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Thousands evacuated as Hawaii faces worst flooding in 20 years

2026-03-21T19:52:35.543+02:00

Thousands of people in Hawaii have been told to evacuate their homes as the US state suffered its worst flooding in decades.

It is the second severe storm to hit the archipelago in the last week, causing damage that could exceed $1bn, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

More than 230 people have been rescued so far, Blangiardi told a news conference on Friday. Heavy rains continued to fall on the archipelago in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Evacuation ordered in Hawaii as 120-year-old dam could fail, catastrophic flooding continues.

Officials urged Oahu’s North Shore residents to evacuate safely if they can. Emergency sirens were triggered, where rising waters also damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order at 5:35 a.m. Friday local time for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.”

Officials said a dam failure has the potential for “life-threatening flooding and catastrophic amounts of fast moving water.”

New Yorkers told to stay at home as Storm Hernando hits

2026-02-23T13:39:00.001+02:00

Children across parts of the US northeast will stay home today as powerful ⁠winter Storm Hernando forced school closures and pushed offices and transit systems onto emergency schedules.

It came as officials across the region warned of heavy snow, strong winds and dangerous travel conditions.

Storm Hernando has already disrupted travel along the east coast from Washington to New England, with airlines cancelling thousands of flights and officials urging people to stay off the roads.

Winter weather in the northeast may also slow the processing, transport and delivery of mail and packages, the US Postal Service said.

New York City, the nation's largest school district, ordered all public school buildings closed for a traditional snow day, with no remote instruction and all after-school programs cancelled.

'All records broken' as Storm Nils leaves swaths of southwest France under water

2026-02-14T16:54:00.000+02:00

The flood alert system in France has been working at a record pace as relentless rain over the past month has saturated soils.

"For 30 days we have been in continuous orange or red alert somewhere on the national territory," Lucie Chadourne-Facon, director of Vigicrues, told AFP, referring to the two highest alert levels.

"That is 81 departments in alert simultaneously for 154 rivers, so we have exceeded all our records," she said.

Chadourne-Facon said soil moisture had also reached a record since data collection began in 1959.

"We are facing a generalised flood situation across the entire country because all the soils are saturated everywhere" and have "lost their infiltration capacity", she said.

"As a result, today rivers are extremely sensitive to the slightest precipitation, the slightest rainfall that hits the country, and they react very quickly," she added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Heavy snow, severe weather kill 35 in Japan

2026-02-04T19:45:00.006+02:00

Heavy snowfall in northern Japan has left at least 35 people dead and more than 350 others injured, according to local media reports on Wednesday.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the death toll has continued to rise since heavy snow began on Jan. 20, public broadcaster NHK reported.

Niigata Prefecture recorded the highest number of fatalities with 12 deaths, followed by Akita with seven and Yamagata with five. Hokkaido and Aomori each reported four deaths, while Iwate also confirmed four. Nagano and Shimane reported one death each.

Authorities said most fatalities were caused by landslides and snow-related accidents.

A total of 358 people were injured nationwide, including both serious and minor cases.

Meteorological authorities warned that heavy snowfall is expected to continue through the weekend.

Japan’s top government spokesperson cautioned that rising temperatures could trigger snowmelt, increasing the risk of landslides and creating slippery road conditions that may pose further dangers to residents.

At least five killed after Storm Kristin hits Portugal

2026-01-29T06:33:00.001+02:00

At least five people have died after Storm Kristin tore through central and northern Portugal, causing flooding, landslides and widespread damage.

The storm, which the government described as an "extreme climactic event", left schools shuttered, buildings damaged and travel severely disrupted.

In the coastal city of Figueira da Foz, a Ferris wheel overturned and several vehicles were hit when part of a roof was torn from a building.

Portugal has been hit by a succession of storms in recent days, including one over the weekend in which a man died after his car was swept away in floods.

Over 8,000 flights cancelled as major winter storm bears down across US

2026-01-24T13:52:00.002+02:00

More than 8,000 flights set to take off over the weekend have been cancelled as a major storm bears down across the United States, threatening widespread heavy snow and a band of catastrophic ice stretching from east Texas to North Carolina.

At least 3,400 flights were delayed or cancelled on Saturday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, and more than 5,000 were called off for Sunday.

