https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/325328/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Reuters Reuters Four people died after Hurricane Isaias made landfall early on Saturday, and about 670,000 residents in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi were still without power as the storm weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, according to local authorities and electricity monitoring services. Two of the deaths resulted ‌from trees falling on homes, according to local media and authorities. Authorities in Florida had received no search and rescue requests shortly after landfall in a sign of limited... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370463/isaias-kills-4-us-leaves-670000-without-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370463/isaias-kills-4-us-leaves-670000-without-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 20:29:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Two powerful 7.7 and 6.6 magnitude earthquakes and a series of aftershocks struck Panama on Friday afternoon, collapsing buildings near the epicentre and prompting evacuations across the country, the US Geological Survey said. The earlier quake, felt as far away as neighbouring Colombia, was centred about 10km (six miles) southwest of the remote community of Pitaloza Arriba, in the central province of Herrera, the USGS said. It struck at a depth of 10km. The USGS initially reported the first... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3370411/panama-rocked-2-powerful-earthquakes-multiple-aftershocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3370411/panama-rocked-2-powerful-earthquakes-multiple-aftershocks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 22:10:33 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The European Union has launched a €35 million (US$39.4 million) tender to fund research and coordination on, among other things, detecting rogue efforts to alter the Earth’s atmosphere by blocking out the sun. The EU’s Horizon Europe arm, which funds research and innovation, launched the call for projects on Tuesday as part of an early stage effort to coordinate action on so-called Solar Radiation Modification, a nascent and controversial technology that could be used to cool the planet should... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369959/eu-wants-track-potential-rogue-efforts-block-out-sun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3369959/eu-wants-track-potential-rogue-efforts-block-out-sun?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:39:43 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Bangkok is preparing for possible flooding as more than 15,000 delegates are due to arrive for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. The Thai capital could receive about 50mm (two inches) of rain a day from October 11-13, coinciding with the start of the week-long gathering of finance ministers, central bankers, executives and other delegates from the institutions’ 191 member countries, according to Surapong Sarapa, the Meteorological Department’s head of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369848/bangkok-braces-fresh-chaos-possible-floods-threaten-imf-world-bank-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369848/bangkok-braces-fresh-chaos-possible-floods-threaten-imf-world-bank-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 01:45:22 +0000 The Star The Star One of the Malaysians unaccounted for following the devastating floods in Nepal has been confirmed safe and has returned to Malaysia, according to the group representing Malaysians missing in Nepal. Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (Masfih) spokesman Manivannan Rethinam said the person had reported themselves to the Malaysian embassy in Kathmandu. “For Masfih and the other families, the finding of a safe Malaysian 37 days later is an extremely relieving and meaningful development,”... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369531/missing-malaysian-found-safe-flood-ravaged-nepal-after-37-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369531/missing-malaysian-found-safe-flood-ravaged-nepal-after-37-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 06:45:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters Standing water ⁠in Thailand’s capital is expected ⁠to clear within three days if there is no additional rainfall, the government has said, as flag carrier Thai Airways struggled to resume regular services following heavy rain and flooding. The ‌cabinet would discuss long-term plans to address flooding and recovery measures on Tuesday, government spokesman Ekkapob Pianpises told a news briefing on Tuesday. Bangkok was hit by around 320mm (12.6 inches) of rain over two to three days last week,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369161/one-bangkok-flood-battle-after-another-thai-airways-races-clear-baggage-backlog?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3369161/one-bangkok-flood-battle-after-another-thai-airways-races-clear-baggage-backlog?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:33:42 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones A Thai man who zipped a jet ski across flooded Bangkok streets received a suspended jail sentence on Monday for causing a public nuisance after he used the capital – where tens of thousands of households remain submerged – as a backdrop for social media content. The stunt, widely shared on social media on Sunday evening, became a conduit for public anger over both the handling of the flood response and how climate calamities are experienced unevenly in the capital of one of Asia’s least equal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3369083/thai-mans-jet-ski-stunt-fuels-anger-unequal-bangkok-poor-hit-hardest-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3369083/thai-mans-jet-ski-stunt-fuels-anger-unequal-bangkok-poor-hit-hardest-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:20:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Rescue teams on Monday searched for a dozen people swept away by an avalanche that killed at least four on a Nepalese mountain during severe weather. Rescuers from the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, which is leading the efforts, said they recovered two more bodies on Monday in addition to two others who were found on Sunday. The tragedy happened at Mount Himlung, a 7,126-metre (23,380-foot) peak in north central Nepal. Twelve people were missing. Eight experienced mountain guides... