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This Week in Asia /

Health & Environment

The dugong, a benign, snub-nosed marine mammal, is battling to survive. Photo: Shutterstock
Thailand

Inside Thailand’s race to save its last dugong herd – by testing its poop

Scientists are collecting poop samples to test for stress hormones and other health indicators in a bid to prevent the mammal’s extinction.

Singapore

Singapore raises fines 10 times for haze offences, says status quo ‘not tenable’

Indonesia

German tourist missing in Indonesia’s Bali after landslide amid rainy season

Indonesia

‘Basic necessities’: why Indonesians are fighting the sanitary pad tax

Critics argue the 11 per cent tax adds to the financial burden for women from low-income families and could be seen as ‘gender-biased’.

A woman pushes a stroller in a park as haze from wildfires shrouds the city of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on October 15. Photo: AP
A woman pushes a stroller in a park as haze from wildfires shrouds the city of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on October 15. Photo: AP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s halal chicken scandal exposes hygiene breaches at filthy plant

A raid at the Puchong facility that operated without certification revealed slaughtering breaches, sparking calls for stricter oversight.

Environment

Hate paper straws? Asia’s new alternatives are another eco trap

Cafes and coffee chains are swapping soggy paper for costly bioplastics, but scientists warn the ecological fallout is far from solved.

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Malaysia

Indonesia haze cost Malaysia US$1.97 billion in losses: study

Cross-border smoke from forest and peatland fires forced factories to shut, emptied classrooms and killed an estimated 1,700 people.

Haze blankets the famous Petronas Twin Towers and the rest of the skyline in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October. Photo: AP
Haze blankets the famous Petronas Twin Towers and the rest of the skyline in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October. Photo: AP
Thailand

Thailand, Vietnam meat busts highlight growing risk of unsafe food on the table

Rising overheads and porous borders are driving a wave of uninspected, disease-prone animal shipments into everyday kitchens.

Singapore

‘Not to find scapegoats’: Singapore summons bosses of 10 firms over haze

Observers say the optics of the session send a powerful message of the country’s determination to crack down against offenders over the haze.

Indonesia

Rising ketamine abuse fuels debate on tighter drug laws in Indonesia

Analysts urge authorities to first conduct comprehensive studies before reclassifying ketamine as a drug.

Indonesian armed police officers stand guard beside packages from a haul of 1.16 tons of ketamine and 1.1 tons of methamphetamine during a press conference on October 23. Photo: AFP
South Korea

1 in 6 Gen Z South Koreans took GLP-1 slimming drugs last year: survey

A new survey shows appearance drives slimming drug use among young South Koreans, while regulators battle scams and misinformation.

Wegovy weight-loss medication pictured. About one in six South Korean Gen Z adults were prescribed or used GLP-1 drugs in 2025, leading nationwide uptake, according to a report by KB Financial Group. Photo: Getty Images
Wegovy weight-loss medication pictured. About one in six South Korean Gen Z adults were prescribed or used GLP-1 drugs in 2025, leading nationwide uptake, according to a report by KB Financial Group. Photo: Getty Images
SCMP Highlights

Why paper straws are worse than plastic; haze in Indonesia: 7 Asia highlights

From Malaysian teen held after live-streaming axe attack to haze in Indonesia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Japan

Cooler than Tokyo: Sendai named Japan’s most comfortable city amid record heat

The city’s average maximum temperature was 26.8 degrees Celsius over this summer, the lowest since 2020.

South Korea

In South Korea, jail time awaits Halloween police impersonators

Police crack down on fake uniforms as Seoul marks a fourth Halloween since the Itaewon crowd crush disaster.

A man dressed in a police uniform stands on a street in Hong Kong during Halloween in 2019. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Paper straws worse for the environment than plastic, South Korea study finds

The report finds paper and bio-based straws generate higher life-cycle emissions, prompting calls to cut single-use consumption at source.

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Paper straws in bar in California in February 2025. A South Korea study has found paper straws may cause more environmental harm than plastic. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Paper straws in bar in California in February 2025. A South Korea study has found paper straws may cause more environmental harm than plastic. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Indonesia

Indonesians turn to eco-art as haze sparks anger and diplomatic tension

Frustrated by toxic haze, Indonesians are using performance art to draw attention to the wildfires as anger grows across borders.

Malaysia

Haze forces Malaysian fitness groups to swap outdoor runs for shopping mall laps

Air-conditioned retail corridors offer a safe space for runners as toxic air quality disrupts sports across Malaysia.

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South Korea

‘Mourning run’ or clout chase? South Korea divided over runner’s death tributes

Runners have been posting their track records with hashtags commemorating South Korean running influencer Yoo Ji-won.

Running influencer Yoo Ji-won often shared achievements and training snapshots in social media. Photo: Instagram / mta1n_0ne
Running influencer Yoo Ji-won often shared achievements and training snapshots in social media. Photo: Instagram / mta1n_0ne
Singapore

‘As long as it takes’: Singapore goes tough against haze, but will it work?

The city state has vowed to use ‘every legal and regulatory lever’ at its disposal, but analysts warn of cross-border challenges.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, viral air purifier test fans flames of anger over haze

Many online users also posted pictures of their own air purifiers registering similar readings of high pollutant levels.

Indonesia

Indonesia backtracks on foreign aid to fight toxic haze choking Southeast Asia

Jakarta insists it can contain forest fires alone, holding back regional aid while refusing to declare a national disaster.

Firefighters spray water on peatland fires in West Kalimantan, Indonesia in September. Fires in Indonesia have caused a regional haze crisis. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Should Singapore’s classrooms be air-conditioned like in Hong Kong amid haze?

An opposition MP who has pushed for air-conditioned classrooms due to hot weather says his proposal is more urgent now because of the haze.

A family looks out of a cabin in the Singapore Flyer in Singapore on Thursday as the country continues to be shrouded in haze caused by fires in Indonesia. Photo: AFP
A family looks out of a cabin in the Singapore Flyer in Singapore on Thursday as the country continues to be shrouded in haze caused by fires in Indonesia. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesian governor’s ‘tone deaf’ Singapore trip adds fury to haze crisis

East Kalimantan’s Rudy Mas’ud said visit was for medical reasons, not leisure, as Indonesia accepts foreign aid to tackle the disaster.

Malaysia

Blurred vision: cries grow for Malaysia to stop being ‘too soft’ on haze

Smoke from Indonesian fires has blanketed large parts of Peninsular Malaysia, with Johor and Selangor among the worst affected states.

The Philippines

Is Philippines geared for El Nino? Critics say water-planning has run dry

An official’s call to use water buckets and water treatment kits has been criticised as proof again of Manila’s poor disaster planning.

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Filipinos collect water in buckets in Mandaluyong city, east of Manila, amid drought conditions brought on by the onset of El Nino in 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE
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