A woman works in a rubber plantation in Yala province in southern Thailand. The Southeast Asian country is the world largest producer of natural rubber. Picture taken in Jan. 2017.
Commodities

Thailand's December rubber production cut nearly 30% by floods

Heavy monsoon rains disrupt tree tapping in world's largest latex-producing nation

26 December 2024
Rescuers search under the rubble in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Dec.17, following a deadly 7.3-magnitude earthquake.
Natural disasters

Vanuatu quake leaves at least 14 dead as rescue efforts kick in

Australia, New Zealand send help as aftershocks hit Pacific island nation

18 December 2024
Japan's parliament passed the supplementary budget, which also features subsidies to curb higher energy bills and one-off cash handouts to low-income households, on Dec. 17.
Politics

Japan enacts 13.9tn yen extra budget for economic package

Spending plan includes inflation relief steps and disaster reconstruction costs

17 December 2024
Landslides are seen near a shipping terminal in Port Vila, Vanuatu on Dec. 17. Dan McGarry, a journalist living in Port Vila, posted footage of the landslides on X, also writing there will be, "a lot of digging out ahead."(Photo by Dan McGarry) 
17 December 2024
Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s reactor in the western city of Matsue, Shimane prefecture, was restarted on Dec. 7. 
Energy

Nuclear reactor in western Japan restarted for first time since 2012

Plant in Shimane's capital aims to resume operations after meeting post-Fukushima requirements

7 December 2024
A man goes for an early morning walk along the ocean in Solana Beach, California, in March 2018.
Natural disasters

Strong quake strikes off California, tsunami warning canceled

Tsunami warning initially issued for 4.7m residents of California and Oregon

6 December 2024
A woman standing by her flooded house after super typhoon Man-yi hit Quezon town, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, on Nov. 18.
Economy

Philippines downgrades 2024 GDP growth forecast to 6%-6.5%

Country now expects 6%-8% growth in 2025 as Trump uncertainty looms

2 December 2024
Men carry ducks as they wade through floodwaters in Setiu, Malaysia, on Nov. 29.
Natural disasters

Malaysia suffers more than 380 sq. km of paddy damage from floods

Farmers reeling in state of Kedah, which grows about half of the nation's rice

2 December 2024
A drone view shows a flooded area in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, Thailand, Nov. 30.
Natural disasters

Thailand and Malaysia brace for more floods as first wave subsides

Worst storms in decades have already deluged hundreds of thousands of homes

2 December 2024
Super typhoon Man-Yi flooded farmland in Quezon, Nueva Ecija province, the Philippines, on Nov. 18.
Economy

Philippines' Q4 growth to be dampened by typhoons, official says

Agricultural damage weighs down ability to meet full-year target of 6-7%

2 December 2024
Japan's capital attracted 5.57 million foreign guests in January-March of 2024, up 34% on the year. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura)
Natural disasters

Tokyo not ready to help inbound tourists in case of disaster: survey

70% of city's 23 wards lack plans for foreigners, despite visitor influx

26 November 2024
A deadly haze has enveloped the Indian capital causing airlines to warn of flight delays.
Environment

India's capital chokes as pollution hits 50 times safe limit

Seasonal filthy air shuts schools and fuels outrage as farmers burn waste

18 November 2024
Children play along a flooded street following Super Typhoon Man-Yi, in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija province, the Philippines, on Nov. 18.
Natural disasters

At least eight Filipinos killed as super typhoon strikes Philippines

Sixth storm in the past month triggers landslides and storm surges

18 November 2024
A city corporation worker sprays fumigators to control mosquitoes in Dhaka on Oct. 14. The latest official figures show that at least 407 people have died from related complications this year.
Climate Change

Bangladesh deaths from dengue reach 407 as outbreak worsens

78,595 admitted to hospitals as changes in weather patterns allow mosquitoes to breed

17 November 2024
Tin structures are damaged in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Man-Yi, in Catanduanes province, Philippines Nov. 17. (Philippine Red Cross/Handout via Reuters)
Natural disasters

