https://www.scmp.com/rss/581/feed Latest news and pictures on weather from around the world en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Harsh weather moved west on Monday as a polar vortex was expected to grip the Rockies and the northern Plains after winter storms pummelled the eastern US over the weekend, killing at least 10 people, including nine victims in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains. The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” into Tuesday, with temperatures in northeastern Montana predicted to dip as low as minus 42.7 degrees Celsius (minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit) with wind chills... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3299011/us-braces-life-threatening-cold-polar-vortex-brings-extreme-weather-after-deadly-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3299011/us-braces-life-threatening-cold-polar-vortex-brings-extreme-weather-after-deadly-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Feb 2025 09:58:58 +0000 Floods and landslides caused by heavy downpours in Nepal killed at least 10 people across the country, with rescue teams searching for 18 missing, a disaster official said on Saturday. Parts of Nepal have been inundated with rainfall since Friday, prompting disaster authorities to warn of flash floods in multiple rivers. “Police are working with other agencies and locals to rescue and find the missing people,” said Basanta Adhikari, a spokesman for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3280358/nepal-floods-and-landslides-leave-10-dead-18-missing-hundreds-stranded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3280358/nepal-floods-and-landslides-leave-10-dead-18-missing-hundreds-stranded?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Sep 2024 08:44:37 +0000 More than 130 people, including tourists, were trapped in Tibet, near China’s border with Nepal. Heavy rain triggered floods and landslides, washing away road links. An evacuation operation was under way as rescuers and tourists had to hike up a mountain to relative safety. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269934/storm-traps-more-130-people-near-tibetan-border-china-and-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269934/storm-traps-more-130-people-near-tibetan-border-china-and-nepal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2024 09:30:18 +0000 Tens of millions were battling dangerously high temperatures in the United States on Saturday as record heat forecasts hung over Europe and Japan, in the latest example of the threat from global warming. A powerful heatwave stretching from California to Texas was expected to peak as the US National Weather Service warned of an “extremely hot and dangerous weekend”. Daytime highs were forecast to range between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal in the west. In Arizona, one of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3227870/us-bakes-under-relentless-heat-dome-heatwaves-sweep-globe-asia-europe-hot-and-dangerous-weekend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3227870/us-bakes-under-relentless-heat-dome-heatwaves-sweep-globe-asia-europe-hot-and-dangerous-weekend?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jul 2023 01:32:16 +0000 Search and recovery crews on Sunday resumed the daunting task of digging through the debris of flattened and battered homes, commercial buildings and municipal offices after hundreds of people were displaced by a deadly tornado that ripped through the Mississippi Delta, one of the poorest regions of the US. At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through several towns on its hour-long path on Friday night. One man was killed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3214889/how-anybody-survived-unknown-crews-continue-sift-through-us-tornado-wreckage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3214889/how-anybody-survived-unknown-crews-continue-sift-through-us-tornado-wreckage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Mar 2023 05:31:14 +0000 It’s official: the Covid-19 pandemic was not the turning point for climate change that some had predicted. The lockdowns and border closures of early 2020 did force a massive reduction in daily greenhouse gas emissions, and this led some to speculate that emissions might have peaked in 2019, on the eve of the pandemic. However, most major economies have failed to “build back better” and, today, the challenge of reducing emissions is bigger than ever. According to data on the state of the global... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207133/global-cooperation-needed-climate-change-emissions-temperatures-continue-rise-after-pandemic-lull?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207133/global-cooperation-needed-climate-change-emissions-temperatures-continue-rise-after-pandemic-lull?