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369014/avalanche-nepals-himlung-mountain-leaves-2-workers-dead-14-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3369014/avalanche-nepals-himlung-mountain-leaves-2-workers-dead-14-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:11:12 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Around 100,000 ornamental koi carp ready for sale were swept away after heavy rain caused by a typhoon breached some levees at a lake in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, it has been revealed as authorities assess the widespread damage to local farming and fisheries. Typhoon Dujuan, which approached the region about a week ago, inundated rice paddy fields and other farmland while flooding facilities where carp and eels were being cultivated near Lake Imbanuma in northern Chiba. Kenji Tani, who runs... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368986/japanese-carp-farm-loses-100000-nishikigoi-typhoon-dujuan-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368986/japanese-carp-farm-loses-100000-nishikigoi-typhoon-dujuan-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:49:35 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Deep floodwaters in Bangkok drove thousands of residents into shelters as others scrambled to buy groceries or dry out their homes on Sunday after days of heavy rain inundated markets, roads, and residences. Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos waded through murky knee-deep water in the Thai capital, some venturing into a supermarket while others floated their belongings in plastic tubs. “People cannot get out of their homes. We are running out of food, so I came out to purchase some,” Aduenan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3368955/bangkok-flood-warnings-came-too-late-thais-say-worst-flood-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3368955/bangkok-flood-warnings-came-too-late-thais-say-worst-flood-15-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:57:27 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Bangkok residents stranded by neck-deep floodwaters on Sunday appealed for clean water and food, as Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a diplomatic trip to the United Kingdom to monitor the response amid growing criticism online. In the worst floods to hit the Thai capital in 15 years, life has ground to a standstill in parts of the city since Friday evening, prompting the town hall to declare a disaster in all 50 districts. Days of incessant rains that overwhelmed Bangkok’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368937/bangkok-floods-trap-residents-pm-anutin-cuts-uk-trip-short-tackle-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368937/bangkok-floods-trap-residents-pm-anutin-cuts-uk-trip-short-tackle-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2026 07:37:54 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Entire Bangkok neighbourhoods were inundated on Saturday as the city government declared a flood disaster after the worst rains in years overwhelmed the Thai capital, submerging roads, cars and forcing thousands to leave their homes. Bangkok is flood-prone, especially during the monsoon season, but waters rarely linger for long. Nonetheless, the city’s drainage is notoriously ill-equipped to handle storm bursts as it struggles to cope with waters that have reached at least two feet (60cm) and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368898/thailands-bangkok-declares-flood-disaster-across-city-thousands-flee-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368898/thailands-bangkok-declares-flood-disaster-across-city-thousands-flee-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Sep 2026 09:02:20 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah proposed a climate alliance with neighbouring India and China, urging action to protect the fragile Himalayan ecosystem after catastrophic flooding across the region. “Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” Shah told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “As an urgent first step, we propose that we establish the Himalaya climate resilience mechanism, led by Nepal, India and China, so the Himalayas become a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368779/flood-ravaged-nepal-pushes-climate-deal-india-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3368779/flood-ravaged-nepal-pushes-climate-deal-india-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:02:44 +0000 Vincent Tan Vincent Tan A series of small earthquakes beneath Keningau, an inland district of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo, is drawing attention to a part of the state where scientists say the fault lines are poorly understood and the consequences of a larger quake could be devastating. The latest, a magnitude 3.4 tremor on September 3, was felt in several parts of Keningau, prompting staff at the district office to suspend a meeting and move to a designated safe area. No serious damage was reported. The tremor was one of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368423/why-small-quakes-malaysias-sabah-could-be-sounding-seismic-alarms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3368423/why-small-quakes-malaysias-sabah-could-be-sounding-seismic-alarms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 02:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than 