Roughly 140 million people from New Mexico to New England were under a winter storm warning, as forecasters say damage, especially in areas pounded by ice, could rival that of a hurricane.

Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima under close scrutiny

2026-01-21T18:39:00.005+02:00

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on Wednesday restarted its first nuclear reactor since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, with the utility’s safety measures set to be closely watched as it seeks to turn around its business amid ongoing clean-up efforts from the accident.

Tepco brought back online the No 6 reactor at the seven-unit Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo – the world’s largest nuclear power plant by output when fully operational – making it the 15th reactor in the country to have restarted under the stringent post-Fukushima crisis safety standards.

The latest development marks a key milestone for the government pushing for the use of nuclear power in resource-poor Japan, while safety concerns remain among the public following the worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

One dead and 300 buildings destroyed in Australia bushfires

2026-01-11T11:36:00.000+02:00

One person has died and 300 homes and buildings have been destroyed in bush fires that have torn across south-east Australia.

The fires have raged in dozens of locations across the country for several days, mostly in the state of Victoria, but also in New South Wales, burning through land almost twice the size of Greater London.

A state of emergency has been declared in Victoria as thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft battled the blaze. Residents in more than a dozen communities have been advised to leave their homes.

The authorities fear the blazes, which are being fuelled by very hot, dry and windy conditions, could burn for several weeks.

Heavy rain storms in California leave three dead as of Christmas night

2025-12-26T08:12:00.006+02:00

Heavy rain storms across large parts of California triggered floods and mudslides and left three dead as of Christmas night, according to local officials.

The storms - which were expected to continue through Friday - brought 11 inches (27 cms) of rainfall to some parts of Los Angeles County, prompted evacuations and shut down major roads.

Emergency responders have had to perform several rescues, including people stuck in vehicles as flood waters rise. California's Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in Los Angeles and other southern California counties.

About 100,000 people in the state were without power as of Thursday evening.

Reservoir supplying Iran capital remains largely empty despite rain

2025-12-24T19:30:00.002+02:00

The reservoir of the Amir Kabir dam, one of the largest supplying Iran’s capital, is still largely empty despite sporadic winter rainfall following the worst drought in decades, local media reported Wednesday.

Tehran has seen intermittent rain since early December after months of dry weather, partially replenishing some of the city’s reservoirs but leaving overall levels critically low.

Iran, a largely arid country, has for years suffered chronic dry spells and heat waves, which are expected to worsen with climate change.

“Out of a total water storage capacity of 205 million cubic meters in the reservoir of this dam, only six million cubic meters of water are currently stored,” just three percent of capacity, the Tasnim news agency reported, referring to Amir Kabir, also known as the Karaj dam...[afp]

Researchers discover protein protecting brain from aging damage

2025-12-21T18:46:00.003+02:00

A team of researchers from Israel, Russia, the Czech Republic and Belgium has discovered how an enzyme protein called SIRT6 protects the brain from damage that occurs with aging, Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said in a statement on Sunday.

The study, published in Nature Communications, showed that SIRT6 controls the way the brain uses tryptophan, an important substance that helps produce energy and key chemicals like serotonin and melatonin.

Tryptophan is often called a "sleep molecule," but it also plays a role in mood, learning, and brain health. In aging and certain brain diseases, the balance of tryptophan use is disrupted. This can reduce the production of serotonin and melatonin while increasing harmful byproducts that are toxic to nerve cells.

The researchers used models in human cells, mice, and fruit flies to study this process. When SIRT6 levels drop, tryptophan is used more for energy production, creating toxic compounds and leaving the brain without enough protective neurotransmitters.

The study also found a way to reverse this damage. In fruit flies lacking SIRT6, blocking another enzyme called TDO2 reduced the harmful byproducts, protected brain tissue, and improved movement.

These findings suggest new possibilities for treating age-related brain disorders, sleep problems, and mood changes, the researchers said.

Targeting SIRT6 or TDO2 may help protect the brain, restore healthy chemical balance, and improve quality of life as people get older, they said.

Dozens killed in Morocco flash floods

2025-12-15T19:04:00.001+02:00

Flash floods have killed at least 37 people in Morocco's coastal Safi region, according to state-owned television.

Cars and mounds of rubbish were seen sweeping through the main port city of Safi after torrential rain hit on Sunday.

Dozens of people have been receiving treatment in hospital for their injuries, say local authorities, and at least 70 homes have been inundated in the old city centre.