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jan 2023 19:30:09 +0000 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday toured flood-hit parts of Victoria state, including the city of Melbourne, as three states continued to grapple with a flood crisis sparked by days of heavy rain. Warnings were in place for flood-impacted parts of Victoria, southern New South Wales and northern regions of Tasmania after a weather system earlier this week dumped more than a month’s worth of rain on the southeast. The crisis comes after Australia’s eastern states were hit by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3196126/australia-pm-albanese-tours-flood-hit-victoria-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3196126/australia-pm-albanese-tours-flood-hit-victoria-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Oct 2022 05:31:07 +0000 Japan’s weather agency warned on Saturday of “unprecedented” risks from a “very dangerous” typhoon heading towards the southern Kyushu island, urging residents to take shelter ahead of the storm. Typhoon Nanmadol was producing gusts of up to 270 kilometres an hour and was classified as a “violent” storm, the agency’s top level, on Saturday. By late afternoon it was approaching the remote Minami Daito island, 400 kilometres east of Okinawa island. The storm is expected to approach or make... https://www.scmp.com/weather/international/article/3192875/japan-braces-very-dangerous-typhoon-nanmadol-urges-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/weather/international/article/3192875/japan-braces-very-dangerous-typhoon-nanmadol-urges-evacuation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Sep 2022 09:57:50 +0000 South Africa’s flood-ravaged east was hit by more rain on Saturday after the deadliest storm to strike the country in living memory killed nearly 400 people and left tens of thousands homeless. Floodwaters engulfed parts of the southeastern coastal city of Durban this week ripping apart roads, destroying hospitals and sweeping away homes and those trapped inside. The latest rains, which have left at least 40,000 people with no shelter, power or water this week, are expected to continue until... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174541/more-rain-lashes-south-africas-flood-ravaged-east-death-toll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174541/more-rain-lashes-south-africas-flood-ravaged-east-death-toll?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2022 04:30:12 +0000 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to help the victims of devastating east coast floods on Wednesday, as the death toll rose to 259 from heavy rains that washed out roads and disrupted shipping in one of Africa’s busiest ports. Ramaphosa visited families who had lost loved ones in KwaZulu-Natal province, including a family with four children, after floods and mudslides ravaged their homes on Tuesday. Africa’s southeastern coast is on the front line of seaborne weather systems that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174171/south-africas-ramaphosa-visits-flood-victims-death-toll-rises-259?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174171/south-africas-ramaphosa-visits-flood-victims-death-toll-rises-259?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Apr 2022 15:01:33 +0000 Prolonged rains and flooding in the Durban area of South Africa have claimed the lives of at least 45 people, damaging the port, major highways and surrounding areas in KwaZulu-Natal province, according to local officials. South Africa’s military has been deployed to Durban and the surrounding eThekwini metropolitan area on Tuesday to assist with rescue operations as residents flee flooded areas. Some people have been swept away by surging waters, say officials. Durban port, the largest and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174034/20-people-feared-dead-south-africa-floods-mudslides?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3174034/20-people-feared-dead-south-africa-floods-mudslides?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:30:21 +0000 Hundreds more Sydney residents were ordered to leave their homes on Friday, some for the second time in a month, as rivers burst their banks even as an intense weather system that dumped more than a month’s rainfall over a few hours began to ease. A man was found dead after his car was swept away by floodwaters in the city’s southwest, police said, while television footage showed submerged roads and inundated homes and businesses. Australia’s east coast has been hammered by three separate wild... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3173518/rising-rivers-australia-force-more-evacuations-sydney-rain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3173518/rising-rivers-australia-force-more-evacuations-sydney-rain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Apr 2022 03:08:48 +0000 Australia declared a national emergency on Wednesday in response to devastating floods along its east coast, and designated catastrophe zones in towns swept away by swollen rivers. “Australia is becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after touring the worst-hit Northern Rivers area of New South Wales. The emergency declaration, which was set up after Australia’s destructive 2019 bush fires, will help cut red tape and speed up... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3169770/australia-floods-cause-us1-billion-damage-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3169770/australia-floods-cause-us1-billion-damage-thousands-flee?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Mar 2022 02:59:12 +0000 The death toll from week-long floods battering Australia’s east coast rose to 20 on Tuesday, after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered in floodwaters in Sydney. Police said it was “suspected” the pair are a missing mother and son whose car was abandoned in a stormwater canal. Tens of thousands of Sydney residents have been told to evacuate their homes as severe storms and flash flooding inundated swathes of Australia’s largest city on Tuesday. The national weather bureau warned of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3169653/sydney-braces-tough-48-hours-severe-storms-and-flash-flooding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3169653/sydney-braces-tough-48-hours-severe-storms-and-flash-flooding?