1 million people were under evacuation advisories in Japan early on Tuesday and hundreds of flights have been cancelled as Typhoon Dujuan brushed past Tokyo, bringing torrential rain, flooding and landslides to the region. Four people have been confirmed dead as heavy rainfall triggered landslides in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures near Tokyo, local governments reported according to Japanese media including the Kyodo News agency. Japan often sees strong typhoons in the late summer and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368271/over-16-million-japan-urged-evacuate-typhoon-dujuan-nears-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3368271/over-16-million-japan-urged-evacuate-typhoon-dujuan-nears-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:44:38 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides across northern Vietnam, killing three people and damaging thousands of homes as well as more than 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) of crops. The northern region has experienced downpours since Monday, with some areas receiving as much as 653mm (26 inches) of rain, according to a statement on the government’s website. More than 16,000 houses have been inundated while rice and other crops have been damaged. National and provincial roads have been... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3367958/torrential-rain-vietnam-leaves-3-dead-16000-homes-flooded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3367958/torrential-rain-vietnam-leaves-3-dead-16000-homes-flooded?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 05:46:04 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The Himalayan disaster that tore through the China-Nepal border last month was a human calamity before it became a media story. A torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris swept through valleys, destroying key infrastructure, severing roads and communications, and leaving families desperate for news. In Gyirong county in the Tibet autonomous region, the disaster hit a major border crossing and created a rescue environment as physically difficult as any imaginable. The human toll extends beyond the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367709/what-china-nepal-floods-teach-us-about-crisis-communication?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367709/what-china-nepal-floods-teach-us-about-crisis-communication?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 21:30:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Himalayas are approaching a tipping point as glaciers melt faster than a decade ago, threatening water security as the region approaches “peak water” by mid-century, according to a study released this month. The findings come after the collapse of a Himalayan glacier in late August along the ‌Nepal-Tibet border, which caused cascading landslides and flash floods in the valleys below. At least 1,300 people have been confirmed dead and more than 5,300 are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367426/himalayan-glacier-bankruptcy-threatens-water-security-2-billion-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367426/himalayan-glacier-bankruptcy-threatens-water-security-2-billion-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:20:20 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two top executives at Japanese nuclear plant operator Chubu Electric Power would step down following a quake data-tampering scandal, the company said in a statement on Monday. President Kingo Hayashi and Chairman Satoru Katsuno would be replaced, the statement said, and the firm would withdraw applications to restart the Nos 3 and 4 reactors at Chubu’s Hamaoka nuclear plant. Japan is moving to revive nuclear power 15 years after an enormous earthquake and tsunami sent reactors at the Fukushima... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3367418/japans-chubu-electric-bosses-resign-over-quake-data-tampering-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3367418/japans-chubu-electric-bosses-resign-over-quake-data-tampering-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:11:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse For 10 days, Nepali hydropower worker Sanjay Sah survived in darkness inside a flooded tunnel, drinking muddy water and losing all sense of time as he desperately prayed for rescue. When a disaster response team finally pulled him to safety on September 4, Sah’s first question showed how deeply the ordeal had disoriented him. “When I was rescued I first asked, how many days has it been?” Sah, aged 30, said in an interview, while on his way back home in Saptari district on Sunday. “He said that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367346/nepal-flood-survivor-says-rescue-efforts-must-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3367346/nepal-flood-survivor-says-rescue-efforts-must-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:56:30 +0000 Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof,Kolette Lim,Ushar Daniele Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof,Kolette Lim,Ushar Daniele Dr Asma Zafirah doesn’t need satellite images to know when Kalimantan is burning. She sees it in the watery eyes and laboured breaths of the patients at her clinic in Sarawak, and the children who are kept home from school to protect them from the toxic air. Southeast Asia’s transboundary haze crisis was meant to have been brought under control six years ago. But Borneo is once again belching out dangerous emissions, as fires in the peatlands and forests of Kalimantan – Indonesia’s section of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3367217/smoke-how-southeast-asia-bungled-its-haze-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3367217/smoke-how-southeast-asia-bungled-its-haze-response?