Local reports say access to and from the city is blocked on certain roads because of damage and debris.

Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Japan’s northeast, tsunami warning issued

2025-12-12T06:12:00.005+02:00

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 has hit Japan’s northeastern region, prompting a tsunami advisory from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
The earthquake struck on Friday off the coast of Aomori prefecture at 11:44am local time (02:44 GMT) at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles), according to the JMA.

On November 8, the same are was hit by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake, followed by a 70-cm tsunami.

Magnitude 6.7
Region NEAR EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
Date time 2025-12-12 02:44:13.5 UTC
Location 40.962 ; 142.767
Depth 20 km
Distance 172 km ENE of Aomori, Japan / pop: 298,000 / local time: 11:44:13.5 2025-12-12
118 km NE of Hachinohe, Japan / pop: 239,000 / local time: 11:44:13.5 2025-12-12

Tsunami warning after 7.6 magnitude quake hits off Japan

2025-12-08T19:53:00.003+02:00

A tsunami as high as three metres could hit Japan's north eastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The tsunami warning was issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, after the quake jolted a large part of Japan's north and east at 11.15pm

The epicentre of the quake was 80 km off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 50km the agency added.

Magnitude 7.6
Region HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
Date time 2025-12-08 14:15:12.1 UTC
Location 41.035 ; 142.148
Depth 58 km

Distance 121 km ENE of Aomori, Japan / pop: 298,000 / local time: 23:15:12.1 2025-12-08
81 km NNE of Hachinohe, Japan / pop: 239,000 / local time: 23:15:12.1 2025-12-08

Death toll passes 900 after devastating Indonesia floods

2025-12-07T08:10:00.001+02:00

The death toll in Indonesia from recent flooding has passed 900, with hundreds still missing.

More than 100,000 homes were destroyed when a rare and powerful cyclone formed over the Malaca Strait last week, bringing torrential rain and landslides to parts of the South East Asian country.

Efforts to reach people in areas still cut off are ongoing, with aid having to be airdropped into some places.

The Indonesia floods were one of several extreme weather events to hit Asia in recent weeks, with the cumulative death toll in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam approaching 2,000.

Sri Lanka flood, landslides toll rises to 123: Official

2025-11-29T11:49:00.004+02:00

Over 120 people have died and more than 130 others remain missing after Tropical Cyclone Ditva struck Sri Lanka, the country's Disaster Management Center (DMC) reported on Saturday.

"The death toll recorded as a result of adverse weather conditions across the country over the past few days has climbed to 123," the center reported adding that at least 130 people remain missing.

According to the DMC, up to 373,430 people were affected by the raging natural calamity. More than 43,000 were replaced to 488 temporary shelters.

Thailand large-scale floods, the worst floods in years

2025-11-25T19:35:00.001+02:00

Thailand on November 25 prepared to send an aircraft carrier with relief supplies and medical teams to its south, where more heavy rain intensified the worst floods in years, which have killed 13 people and hobbled rescue and evacuation efforts.

The Thai navy said it was readying to send a flotilla of 14 boats and the aircraft carrier, Chakri Naruebet, accompanied by helicopters, doctors, supplies and field kitchens that can supply 3,000 meals a day. The carrier could also serve as a floating hospital.

An estimated 1.9 million people have been affected in Thailand, where the meteorology agency forecast sustained heavy rain and flash floods on November 25 and warned small boats to stay ashore to avoid waves taller than 3 metres.

Floodwaters have hit ten Thai provinces and eight states in neighbouring Malaysia.

In Malaysia, more than 15,000 people have been evacuated to 90 relief centres. Although no fatalities have been reported so far, authorities warn that the situation could worsen as heavy rains continue in many areas.

Vietnam flooding death toll reaches 90 amid landslides and relentless rain

2025-11-23T08:35:00.001+02:00

The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, with 12 more people missing, the environment ministry said on Sunday after days of heavy rain and landslides.

Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding.

Rainfall has exceeded 1,900mm (74.8in) in some parts of central Vietnam over the past week. The region is a major coffee production belt and home to popular beaches, but it is also prone to storms and floods.

More than 60 of the deaths since 16 November were recorded in mountainous central Dak Lak province, where tens of thousands of homes were flooded, the ministry said in a statement.