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 05:17:15 +0000 The second major storm in three days smashed through northern Europe on Friday, killing at least nine people as high winds felled trees, cancelled train services and ripped sections off the roof of London’s O2 Arena. The UK weather service said a gust provisionally measured at 196km/h, thought to be the strongest ever in England was recorded on the Isle of Wight as Storm Eunice swept across the country’s south. The weather system, known as Storm Zeynep in Germany, is now pushing into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3167653/least-9-die-roof-ripped-london-o2-arena-northern-europe-battered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3167653/least-9-die-roof-ripped-london-o2-arena-northern-europe-battered?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Feb 2022 02:34:01 +0000 Tap here to launch this special feature https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3154110/cold-facts-about-global-warming-climate-change-and-chinas-2060?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3154110/cold-facts-about-global-warming-climate-change-and-chinas-2060?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Oct 2021 20:00:10 +0000 Tropical Storm Henri hit the coast of Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon, packing high winds that knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and bands of rain that led to flash flooding from New Jersey to Massachusetts. The storm was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, but still packed wind gusts of up to 70mph. There were few early reports of major damage due to wind or surf, but officials warned of the danger of spot flooding in inland areas over the next few days. Millions on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3145959/tropical-storm-henri-makes-landfall-rhode-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3145959/tropical-storm-henri-makes-landfall-rhode-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Aug 2021 17:40:37 +0000 The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India climbed to 159, officials said on Sunday, with rescuers searching for dozens more missing. The country’s western coast has been inundated by torrential rains since Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department warning of further downpours over the next few days. Flooding and landslides are common during India’s treacherous monsoon season, which also often sees poorly constructed buildings buckle after days... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3142485/death-toll-india-monsoon-climbs-159-rescuers-search-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3142485/death-toll-india-monsoon-climbs-159-rescuers-search-dozens?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jul 2021 20:18:50 +0000 Sydney braced for its worst flooding in decades on Sunday after record rainfall caused its largest dam to overflow and as deluges prompted mandatory mass evacuation orders along Australia’s east coast. Emergency services ordered people living in low-lying areas on the city’s northwestern fringes to flee to safety, as authorities warned of a potentially “life-threatening” situation in New South Wales state. It came after the Warragamba Dam, which provides much of the drinking water for Sydney,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3126310/record-rains-and-widespread-flooding-prompt-evacuations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3126310/record-rains-and-widespread-flooding-prompt-evacuations?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Mar 2021 20:54:27 +0000 A particularly spectacular blast from Italy’s Mount Etna volcano belched out a towering cloud of ash and lava stone Sunday onto Sicilian villages, the latest in a series of explosions since mid-February. Italy’s national geophysics and volcanology institute INGV said the powerful explosion at 2am was the 10th such big blast since February 16, when Europe’s most active volcano started giving off an impressive demonstration of nature’s fire power, colouring the night sky in shocking hues of orange... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3124463/sicilys-mount-etna-continues-its-spectacular-explosions-ash-rains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3124463/sicilys-mount-etna-continues-its-spectacular-explosions-ash-rains?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Mar 2021 16:47:15 +0000 US President Joe Biden travelled to Texas on Friday, where he met volunteers at a food bank, toured a health centre and visited an emergency operations facility to assess recovery efforts from a severe Texas winter storm while an aide blamed state government for being unprepared. Biden and his wife Jill Biden landed in Houston where he met Republican Governor Greg Abbott and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to discuss the recovery from last week’s storm, which caused serious damage to homes and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3123384/joe-biden-travels-texas-survey-damage-winter-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3123384/joe-biden-travels-texas-survey-damage-winter-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:13:48 +0000 Floods inundated parts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta and its surrounding towns on Saturday following heavy rain overnight, displacing thousands of people. In the capital, some homes were submerged under two metres of water and vehicles were swept away on the streets, television footage showed. At least 139 neighbourhoods in Jakarta, home to about 10 million people, were affected and more than nearly 1,400 people were displaced, said Sabdo Kurnianto, the head of the city's civil protection... