment

Profiteering fears as Malaysians face punishing hike in health insurance

Proliferation of co-payment schemes, reminiscent of health insurance practices in the United States, has stirred fear and anger.

29 Nov 2024 - 1:51PM

Health & Environment

‘Migrate while you can’: Malaysian nurses seek better pay overseas

Healthcare workers look to destinations such as Saudi Arabia amid burnout and meagre pay back home.

25 Nov 2024 - 3:20PM

The nursing crunch is not unique to Malaysia as there has been a global shortage of such workers. Photo: AP

Health & Environment

Terengganu becomes second Malaysian state to ban e-cigarettes

The rise of vaping in Malaysia over the past year was spurred by the exemption of nicotine-laced vape products from the Poisons Act.

21 Nov 2024 - 10:26PM

Promoters smoking e-cigarettes during a vape fair in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP

Health & Environment

Will Singapore surface as Asia’s new hub for depth-defying ocean exploration?

Renowned US marine biologist Sylvia Earle has a vision of Singapore as a hub for groundbreaking underwater exploration.

18 Nov 2024 - 8:37AM

Lifestyle & Culture

‘Japan has become poor’: Tokyo emerges as Asia’s new sex tourism capital

In a grim mirror of Japan’s economic decline, the sex trade is drawing in foreign men and trapping local women in a cycle of desperation.

18 Nov 2024 - 8:37AM

Lifestyle & Culture

Deer attacks on the rise in Japan’s Nara Park as tourists return post-pandemic

Deer, accustomed to humans, are becoming aggressive due to more visitors. Authorities urge caution and are taking protective measures.

15 Nov 2024 - 6:27PM

The deer of Nara, which live close to humans, have become one of the symbols of Nara city. Photo: Xinhua

Health & Environment

‘Serious problem’: Japan curbs over-the-counter drug rules amid youth ‘overdoses’

The government is enacting age verification and purchase limits to curb hospitalisations and shortages, amid social media influence.

14 Nov 2024 - 9:00AM

Japan is cracking down on over-the-counter medicines to combat a worrying social media trend. Photo: Shutterstock

Health & Environment

Financing for Southeast Asia’s energy transition hangs in balance at Cop29

Leaders at ongoing climate summit need to signal a renewed push for phasing out fossil fuels and mobilise finances to do so, analysts say.

12 Nov 2024 - 7:30PMvideocam

Health & Environment

‘Change is coming’: will Southeast Asia have to abandon universal healthcare?

Across Southeast Asia, rising costs and funding struggles are threatening the very foundations of public health systems.

9 Nov 2024 - 12:00PM

Politics

US presidential election 2024

Less stranger danger, but Asia will still pay for Trump’s return

Trade, US support in the region and climate issues hang in the balance as Trump looks to advance US interests ‘with additional gusto’, analysts say.

9 Nov 2024 - 6:25PMvideocam

Donald Trump’s return to the White House signals that America’s experiment with isolation is in fact a long-term directional change. Photo: TNS

Health & Environment

As deadly smog threatens India, Pakistan, experts urge joint climate action

Burning of crop residues and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali have exacerbated the problem, with current measures ineffective, experts say.

12 Nov 2024 - 2:07PMvideocam

Residential complexes are covered in heavy smog near New Delhi, India, on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Health & Environment

Calls in Japan for more suicide prevention steps targeting schoolchildren

Japanese culture experts urge authorities to do more after new data shows suicides among Japanese schoolchildren remain high.

8 Nov 2024 - 2:44PMvideocam

Health & Environment

‘A Diwali nightmare’: pollution crisis grips India after firework celebrations

Air quality experts say the surge in air pollution following the festival is leading to increased respiratory issues and hospital admissions.

6 Nov 2024 - 6:30PM

People

‘Our daughters are not safe’: anxiety in Malaysia after multiple girls go missing

Police say seven girls have been reported missing over the past five months, with some feared kidnapped.

4 Nov 2024 - 6:38PMvideocam

Girls make their way home after school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Reuters

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