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Natural disasters
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A landslide smashed into a campsite at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on Thursday, leaving multiple people missing. Photo: AFP
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

Japan

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

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.

Police recover bodies after wildfires swept through homes near Lirquen, Chile. Photo: AP
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.

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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.

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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A player draws a card while playing a disaster preparedness board game in Manila. Photo: AFP
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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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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Indonesia

Video | Indonesian minister dismisses Malaysian flood aid, sparking outrage

Tito Karnavian dismissed a US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared with Jakarta’s own disaster response, sparking online criticism.

Tito Karnavian dismissed a US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared with Jakarta’s own disaster response, sparking online criticism
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Malaysia

‘Just say thank you’: Malaysians fume as Indonesian minister belittles flood aid

Tito Karnavian dismissed the US$60,000 aid package as ‘not much’ compared to Jakarta’s own disaster response, touching a raw nerve online.

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Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian as he appeared on the Suara Lokal Mengglobal podcast. Photo: YouTube/HelmyYahyaBicara
Japan

Japan tremors raise fears of overdue megaquake killing 199,000

Authorities are urging residents to review evacuation plans as simulations suggest a ‘maximum-class’ winter night quake could trap thousands.

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Japan

‘Didn’t know where to go’: tourists struggle in Japan quake evacuation

Foreign visitors were left scrambling for multilingual information after Monday’s magnitude 7.5 earthquake.

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