Super typhoon Man-Yi set to weaken as it barrels through Philippines

Tropical cyclone triggered more than a million evacuations and damaged buildings

17 November 2024
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki spews volcanic material during an eruption in East Flores on Nov. 9. Volcanic clouds are halting flights to Indonesia's popular tourist destinations.
Natural disasters

Bali flights canceled due to volcanic ash

80 flights from Singapore, Hong Kong and Australian cities have been affected

13 November 2024
Japan Atomic Power's Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture is pictured in mid-2011.
Energy

Central Japan nuclear reactor fails post-Fukushima safety check

Atomic watchdog confirms decision made in August, meaning unit cannot restart

13 November 2024
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupts on the Indonesian island of Flores on Nov. 9.
Natural disasters

Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi erupts again, government to widen restricted zone

Authorities continue evacuation of 16,000 people from nearby villages

9 November 2024
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on the remote island of Flores has been spewing ash as high as 2,000 meters since Oct. 31. (File photo from Jan. 14.)
Natural disasters

Volcanic eruption burns houses in Indonesia, killing at least nine

Hot ashes from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki come down on remote island village

4 November 2024
Typhoon Kong-rey has wreaked havoc in Hualien county in eastern Taiwan on Oct. 31, blowing roofs off buildings, as seen here. (Hualien County Fire Department via AP)
Natural disasters

Typhoon lashes Taiwan east coast, 8,600 evacuated

Kong-rey kills 1, injures 73, shuts down Taipei but misses northern Philippines

31 October 2024
An aerial view of Onagawa nuclear power plant, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)
Energy

Japan's 2011 disaster-hit region sees first nuclear reactor restart

Onagawa plant set to resume commercial operations under new safety standards

29 October 2024
Philippine Coast Guard personnel evacuate residents after flood waters rose due to heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Trami in Camarines Sur, Philippines Oct. 24. (Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters)
Natural disasters

Storm Trami lands in Vietnam posing flood risks, toll rises in Philippines

Filipino death toll from floods and landslides reaches 90, disaster agency says

27 October 2024
More people around the world are looking to courts to order governments and companies to take action against global warming, arguing they have a fundamental right to be protected from climate change. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
Policy Asia

Japan group sues utilities, claiming climate inaction violates human rights

Country's first youth-led climate litigation comes as regional, global cases multiply

18 October 2024
A man walks past a tree felled by Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi on Sept. 8.
Natural disasters

Vietnam reckons with over $3bn in damages from deadly Typhoon Yagi

One month on from disaster, hard-hit Yen Bai faces long road to recovery

8 October 2024
A resident uses a wheelbarrow to carry supplies through the flood-hit streets of Mae Sai, northern Thailand, on Sept. 15 after the Sai River overflowed its banks six days earlier, triggered by Typhoon Yagi and monsoon rains. (Photo by Adryel Talamantes)
Economy

Costs mount for Thailand as annual flooding continues

Disaster projected to deal $1.4 billion blow to economy

30 September 2024
Volunteers search for stranded people in Myanmar on Sept. 17.
Myanmar Crisis

Aid for Myanmar flood victims risks being split along conflict lines

Regime welcomes overseas aid as ethnic armed groups call for fair distribution

25 September 2024
A ceremony was held for the completion of the first of two planned data centers in Okuma, a town in Fukushima prefecture. (Photo by Atsunobu Takeshita)
Technology

Fukushima data centers aim to spark economic revival in disaster-hit region

New industry springs up thanks to subsidies and abundance of renewable energy

22 September 2024
A collapsed bridge over Vietnam's Red River has become emblematic of the destruction wrought by Typhoon Yagi.
Natural disasters

Vietnam to rebuild key bridge in wake of devastating super typhoon

Damage from worst storm to hit nation in 70 years estimated at $1.6bn

17 September 2024
The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga on Jan. 15, 2022 triggered tsunamis and damage from which the Pacific island nation is still recovering.
Natural disasters

Tonga struggles to break cycle of disaster and debt

Pacific island countries call for international community to step up aid

17 September 2024