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3122521/severe-rainy-season-floods-hit-greater-jakarta-displacing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3122521/severe-rainy-season-floods-hit-greater-jakarta-displacing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Feb 2021 22:32:28 +0000 US President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Texas on Saturday as the state struggles with the fallout from a winter storm that killed at least two dozen people and caused widespread blackouts and water shortages. Millions of residents in the United States’ biggest oil and gas producer have had to contend with days of electricity outages, and nearly half of all Texans are still suffering from disruptions to their water service. Lina Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3122518/us-president-joe-biden-approves-texas-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3122518/us-president-joe-biden-approves-texas-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Feb 2021 20:23:37 +0000 This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nick Niedzwiadek on politico.com on February 19, 2021. US President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that he will travel to Texas as the state remains locked in the throes of a days-long freeze that has brought power and water systems to their knees and endangered millions. “I plan on going,” the president said on Friday after delivering a virtual address to the Munich Security Conference. Biden added... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3122456/us-president-joe-biden-declare-major-disaster-texas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3122456/us-president-joe-biden-declare-major-disaster-texas?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Feb 2021 19:11:27 +0000 A magnitude-5.9 earthquake hit parts of Central and South Asia on Friday, jolting countries from Tajikistan to India. Strong tremors were felt across Afghanistan and Pakistan, forcing people to flee from houses and other buildings in panic. The epicentre was in Tajikistan, near the country’s border with China and Afghanistan, at a depth of more than 90km (56 miles), according to the US Geological Survey. Tremors were felt across Hindukush's Himalayan Mountain range, which runs through both the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3121619/magnitude-59-earthquake-jolts-countries-tajikistan-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3121619/magnitude-59-earthquake-jolts-countries-tajikistan-india?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Feb 2021 21:01:01 +0000 The Netherlands and parts of Germany were blanketed on Sunday by a snowstorm that disrupted planes and trains and put some coronavirus testing on hold. Britain was also bracing for heavy snow from what Dutch meteorologists have called Storm Darcy, which is packing winds of up to 90 kilometres (55 miles) an hour. People rushed outdoors to enjoy sledging and playing in the snow in Dutch and German cities despite the bitterly cold conditions with temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees Celsius (23... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3120926/netherlands-hit-storm-darcy-countrys-first-snowstorm-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3120926/netherlands-hit-storm-darcy-countrys-first-snowstorm-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Feb 2021 21:53:36 +0000 Four skiers have been killed and four others were rescued near Salt Lake City, Utah, in the deadliest snowslide in the United States in seven years, authorities said. Two groups of skiers, one of five and the other of three, were in Millcreek Canyon just east of Utah’s capital city when the avalanche was triggered on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Unified Police Department of Salt Lake City said. The skiers, who were in their 20s and 30s, were able to dig themselves out of the snow and call... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3120919/four-skiers-killed-and-four-rescued-following?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3120919/four-skiers-killed-and-four-rescued-following?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Feb 2021 16:20:58 +0000 Two civilian employees of the Norwegian military were killed and a third one injured in an avalanche on a remote Arctic Ocean island inhabited only by soldiers and researchers of the Nordic country. A statement from the Norwegian Armed Forces said Sunday that the accident took place Saturday afternoon on Jan Mayen Island, located 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of Greenland and 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) west of mainland Norway. “Three employees based at the Armed Forces station on Jan Mayen... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3119994/two-dead-and-one-injured-avalanche-norwegian-arctic-island-jan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3119994/two-dead-and-one-injured-avalanche-norwegian-arctic-island-jan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:47:07 +0000 Four people died in Spain as Storm Filomena caused travel chaos across the country, blanketing Madrid in the heaviest snowfall in decades and forcing authorities to mobilise troops to rescue trapped motorists. Rescue services reached 1,500 people trapped in cars, while skiers glided down Gran Via, normally one of the busiest streets in the capital. Other Madrid residents used the freak blizzard to snowboard down the road or pelt each other with snowballs. A man and woman who were travelling in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3117080/four-dead-spanish-storm-troops-deployed-help-motorists-stranded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3117080/four-dead-spanish-storm-troops-deployed-help-motorists-stranded?