Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week

Renewed Thai-Cambodia clashes kill at least 12

A border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia resumed on Monday, with both countries accusing each other of shelling civilian areas. Bangkok pledged to continue its planned military operations. On Wednesday, clashes at more than a dozen locations along the 817-kilometer Thai-Cambodian border led to some of the fiercest fighting since a five-day battle in July, which was the worst recent conflict. 

That evening, Cambodia's Interior Ministry reported that homes, schools, roads, pagodas and ancient temples had been damaged by "Thailand's intensified shelling and F-16 air strikes targeting villages and civilian centers up to 30 kilometers inside Cambodian territory." The fighting has already taken a heavy toll on civilians, with Cambodia reporting 10 deaths and 60 injuries. This new round of hostilities has killed at least a dozen people, and more than half a million have been displaced. Meanwhile, late on Thursday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced he is "returning power to the people" by dissolving parliament and moving to hold elections sooner than expected.

Vietnam urges factories to cut output as Hanoi chokes on smog

Industrial plants in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, are facing pressure to reduce operations as authorities respond to a week of severe, hazardous smog in the city. 

Vietnam's Health Ministry earlier this week called on power, steel and chemical plants to cut their output when the air quality index exceeds 200. The index measures the level of dangerous particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air. The AQI hit 243 on Thursday, ranking Hanoi fourth among the world's most-polluted cities, according to AirVisual, which provides independent global air pollution data through a mobile app. The city has been at the top of this list multiple times this week, a position it also held in January.

Shenzhou-21 crew installs space debris protection devices

The Shenzhou-21 crew on China's orbiting space station completed its first spacewalk on Tuesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The CMSA said the spacewalk lasted about eight hours. Astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei went outside the station, working with crew member Zhang Hongzhang inside the core module and with the help of the space station's robotic arm and ground-based scientists. 

The crew completed several important tasks, including inspecting the return capsule porthole on the previously docked Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, installing space debris protection devices on the station, and replacing the insulation cover on a thermal control adapter. Wu became the youngest Chinese astronaut to conduct an extravehicular activity. Meanwhile, Lu completed his second spacewalk, returning to space after a two-and-a-half-year break.

South Korean president begins move back to historic Blue House

South Korea's president and his team have begun moving back into Seoul's historic Blue House, which his predecessor abandoned for being too "imperial," an official said on Tuesday. The Blue House, known as Cheong Wa Dae in Korean, is named for the roughly 150,000 hand-painted blue tiles on its roof and has long been associated with the South Korean presidency. 

Once occupied by representatives of the former colonial power, Japan, the site housed South Korea's leaders for seven decades. The now-disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol chose not to use it as his home and office, opening it to the public and moving to a separate residence instead. Yoon was ousted in April following the imposition of martial law, with South Korean voters electing President Lee Jae Myung in a snap election a few months later. Lee had promised to move both the presidential office and residence back to the Blue House if elected. That process began on Monday and will be completed by Christmas, according to the presidential office.

Air pollution blamed for nearly 2 million respiratory infections in Jakarta

Persistent air pollution in Jakarta caused nearly two million cases of respiratory illnesses in 2025. This has raised concerns about the long-term health of the Indonesian capital's 11 million residents and the 42 million people in the greater Jakarta area, according to new UN data. As of October, over 1.9 million residents had suffered from acute respiratory infections, with children making up nearly 20 percent of that number, according to the Jakarta Health Agency. 

Agency head Ani Ruspitawati told The Jakarta Post on Monday that, "In general, the high prevalence of acute respiratory infections is triggered by the combination of numerous factors, such as changing weather patterns, air pollution, high population density and human mobility in Jakarta, declining immunity and exposure to pathogens." A Health Ministry report published in November ranked Jakarta as the province with the third-highest rate of respiratory illness, behind West Java and Central Java. The ministry reported that over 12 million people across the country experienced respiratory problems in 2025.

(Cover: Displaced people receiving drinking water at a temporary camp amid clashes along the Thailand-Cambodia border in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, December 11, 2025. /CFP)