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Rizwan Basir Rizwan Basir Every climate summit now runs on the same illusion: the next pledge will be the one that finally saves us. It will not. The money the rich world has promised the poor world is not coming at anything like the scale advertised, and pretending otherwise has become the main business of climate diplomacy. Barely nine weeks before the UN climate summit Cop31 opens in Antalya, Turkey, the honest task is not a bigger pledge. It is to make the finance that already exists reach the people drowning in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366917/cop31-forget-climate-pledges-countries-nepal-need-actual-cash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3366917/cop31-forget-climate-pledges-countries-nepal-need-actual-cash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Nagoya in central Japan said on Wednesday that it has decided to provide emergency relief across the city where at least 41 people sustained minor injuries after a linear rain band formed, pounding the Tokai region with record rainfall the previous day. Many commuters and students were stranded for the night in Nagoya after transport was paralysed due to the rain. Around 1,600 people had taken shelter at evacuation centres as of 7pm on Tuesday and 200 vehicles had been damaged by the rain as of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3366893/japans-nagoya-reels-record-rain-stranding-commuters-and-flooding-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3366893/japans-nagoya-reels-record-rain-stranding-commuters-and-flooding-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:34:42 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar The eruption of Anak Krakatoa in Indonesia has tested the country’s disaster preparedness, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights carrying more than 340,000 passengers as volcanic ash spread across the region. Authorities say they are monitoring the volcano, which remains under the country’s second-highest alert status. According to scientists, the event’s exceptional scale makes its impact hard to anticipate. The eruption has renewed debate on whether Indonesia’s monitoring and disaster planning can... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3366801/indonesia-knew-volcano-was-erupting-could-it-have-prepared-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3366801/indonesia-knew-volcano-was-erupting-could-it-have-prepared-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:03:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesia had planes flying again on Tuesday after a volcanic eruption forced the country’s major airports to close for days, with authorities saying that flights would resume gradually. The disruption, caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatoa, halted nearly 3,000 flights and stranded more than 340,000 passengers. Ash from Anak Krakatoa, which sits halfway between ‌Java and Sumatra islands, has blanketed Jakarta and some surrounding areas since its initial eruption late on Friday. The country’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3366695/jakarta-airport-and-others-reopen-after-volcanic-ash-crisis-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3366695/jakarta-airport-and-others-reopen-after-volcanic-ash-crisis-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 23:09:20 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Heavy rainfall hit eastern Japan and elsewhere on Monday, with the weather agency urging maximum vigilance against landslides on Niijima and Oshima islands, south of Tokyo, and a woman dying in Iwaki in the northeast after her car became submerged. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special landslide warning for Niijima after more than 480mm (19 inches) of rain fell there over 24 hours, the largest amount since local records began. Heavy rain also hit eastern Japan including Tokyo from the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3366600/woman-found-dead-submerged-car-japan-amid-record-rainfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3366600/woman-found-dead-submerged-car-japan-amid-record-rainfall?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:45:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesia halted operations at its main international airport outside Jakarta on Sunday after ash spewed from the Anak Krakatoa volcano more than 150km (93 miles) away, impacting thousands of passengers. Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted on Saturday, producing a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to a few hundred kilometres away, the geology agency said in a statement. Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned. Ash from the volcano was detected in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3366530/indonesias-anak-krakatoa-volcano-erupts-disrupting-flights-6-airports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3366530/indonesias-anak-krakatoa-volcano-erupts-disrupting-flights-6-airports?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2026 07:54:34 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Cross-border disasters along China’s frontiers are putting Beijing’s neighbourhood diplomacy to the test as climate shocks grow and expose strategic vulnerabilities. The stakes were highlighted last week after a sudden glacial collapse in the Himalayas unleashed a torrent of mud and flooding that ravaged nearby villages and the Gyirong Port between China and Nepal, leaving more than 1,250 dead in Nepal and 21 dead in the Tibet autonomous region. Thousands also remain missing. Beyond the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366345/how-natural-disasters-are-putting-chinas-neighbourhood-diplomacy-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3366345/how-natural-disasters-are-putting-chinas-neighbourhood-diplomacy-test?