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A drone shot on Saturday shows an area affected by fatal landslides in a village in West Java. Photo: Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency via AP
Indonesia

‘Like thunder’: 8 killed in Indonesia, over 80 missing in Java landslide

‘It had been raining non-stop since the morning, and then it happened’.

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New Zealand

New Zealand landslide: human remains found as rescue operations end

European Union

Storm unleashes half a year’s rain on Athens, leaving devastation in its wake

Japan

Japan halts world’s largest nuclear plant hours after restart

TEPCO halted the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart after a monitoring alarm sounded, but confirmed the reactor is stable with no radioactive impact.

Tepco’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex. Photo: Kyodo
New Zealand

‘I could hear people screaming’: several feared buried in New Zealand campsite

‘I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,’ a tourist at Mount Maunganui says.

Japan

Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima under close scrutiny

The No 6 unit at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa reached criticality on Wednesday, a key step in Japan’s push for stable energy despite lingering safety fears.

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Japan

Alarm bells ring for Japan’s Tepco as glitch delays nuclear restart

The delay was reportedly due to an alarm malfunction that occurred during equipment testing over the weekend.

An aerial photo shows the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant on April 2021. Photo: Kyodo/AP
Chile

Chile declares catastrophe as wildfires rage and kill at least 18

President Boric deploys the military to hard-hit regions as fast-moving blazes devour hundreds of homes.

Austria

Recovery continues after 8 skiers killed in avalanches in Austria

Three avalanches across Austria on the weekend killed eight people - all during off-piste ski tours.

Africa

Over 100 dead in torrential rains and floods across southern Africa

Thousands have been forced to evacuate in Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, with helicopters plucking people to safety.

Residents sit on a Mozambique military truck transporting them across floodwater that blocked a road in the Boane district on Friday. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Philippines’ Cebu residents cry foul over mounting garbage, health risks

The fatal collapse of a garbage landfill in Cebu has also exposed lax enforcement and poor waste management.

Family members of missing workers react as rescue operations continue at a collapsed landfill in Binaliw, Cebu, Philippines, on January 11. Photo: AP
Japan

‘Easier targets’: is Japan safe for foreigners if disaster strikes?

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

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Environment

Video | Dozens missing in deadly landfill avalanche in Philippines

Landfills and dumpsites in the Philippines have long posed safety risks, especially at locations where poor residents scavenge for food and recyclables.

Extreme weather

Avalanches in French Alps kill 6 skiers over the weekend

A British man and five others perish in separate incidents as avalanche dangers remain high.

La Plagne ski resort in southeastern France. On Sunday, three skiers were killed in avalanches at the resorts of La Plagne, Courcheval and Vallorcine. File photo: AFP
Australia

‘Leave, go’: Australia declares state of disaster amid bushfires

Emergency crews can now force evacuations as conditions rivalled the infamous ‘Black Summer’ blazes of 2019-2020.

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Smoke shrouds a home in Longwood, Australia’s Victoria state, on Friday as firefighters attempt to douse the flames. Photo: AAP/Reuters
The Philippines

1 killed, 38 missing after sudden garbage avalanche at Philippines landfill

Landfills and dumpsites in the Philippines have long posed safety risks, especially where poor residents scavenge for food and recyclables.

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Earthquakes

Earthquake with 6.5 magnitude rattles southern and central Mexico, killing 2

A 60-year-old man died of his injuries after falling while evacuating his second-floor flat in the capital, local authorities said.

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Extreme weather

Asia’s year of costly climate disasters spurs calls for ‘decisive action’

With Asia accounting for four of the world’s six costliest weather disasters in 2025, experts urge investment in climate resilience.

A commuter wades through floodwaters from Cyclone Ditwah in Chennai on December 2. Flooding in India and Pakistan has killed over 1,860 people and caused up to US$6 billion in damages in 2025, according to a new report. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

‘Master of Disaster’: Can a board game help Philippines face next catastrophe?

From typhoons to earthquakes, ‘Master of Disaster’ turns a roll of the dice into a life-saving lesson for the world’s most vulnerable.

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Japan

‘Built on tofu’: safety fears as Japan prepares to restart nuclear plant

While Fukushima operator Tepco says it is ‘committed to safety’ at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, critics believe it is a disaster waiting to happen.

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Indonesia

Power, protests and policy shake-ups shape Indonesia’s 2025

President Prabowo Subianto asserts his authority as he navigates the global stage and domestic challenges in his first full year in office.

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto closed the year on firm footing despite challenges in his first full year in office. Photo: Reuters
United States

Southern California drenched by powerful Christmas storm, flash flooding

Governor declares state of emergency amid deaths, rescues, evacuations, floods and potential mudslides.

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People sit on the roof of a building, stranded during floods in San Bernardino County in California on Christmas Eve, in this screengrab from a social media video. Photo: Timothy and the Machine Music/Facebook/via Reuters
Indonesia

‘Worse than the tsunami’ – Indonesia’s Aceh residents traumatised by flooding

A month after the disaster, residents are still struggling to recover as anger against Jakarta’s slow rescue response mounts.

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Extreme weather

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

Asean

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

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An elephant clearing logs and debris on December 8 in a village affected by flooding in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia. Photo: AP
Japan

Japan clears way for Tepco to restart world’s largest nuclear plant

Tepco, operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, has been allowed to restart Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 15 years after the disaster.

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Tepco’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant stands along the seaside in Niigata prefecture. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesian elephants tasked to help in flood recovery spur conservation debate

The four elephants deployed to lift debris in Aceh last week after flooding were also involved in the 2004 post-tsunami recovery efforts.

Indonesia

Don’t build on ‘active zones’, experts warn Indonesia as Sumatra recovery begins

Jakarta has pledged US$3.6 billion and a special agency to help restore homes and public facilities destroyed in last month’s cyclone.

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