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Natural disasters
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Natural disasters. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Ash from the Mayon volcano is seen from Camalig, Albay province, on Saturday. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Panic in Philippines as Mayon volcano ashfall blankets towns in total darkness

Some 32 volcanic earthquakes, including 25 volcanic tremors, had been reported over the weekend, vulcanologists said.

Bangladesh

Child, newlywed among 14 killed by lightning in Bangladesh

Japan

Magnitude 6.2 quake strikes Japan’s Hokkaido, JMA warns of more to come

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Japan

Wildfires in Japan’s north worsen, 1,400 firefighters deployed

Japan has experienced relatively few wildfires compared with other parts of the world, but climate change has increased their frequency.

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A convoy of fire trucks make their way to the fire in the town of Otsuchi in Iwate Prefecture, northern Honshu, Japan on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

Default in our stars: China banks use satellites to track assets, cut loan risks

Analysts say orbital monitoring of sites, property and other assets provides vital data on borrowers.

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Extreme weather

Video | Northern Japan battles large wildfires

2,500 residents forced to evacuate as wildfires burn for a second day in Japan’s northern Iwate prefecture.

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Extreme weather

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

A satellite image shows Carolinas Heights after Typhoon Sinlaku, in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands on April 17, 2026. Photo: via Reuters
Indonesia

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Bali, Sumba and the Flores Islands are expected to be the worst hit from a megathrust earthquake in the Sumba fault.

Japan

Big one coming? Japan issues megaquake advisory after magnitude 7.7 shock

The Japan Meteorological Agency has upped the risk of a megaquake to 1 per cent, compared to 0.1 per cent at other times.

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Earthquakes

Video | Powerful quake shakes northern Japan

Japan’s northern Tohoku region was struck by a 7.7-magnitude quake.

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Japan

Tsunami warning issued in Japan after magnitude-7.5 quake hits northeast

Waves of up to three metres are expected after the quake struck off the Sanriku Coast.

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The Japan Meteorological Agency briefs reporters on earthquakes in Nagano prefecture on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo
Malaysia

Video | Blaze destroys over 1,000 homes in Malaysian water village

Around 1,000 homes in a coastal village razed in Malaysia’s Sabah state.

New Zealand

New Zealand tells Wellington residents to evacuate as rain threat worsens

Wellington had received 77mm of rain ‌in less than an hour, its heaviest rainfall on record.

Japan

Magnitude 5 quakes hit Japan’s Nagano prefecture

The quakes struck Omachi at 1.20pm and 2.54pm, with the nation’s weather agency warning of aftershocks over the next week or so.

Old style buildings in Nagano prefecture. Photo: SCMP
Pacific nations

Australia pledges US$1.7 million in aid after Cyclone Maila kills 11 in Pacific

Entire villages were destroyed in the storm, was briefly classified as a Category 5 cyclone.

A truck is engulfed by floodwaters brought on by heavy rains from tropical cyclone Maila in the Tinputz district of Northern Bougainville. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia earthquake kills 1, triggers tsunami waves

The 7.4-magnitude quake hit at a depth of 35km in the Northern Maluku Sea off ⁠Indonesia’s Ternate island.

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Australia

Australia’s Karratha LNG plant closed after cyclone amid fuel shortages

The plant’s co-owner Chevron said it suffered outages at its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas plants, which supply more than five per cent of the world’s liquefied natural gas.

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Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

Nepal’s Mera Glacier is among the handful of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region that meets the World Glacier Monitoring Service’s benchmark standards. Photo: Patrick Wagnon/ICIMOD
Asean

Asean bets on new framework to remedy ‘uneven’ disaster response

The new ‘ASPECT’ initiative could help boost quicker collective regional responses during large-scale or evolving disasters, analysts say.

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Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Video | Fukushima’s stray animal saviour searches for redemption

Former nuclear plant worker Toru Akama spends his time and money caring for cats and dogs abandoned after the March 2011 disaster.

Japan

Japan struggles with rising maintenance costs 15 years after Fukushima disaster

The costs of maintaining public housing for disaster victims and sea walls in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima total over US$923.7 million.

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People offer prayers and light candles during a memorial in front of Futaba Station on Tuesday ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. Photo: Jiji Press/EPA
Science

China team mulls hitting typhoons with an energy beam from space

Scientist Duan Baoyan says the Zhuri project could also act as a ‘space-based power bank’ to charge satellites and other facilities.

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Duan Baoyan theorises that microwave beams from outer space could “alter regional atmospheric circulation and change a typhoon’s intensity and path”. Photo: Shutterstock
Japan

Japan’s nuclear waste dilemma: no prefecture wants Fukushima’s toxic soil

By law, the waste currently housed near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant must be moved outside the prefecture by March 2045.

Indonesia

Video | Heavy rain triggers serious flooding in Bali

No fatalities reported despite days of heavy rain that left many trapped in homes and vehicles.

Malaysia

Sabah quake strongest to hit Malaysia in 11 years: Met Department

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Sabah on Monday is stronger than the one that killed 18 people in Ranau in 2015.

An aerial view of a beach in Kudat, Sabah, Monday’s quake occured about 49km west of Kudat. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

8 skiers found dead and 1 still missing after California avalanche

This is the deadliest avalanche in the US in over four decades.

Rescuers make their way to the area of an avalanche in the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, on Tuesday. Photo: Nevada County Sheriff’s Office / AFP
New Zealand

‘Absolutely terrifying’ New Zealand storm leaves 30,000 homes without power

One man was found dead in a submerged vehicle on a highway after heavy rains and strong winds lashed the North Island over the weekend.

Indonesia

Video | Thousands displaced by Indonesian landslides

Access has become difficult in parts of the affected area and authorities have warned residents against returning to their homes.

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