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jan 2021 16:25:25 +0000 Rescuers have uncovered a seventh body from a landslide that buried homes in a village near Norway’s capital, police said Sunday, but hopes persist that three people still missing might yet be found alive. The tragedy occurred early on Wednesday when houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of metres under a torrent of mud in the village of Ask, 25 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of Oslo. Police spokesman Bjorn Christian Willersrud told journalists they hoped to find more survivors in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116273/seventh-body-found-norway-mudslide-rescuers-hope-three-still?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116273/seventh-body-found-norway-mudslide-rescuers-hope-three-still?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jan 2021 19:49:46 +0000 Rescuers have uncovered a fifth body four days after a landslide buried homes near Norway’s capital, police said on Sunday, as the search goes on for five people still missing. The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of metres under a torrent of mud at the village of Ask, 25km northeast of Oslo. “Just before six am a deceased person was found,” a police statement said. The discovery of a fourth body had been made on Saturday after... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116209/second-body-found-after-landslide-norway-rescuers-search-eight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116209/second-body-found-after-landslide-norway-rescuers-search-eight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Jan 2021 16:32:32 +0000 Rescuers on Friday found a dead body and continued searching for nine other people, including a toddler and a 13-year-old, still missing days after a mudslide destroyed homes in a Norwegian village, the authorities said. An entire hillside collapsed in Ask, 25 kilometres (15 miles) northeast of the capital Oslo overnight on December 29, burying homes or breaking them apart. “A dead body was discovered in the landslide,” police said without identifying the person. The police statement said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116166/one-dead-norway-landslide-rescuers-search-nine-missing-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3116166/one-dead-norway-landslide-rescuers-search-nine-missing-people?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Jan 2021 22:23:45 +0000 Volcanoes that have been quiet for decades are rumbling to life in the eastern Caribbean, prompting officials to issue alerts in Martinique and St Vincent and the Grenadines as scientists rush in to study activity they say has not been observed in years. The most recent warning was issued late on Tuesday for La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines, a chain of islands home to more than 100,000 people. Officials reported tremors, strong gas emissions, formation of a new volcanic dome... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3115920/eastern-caribbean-islands-issue-rare-evacuation-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3115920/eastern-caribbean-islands-issue-rare-evacuation-alerts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Dec 2020 00:01:40 +0000 Norwegian rescuers deployed drones and dogs to negotiate unstable clay soil in a search for 10 people still missing on Thursday after a landslide in southern Norway swept away more than a dozen buildings the previous day. Another 10 people were injured, one critically, after the landslide in the residential area in the Gjerdrum municipality, about 30km (19 miles) north of the capital, Oslo. Conditions remained challenging, with the clay ground still too unstable for emergency workers to walk on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115916/eleven-people-missing-and-10-injured-landslide-hits-residential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115916/eleven-people-missing-and-10-injured-landslide-hits-residential?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Dec 2020 21:24:39 +0000 Iranian rescue workers ended their search for survivors on Sunday following a series of avalanches that killed 12 people in a mountainous area north of the capital, state TV reported. The avalanches struck in four different areas on Friday following strong winds and snowfall a day earlier. The Alborz mountain range where the avalanches occurred is a popular weekend destination for hiking and climbing. Fridays are a day off for most Iranian workers. State TV aired footage showing emergency crews... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3115495/rescuers-call-search-after-avalanches-kill-12-mountainous?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3115495/rescuers-call-search-after-avalanches-kill-12-mountainous?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Dec 2020 21:58:01 +0000 Authorities in Venice on Sunday activated the Italian city’s controversial flood defence system as sea levels rise. Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wrote on Twitter that floods of 130 centimetres above normal water levels are predicted for Monday morning. In response, the city’s MOSE flood defence system will be activated, Brugnaro announced. MOSE relies on a system of close to 80 yellow barriers at three tributaries to the city’s main lagoon. These are supposed to hold back the water and protect... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115491/venice-activates-flood-defence-system-sea-levels-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115491/venice-activates-flood-defence-system-sea-levels-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Dec 2020 17:54:30 +0000 Storm Bella swept across Britain and into northern France, leaving thousands of households without power on Sunday. Around 12,000 households in northern France are without electricity, with coastal regions of Brittany and Normandy worst affected, the AFP news agency reported, citing the network operator Enedis. The weather service Meteo France warned of strong gusts and high waves on the Atlantic coast, while the prefecture of the department of Manche on the English Channel urged caution because... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115482/storm-bella-wreaks-havoc-across-france-and-uk-leaving-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3115482/storm-bella-wreaks-havoc-across-france-and-uk-leaving-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Dec 2020 16:41:05 +0000 Eight climbers have died and at least seven others are missing after a blizzard and avalanches hit the mountains north of Tehran, Iranian media reported on Saturday. “The bodies of eight missing climbers were recovered in the mountains above Tehran thanks to the efforts of Red Crescent rescue teams and operations,” said Iranian Red Crescent deputy head, Mohammad Baqer Mohammadi, according to the official IRNA news agency. A group of mountaineers had gone missing on Friday after avalanches and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3115446/eight-dead-and-seven-missing-blizzard-avalanches-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3115446/eight-dead-and-seven-missing-blizzard-avalanches-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Dec 2020 21:10:45 +0000 A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck northern Japan early on Monday, but no tsunami warning was issued. The Meteorological Agency said in a statement it was considered to be one of the aftershocks of the 2011 powerful quake that triggered tsunami waves in the north-east, killing about 18,500 people. The seismic centre of the quake that jolted the region at 2.23am (5.23pm GMT on Sunday) was off Aomori prefecture at a depth of 43 kilometres, the agency said. There were no immediate reports of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3114730/magnitude-65-earthquake-jolts-northern-japan-no-threat-tsunami?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3114730/magnitude-65-earthquake-jolts-northern-japan-no-threat-tsunami?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Dec 2020 23:47:46 +0000 The number of deaths linked to tropical depression Eta in Central America may be greater than 170, according to new figures given on Friday, following landslides and flooding triggered by the storm. Eta made landfall as a hurricane in Nicaragua on Tuesday. It was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday before entering Honduras, which it left late on Thursday, according to the country's civil protection agency, COPECO. About 150 people are estimated to have been killed in Guatemala,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3108871/more-170-feared-dead-tropical-depression-eta-ravages-central?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3108871/more-170-feared-dead-tropical-depression-eta-ravages-central?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 20:15:41 +0000 Eta was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on Tuesday even as it continued to pummel Nicaragua, killing two people there and one in neighbouring Honduras as it unleashed fierce winds and heavy downpours. The hurricane, which dropped from a Category 4 storm earlier in the day as it moved inland, hammered impoverished indigenous communities along the coast and caused heavy rains throughout much of Central America. “Quite a lot of trees have fallen and traffic has been badly affected” in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3108339/furious-category-four-hurricane-eta-smashes-nicaragua-ripping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3108339/furious-category-four-hurricane-eta-smashes-nicaragua-ripping?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Nov 2020 20:32:56 +0000 At least 10 people were killed as Typhoon Goni pounded the Philippines on Sunday, ripping off roofs, toppling power lines and causing flooding in the hardest-hit areas where hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. The strongest typhoon of the year also triggered deadly landslides that buried a number of houses in the southern part of the most populous island of Luzon, officials said. Goni was a “super typhoon” when it made landfall on Catanduanes Island before dawn, packing maximum... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3107948/warning-catastrophic-conditions-super-typhoon-goni-makes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3107948/warning-catastrophic-conditions-super-typhoon-goni-makes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Oct 2020 23:48:26 +0000 Permafrost is a layer of soil, rock or sediment that is frozen for more than two consecutive years. It is commonly found in snowy, high-altitude mountains. About a quarter of the entire northern hemisphere has permafrost, but it is especially prevalent in areas above the 50th parallel north.  