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two hydropower workers were pulled from a tunnel buried by debris in Nepal on Friday, a rare ray of hope on the 10th day of rescue efforts after catastrophic Himalayan flooding. Rescuers cheered as one man was pulled from a muddy opening, video released by the energy ministry showed. He was helped to his feet by rescuers, and later carried on the backs of the emergency workers, raising his hand as they took him towards a helicopter. A photograph showed the second man caked in mud, his hands... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3366319/2-trapped-workers-rescued-alive-nepal-tunnel-9-days-after-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3366319/2-trapped-workers-rescued-alive-nepal-tunnel-9-days-after-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:51:25 +0000 Kristen Cheung,Eric Jiang Kristen Cheung,Eric Jiang A Hong Kong Nepalese man is searching for his cousin who is missing after the catastrophic flood struck the Himalayan border between Nepal and Tibet. Y.B. Gurung, a 64-year-old retiree, told the South China Morning Post that he last spoke with his tour guide cousin Raju Gurung, 40, at 8am on August 26, shortly before a massive glacial collapse triggered the flash flood that washed away villages and left at least 1,225 people dead. “I cannot sleep every night. I am praying every day that he was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366277/i-cannot-sleep-hong-kong-nepalese-man-searches-cousin-missing-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366277/i-cannot-sleep-hong-kong-nepalese-man-searches-cousin-missing-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:23:13 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau are likely to become more unstable, which may lead to more collapses and collateral disasters, a senior climate official warns as the death toll from last week’s catastrophic landslide and flood on the China-Nepal border continues to rise. “Over the past 60 years, the glacier area on the Tibetan Plateau has shrunk by around 24 per cent, with around 7,000 small glaciers disappearing completely,” Gao Rong, deputy director of China’s National Climate Centre, said on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366180/unstable-tibetan-plateau-risks-cascading-disasters-glacier-losses-mount-nepal-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3366180/unstable-tibetan-plateau-risks-cascading-disasters-glacier-losses-mount-nepal-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 03:56:19 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Every monsoon season, the Himalayan regions of Tibet and Nepal face the threat of recurring, destructive debris flows. These mud-and-rock avalanches are not purely random natural disasters. They stem from inherently fragile mountain geology, extreme terrain and increasingly... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3366047/china-nepal-floods-engineering-fixes-are-only-band-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/letters/article/3366047/china-nepal-floods-engineering-fixes-are-only-band-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 03:30:05 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Nepal urged international travellers not to abandon the Himalayas, declaring the country open for tourism as it continues to assess the human and economic toll from catastrophic floods that killed more than a thousand people. “Our mountain trails, trekking routes are still waiting for you,” Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel said in a video message on social media, using the hashtag #NepalCalling. “Your coming to Nepal this time does not mean only a holiday. It’s a big support to the country... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3366061/flood-hit-nepal-urges-tourists-return-our-mountain-trails-are-waiting-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3366061/flood-hit-nepal-urges-tourists-return-our-mountain-trails-are-waiting-you?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:05:02 +0000 Zhengxu Wang Zhengxu Wang On August 26, a section of glacier collapsed at an altitude of more than 5,000 metres on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas. The falling ice and rock accelerated down a steep valley at about 50 metres per second, scouring debris and transforming into a high-speed mudslide that slammed into Gyirong Port on the Chinese side just seven minutes later. The force of the flow largely buried and obliterated the border facilities. Hundreds of people, many of them travellers, remain missing on the Chinese... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3365825/nepal-china-floods-highlight-growing-front-climate-change-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3365825/nepal-china-floods-highlight-growing-front-climate-change-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Not even the world’s fastest sprinters could have outrun the devastating floodwaters that struck a border crossing between China and Nepal last week, according to one of the first peer-reviewed assessments of the disaster. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) calculated that the surface velocity of the debris flow was 19 metres per second (62 feet per second) when it struck the checkpoint at Gyirong Port in Tibet. This is almost twice Usain Bolt’s average speed when he set the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366020/china-nepal-floods-first-research-shows-no-one-could-have-outrun-debris-flow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3366020/china-nepal-floods-first-research-shows-no-one-could-have-outrun-debris-flow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Cannix Yau,Leopold Chen Cannix Yau,Leopold Chen Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing and his business empire, along with Henderson Land Development and the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, have pledged 15 million yuan (US$2.2 million) each to support relief efforts for victims of the deadly flash flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border. Nina Wang Charity Management also pledged HK$10 million (US$1.27 million) to support relief efforts. CK Asset Holdings, CK Hutchison Holdings and the Li Ka Shing Foundation, as well as Henderson Land and the Lee Shau Kee... