65 h. ago Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

More than 1,400 people have been killed across South and Southeast Asia in a week of catastrophic floods, exposing how rising global temperatures are amplifying extreme weather, even as international negotiations to phase out fossil fuels stall. Successive storms, cyclones and relentless rains have triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, overwhelming local authorities already operating at the limits of their capacity. While...

Events

3 d. ago A year on from South Korea’s martial law crisis, some lives are changed forever

When South Korea’s leader declared martial law a year ago, one young woman blocked a tank, a civil servant resigned in protest and a lawmaker switched sides to remove him from office. They are among the many South Koreans whose lives were transformed on December 3, 2024. That wintry night, then president Yoon Suk-yeol interrupted national television broadcasts to suspend civilian rule for the first time in more than four decades. Soldiers and tanks deployed in central Seoul. Troops landed by...

Society

4 d. ago Soldiers deployed in Sri Lanka, Indonesia as Asian flood toll approaches 1,000

Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four countries in Asia in recent days. Separate weather systems brought torrential, extended rainfall to the entire island of Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week. Arriving in North Sumatra on Monday, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the government’s “priority now is how to...

Events

4 d. ago Soldiers deployed in Sri Lanka, Indonesia as Asian flood toll tops 1,000

The toll in deadly flooding and landslides across parts of Asia climbed past 1,000 on Monday as hardest-hit Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel to help survivors. Separate weather systems brought torrential, extended rainfall to the entire island of Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week. Much of the region is currently in its monsoon season, but climate change is producing more extreme rain events and turbocharging...

Events

4 d. ago India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US

India and Indonesia are close to finalising a US$450 million sale of BrahMos missiles, in a deal analysts say could give Southeast Asia a long-sought alternative to dependence on the US or China. The deal, discussed last Thursday during the third India–Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue co-chaired by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Indonesian counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, would make Indonesia only the second Southeast Asian country after the Philippines to acquire the missile...

Events

5 d. ago Flood death tolls rise in Indonesia, Sri Lanka as aid trickles in

Some residents of the flood-hit Indonesian island of Sumatra have resorted to stealing food and water to survive, authorities said on Sunday, while Sri Lankan officials said deaths from floods and mudslides in that island nation have risen to 193. The floods, which hit Indonesia nearly a week ago, have killed 303 people and displaced thousands, with the number expected to rise as more bodies are recovered. The deluges triggered landslides, damaged roads, cut off parts of the island and downed...

Events

6 d. ago 123 dead, 130 missing in Sri Lanka after cyclone wreaks havoc

The death toll from heavy floods and mudslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka rose to 123, with 130 people still missing, authorities said Saturday. Nearly 44,000 people have been displaced and are in temporary shelters, the South Asian country’s disaster management centre said. The death toll is expected to rise. Social media posts on Saturday showed several areas affected by overnight mudslides that authorities have yet to reach. Sri Lanka has been battered by severe weather since last...

Events

6 d. ago 153 dead, 191 missing in Sri Lanka after cyclone wreaks havoc

The death toll from heavy floods and mudslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka has risen to 153, with 191 people still missing, authorities said on Saturday. The extreme weather has destroyed more than 20,000 homes, sending 108,000 people to state-run temporary shelters, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) reported. A further 798,000 people required help after being temporarily displaced by the floods, DMC spokesman Pradeep Kodippili said. The death toll is expected to rise. Social media...

Events

7 d. ago Thailand flood death toll doubles as government faces mounting criticism

The death toll from flooding and landslides in Thailand climbed steeply on Friday, heaping misery on a country struggling with a deep economic slump and triggering criticism of the nation’s roughly 10-week-old government. There have been 145 fatalities across southern Thai provinces, with 110 deaths in Songkhla province alone, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said in a briefing in Bangkok. That’s almost double the toll reported early on Friday. More than 1.25 million households and...

Events

1 week ago Shadow of Beijing: Chinese Dissident Says UK Is Riddled with Spies

Shadow of Beijing: Chinese Dissident Says UK Is Riddled with Spies  Sri Lanka Guardian

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese Coast Guard Enters Disputed Waters as Tokyo–Beijing Tensions Spike

Chinese Coast Guard Enters Disputed Waters as Tokyo–Beijing Tensions Spike  Sri Lanka Guardian

Events

3 w. ago US, China, Sri Lanka 'deeply saddened' by loss of lives in Delhi blast

US, China, Sri Lanka 'deeply saddened' by loss of lives in Delhi blast  Press Trust of India

Politics