Tap here to launch this special feature https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3000839/permafrost-climate-change-time-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3000839/permafrost-climate-change-time-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 16:30:05 +0000 Typhoon Cimaron passed through western Japan to the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, on Friday, leaving more than a dozen people injured and disrupting traffic before heading for the northern main island of Hokkaido. Downpours caused power outages affecting about 138,000 households in central and western Japan and grounded 60 morning flights to and from Osaka and Aichi prefectures. Although the typhoon is expected to be downgraded to an extratropical cyclone later in the day, the weather agency urged... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2161126/typhoon-cimaron-leaves-damage-western-japan-heads-hokkaido?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2161126/typhoon-cimaron-leaves-damage-western-japan-heads-hokkaido?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:03:19 +0000 Nearly a year after its incorporation, the New York charity of HNA Group, China’s airline-to-property conglomerate, has yet to apply for tax-exempt status. Tax exemption is usually sought by US charities as it shields their funds – and their donors – from the taxman, leaving more resources for philanthropy. However, the Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, which counts a 29.5 per cent stake in HNA as its main asset, said it had not decided whether it would seek to be exempted from paying federal... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2120278/hna-yet-apply-tax-exempt-status-ny-charity-hainan-cihang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2120278/hna-yet-apply-tax-exempt-status-ny-charity-hainan-cihang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2017 14:38:20 +0000 Some Spanish expatriates in Hong Kong have condemned police violence in their home country, but remain divided over the legality and timing of Sunday’s referendum on independence for Catalonia. A Madrid business leader in Hong Kong urged pro-independence supporters in the city not to “learn the wrong lesson”, and said any referendum must follow the constitution and democratic procedures. The business leader said anonymously that the result of the referendum was not representative of Catalans as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2113712/spanish-expats-hong-kong-condemn-police-brutality-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2113712/spanish-expats-hong-kong-condemn-police-brutality-during?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2017 11:00:45 +0000 Google fired an employee who wrote a memo last week criticising its diversity initiatives. No, it is not the same mission statement that Tom Cruise conjured after a restless night in Jerry Maguire. But, like the film it immediately unravelled the career its author, who has added fuel to the bonfire of hypocrisy and discrimination plaguing the tech industry. This week, Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, tried to decisively end the controversy over the memo that went viral and that was threatening to... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2106189/controversial-google-sacking-shows-hypocrisy-and-discrimination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2106189/controversial-google-sacking-shows-hypocrisy-and-discrimination?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Aug 2017 03:24:02 +0000 The directors of small British construction businesses are lending them more money to plug a funding gap, as banks set tighter lending criteria and major contractors delay payments, a survey showed on Monday. Directors lent companies £38 million ($50 million) in 2015/16, up from £29.7 million in 2013/14, said online finance market Funding Options, which surveyed electricians, plumbers, plasterers, carpenters, decorators, scaffolders and roofing businesses. Banks have taken a more cautious... https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2105773/loans-stepped-small-uk-construction-firms-plug-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/hong-kong-china/article/2105773/loans-stepped-small-uk-construction-firms-plug-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Aug 2017 17:33:46 +0000 Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, has vowed he plans “do a Steve Jobs” and stage a comeback as Uber’s CEO. Whether or not he can improve the treatment of women in Uber and restore its dominance in the ride sharing market are not two independent goals. The inability of its investors and board to enforce ethical conduct shows its level of disarray even as they have been seeking a new CEO. The Washington Post reported last week the short list has been narrowed down, to three men. Discrimination against... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2105642/many-start-ups-bulging-endless-capital-still-lack-nous-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/2105642/many-start-ups-bulging-endless-capital-still-lack-nous-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Aug 2017 23:31:04 +0000 State-owned China Merchants Port Holdings is investing up to a US$1.12 billion to develop, manage and operate Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port, close to the world’s busiest shipping lanes, in a revised agreement with the Colombo government. China Merchants said it will take a 85 per cent stake in Hambantota International Port Group with the rest held by Sri Lanka Ports Authority. Sri Lanka’s cabinet cleared the revised agreement on Tuesday. A deal was struck between the two sides late last year to... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2104080/china-merchant-port-invest-us112b-sri-lankas-hambantota-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2104080/china-merchant-port-invest-us112b-sri-lankas-hambantota-port?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2017 14:35:59 +0000