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3365991/ck-hutchison-henderson-land-donate-15-million-yuan-each-nepal-tibet-flood-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/society/article/3365991/ck-hutchison-henderson-land-donate-15-million-yuan-each-nepal-tibet-flood-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:57:01 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Rajendra Dawadi was inside his classroom when a colleague rushed in with a warning: floodwaters were racing through Nepal’s Trishuli Valley, tearing apart homes, bridges and entire villages. Then a teacher received another warning by phone. Moments later, a parent arrived to take her child home. The danger had not yet been confirmed, but Dawadi, the principal, had little time to act. He rang the school bell and ordered his students and staff out of the building and towards higher ground. “I... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365908/nepal-floods-meet-principal-whose-quick-thinking-saved-900-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365908/nepal-floods-meet-principal-whose-quick-thinking-saved-900-students?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:26:04 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Air pollution in Malaysia’s Bornean state of Sarawak has surged into hazardous territory, with the air pollutant index (API) topping 400 in the worst-hit district, as forest fires raging in Indonesia continue to send thick smoke drifting across the border. Serian in Sarawak, closest to the frontier with Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, recorded the highest reading of 476 as of Monday morning. Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman all logged readings above 300 as of 10am, according to Malaysia’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365818/malaysias-air-quality-turns-hazardous-indonesian-wildfires-burn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365818/malaysias-air-quality-turns-hazardous-indonesian-wildfires-burn?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:10:04 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari The Nepalese government has appealed for rescue aid from other countries just two days after it reportedly refused help, as several hundred people are still believed to be trapped in hydropower tunnels and thousands remain missing following the catastrophic flash flooding at the border with China last week. Kathmandu’s apparent reversal reflects caution born from its chaotic experience with foreign teams after the 2015 earthquake, according to observers. Other factors include the government’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365787/nepal-floods-could-foreign-rescue-teams-have-been-brought-earlier?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365787/nepal-floods-could-foreign-rescue-teams-have-been-brought-earlier?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Aug 2026 02:45:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At least one person was killed and around 15 others are missing after a flash flood at the Grand Canyon, one of the most popular tourist sites in the United States, the National Park Service said in a statement on Sunday. The floods hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, forcing dozens of people to evacuate and damaging the sole water pipeline serving the park. The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered on Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3365783/least-20-missing-dozens-evacuated-grand-canyon-after-flash-flood-hits-creek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3365783/least-20-missing-dozens-evacuated-grand-canyon-after-flash-flood-hits-creek?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2026 21:54:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters On Sunday morning, ⁠Jais, a farmer in ⁠Ketapang, West Kalimantan on Borneo island – the ⁠province hardest-hit by raging forest fires – was en route to his farm when he found an orangutan writhing on the ground in a weak state on a palm-oil plantation near the fire site. “It was very weak, then I gave it water,” ‌said Jais, who only goes by one name. Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra islands after smoke... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3365769/orangutan-rescued-borneo-fire-battles-respiratory-illness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3365769/orangutan-rescued-borneo-fire-battles-respiratory-illness?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:38:23 +0000 Narayan Adhikari Narayan Adhikari As the waters of the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers recede, leaving behind mud, debris and damaged infrastructure, a familiar pattern is visible in Nepal. When disaster strikes, the country’s usual political divisions, cronyism and institutional mistrust give way, for a while, to real unity. Across party lines, political leaders worked around the clock alongside security forces. Digital channels opened for the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, a “one-door policy” was enforced to prevent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3365734/behind-nepal-china-border-floods-lie-bad-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3365734/behind-nepal-china-border-floods-lie-bad-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nepali army rescuers broke through to a hydropower tunnel on Saturday and began pumping air and sending a camera inside, raising hopes of reaching workers trapped since devastating floods struck the site three days earlier. Nepal’s government says more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites. Those trapped are among 933 hydropower workers missing since a wall of mud and debris swept down on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365721/nepal-floods-rescuers-send-air-pipe-tunnel-trapped-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365721/nepal-floods-rescuers-send-air-pipe-tunnel-trapped-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Aug 2026 17:38:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Mukti Patel has huddled with family and friends at her parents’ Richmond, Virginia, home since her dad, sister and two other relatives went missing in the catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border. She knows the hotel they were staying in was swept away. But as she shared memories of them on Friday, she caught herself. “I shouldn’t talk in past tense yet,” she said. “We don’t know anything.” As rescuers continued pulling survivors from the mud, family members of some of the more... