Health & Environment
Longer lives, fewer marriages and more divorces suggest seniors living alone is a fixture of Asian societies that is here to stay. South Korea, where seniors can die without anyone noticing for days, offers a bleak insight into what’s in store.
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan made headlines when his third child was born to a surrogate mother. But under proposed strict new rules to govern surrogacy, his case – like many others – would not have been allowed.
The Lion City says it will tighten rules for personal mobility devices (PMDs) following public outcries over pedestrian safety and fire safety, sparking a mixed reaction from retailers and users.
this week in asia
Newsletter
The black soldier fly larvae bred at Insectta, the Lion City’s first urban insect farm, are a new line of defence in the war on food waste. Not only do they convert waste into fertiliser, sometimes, they become food themselves
To fans, personal mobility devices are the future of ‘last-mile’ commuting. To haters, they’re a menace to pedestrians, a fire hazard and about as welcome as the shared bikes that once cluttered the streets.
this week in asia
Newsletter
Government think tank estimates 21 of the country’s cities will run out of groundwater by 2020. The monsoon arrived later and weaker than usual this year, raising concerns these cities will be squeezed dry.
Safety concerns have shaped Singapore’s attitude towards using nuclear power in its energy mix. But new developments are sparking a rethink, so what remains is for proponents to overcome public distrust.
China banned the import of waste materials and an entire ‘do-gooder’ ecosystem collapsed as a result, exposing the West as having no sustainable solution to a problem of its own creation.
Four deaths, an increase in patients suffering depression, and police seeking counselling: experts say weeks of stressful protests have left the city facing a mental health crisis – and everybody is vulnerable.
Jakarta is home to 10 million people but that swells to 30 million on weekdays with commuters from nearby cities. It chokes on pollution from traffic, industry and coal plants, which grows even more intense during the dry season.
Rain or shine, villagers in the wet region of Mokhada constantly face water woes, as its water supply is diverted to industrial areas and other cities – a problem that has worsened as a severe drought grips India.
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren roused local communities and politicians to prevent mines destroying the magnificent mountain cat’s habitat – home to a population of snow leopards that is the world’s second largest after China.
The number of male complaints of domestic violence increase eight-fold in four years, but a recent survey suggests figures may be far higher.
The haze that hit Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in 2015 has since largely been avoided – but this has much to do with luck, and only governments can make the fundamental changes needed, writes Chandran Nair.
Climbers who have paid up to US$45,000 to summit Everest are often determined to succeed or die trying. When they fail, it can cost even more to retrieve their bodies
Recycling bins around the city are a great idea, but people don’t know what they can put in them … or are they just too lazy to go downstairs and do it?
Singaporeans, who threw away 763,000 tonnes of food last year, are starting to get an appetite for reducing edible waste
Nguyen Thi Thuy and Le Thi Hoa are part of Vietnam’s first all-female landmine clearing team. Thuy was so dedicated that she even worked while pregnant.
More than 40 years after the Vietnam war ended, unexploded ordnance still litters Quang Tri province – providing a source of income for those willing to risk life and limb to look for it.