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365688/us-families-hold-out-hope-relatives-lost-nepal-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365688/us-families-hold-out-hope-relatives-lost-nepal-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Aug 2026 05:12:13 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The human catastrophe resulting from the flash flood and mudslide on the Nepal-China border continues to unfold. The search for answers has already begun. But the safety of survivors, rescue of victims and relief operations are paramount. President Xi Jinping’s directives to emergency responders and dispatch of Premier Li Qiang to the border to oversee operations are evidence of that. The immediate cause of the disaster remains the subject of debate. But there seems little doubt of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3365608/china-nepal-border-flash-flood-must-galvanise-climate-change-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3365608/china-nepal-border-flash-flood-must-galvanise-climate-change-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang On the windswept plains just south of Tibet’s second-largest city, the towering smart inspection systems and automated cargo gantries of a brand-new international land port gleam under the plateau’s high-altitude sun. Official road maps predict the multibillion-yuan project in Shigatse will process up to 300 trucks daily by the end of 2030 – loading cargo off trains and onto the trucks that will take goods to their final destination. It will also allow the authorities to carry out customs checks... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3365622/can-beijings-gateway-plan-tibet-survive-geopolitics-and-natural-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3365622/can-beijings-gateway-plan-tibet-survive-geopolitics-and-natural-disasters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Rescuers pulled out survivors caked in dark brown mud and helicopters lifted stranded people to safety, as Nepal and China raced to respond to catastrophic flash floods that killed 676 people and left nearly 3,000 missing. The rescue efforts included a team that rappelled into a severely damaged checkpoint area on the Chinese side of the border between the two countries. Rescuers were on high alert for more flooding from a new lake that formed high up in the Himalayan mountains after the initial... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365668/china-nepal-floods-rescuers-pull-out-survivors-caked-mud-toll-climbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365668/china-nepal-floods-rescuers-pull-out-survivors-caked-mud-toll-climbs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Aug 2026 20:21:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters A huge wall of mud ⁠and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China’s Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed scores of people and left hundreds of tourists missing. In a still-unfolding disaster, verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction. Houses, roads and power projects were washed away in Nepal, while officials in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365311/flash-flood-nepal-washes-away-villages-power-projects-near-tibet-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3365311/flash-flood-nepal-washes-away-villages-power-projects-near-tibet-border?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:42:25 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to share the skies amid a haze crisis that has closed nearly 600 Malaysian schools and erased much of the Kuala Lumpur skyline from view. The Petronas Twin Towers, usually visible for miles around, have been swallowed by a grey shroud as wildfires that continue to rage across Indonesia’s Sumatra and Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. Authorities from both countries are coordinating operations along their shared Bornean border, with Malaysia’s environment... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365303/indonesia-opens-its-skies-malaysian-rainmakers-haze-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/health-environment/article/3365303/indonesia-opens-its-skies-malaysian-rainmakers-haze-crisis-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:45:48 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan’s Environment Ministry says it plans to reuse soil collected in decontamination work near the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex at national government branch offices in Miyagi and Saitama prefectures. The government has already reused the soil at 12 sites in Tokyo since July last year, including the prime minister’s office and other buildings in the Kasumigaseki district. Excluding demonstration projects in Fukushima prefecture, the expansion to the cities of Sendai and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365264/japan-expands-fukushima-soil-recycling-project-sendai-saitama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365264/japan-expands-fukushima-soil-recycling-project-sendai-saitama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:58:33 +0000