Dam reservoir levels in Iran’s second biggest city drop below 3%

2025-11-09T18:03:00.003+02:00

Water levels at the dam reservoirs supplying Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad plunged below three per cent, media reported on Sunday, as the country suffers from severe water shortages.

“The water storage in Mashhad’s dams has now fallen to less than three per cent,” Hossein Esmaeilian, the chief executive of the water company in Iran’s second largest city by population, told ISNA news agency.

He added that “the current situation shows that managing water use is no longer merely a recommendation – it has become a necessity”.

Over 100,000 people evacuated in Philippines due to Typhoon Fung-wong

2025-11-09T12:50:00.006+02:00

The Philippines’ emergency services have evacuated over 100,000 people in the country’s east and north due to approaching Typhoon Fung-wong, Reuters reported.

It is expected that the super storm will hit the republic on Sunday with winds surpassing 51 meters per second with squalls up to 64 meters per second. More than 300 domestic and international flights have been canceled across the country due to weather conditions.

Earlier, the republic’s Office of Civil Defense reported that the number of fatalities caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi in the Philippines has risen from 188 to 224, with 109 listed as missing. On Cebu Island, flooded by torrential rains, 158 deaths have been confirmed. Overall, 526 residents have been affected across the country with hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes.

A state of emergency was declared in 53 populated localities. President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of national calamity in the republic.

Six killed, hundreds injured as tornado hits south Brazil

2025-11-08T18:39:00.002+02:00

A tornado accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain struck the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, killing six people, the state government has said.

The town of Rio Bonito do Iguacu was hit hardest late yesterday, with the state's civil defence agency reporting that over half of the urban area suffered roof collapses, along with multiple structural failures.

Roads were blocked and power lines damaged.

Authorities said 437 people were treated for injuries and about 1,000 were displaced. The nearby city of Guarapuava was also affected.

Seven killed, 150 injured after powerful quake hits northern Afghanistan

2025-11-03T06:27:00.000+02:00

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing at least seven people and injuring 150 others, according to local officials.

The quake struck at 12:59am on Monday (20:29 GMT) at a depth of 28km (17 miles) near Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Samim Joyanda, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health in Samangan, a mountainous northern province near Mazar-i-Sharif, told the Reuters news agency that “a total of 150 people injured and seven martyred [dead] have been reported and transferred to health centres as of this morning”.

The toll was based on hospital reports collected as of Monday morning, he said.

Magnitude 6.3
Region CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN
Date time 2025-11-02 20:28:59.5 UTC
Location 36.553 ; 67.573
Depth 10 km
Distance 45 km ESE of Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan / pop: 303,000 / local time: 00:58:59.5 2025-11-03
20 km SSW of Khulm, Afghanistan / pop: 64,900 / local time: 00:58:59.5 2025-11-03

Record rains drive flooding in Vietnam, submerging ancient city

2025-10-28T17:15:00.003+02:00

Heavy rains have triggered record-breaking floods in some parts of central Vietnam, especially in top tourism destinations Hue, a former imperial capital, and the ancient town of Hoi An.

On Tuesday, Vietnam’s disaster management agency recorded more than 1,000 millimetres (39.4 inches) of rainfall over a 24-hour period ending late on Monday in parts of Hue and Hoi An.

Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the volume of rainfall in Hue marked the highest ever for a 24-hour period since the country started its record-keeping.

The newspaper VNExpress reported that water levels in the Huong and Bo rivers, which flow through Hue, reached 5.25m (17.2 ft) on Monday afternoon, shattering the previous historical high recorded in 2020.

As of Tuesday morning, water levels from both rivers have receded, but Hue remains submerged by more than one metre (3.3ft) of water.

Hurricane Melissa, now Category 3, threatens heavy floods in Jamaica, Haiti

2025-10-26T08:27:00.003+02:00

Hurricane Melissa has rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 with potentially catastrophic consequences, as it dropped torrential rain in the northern Caribbean and threatened disastrous flooding and landslides in Jamaica and southern Haiti.

Forecasters in the United States warned Saturday that the lumbering Melissa is expected to gain strength when making landfall in Jamaica in the coming day or two.

“I urge Jamaicans to take this weather threat seriously,” said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “Take all measures to protect yourself.”

Melissa was centred about 200km (125 miles) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 455km (280 miles) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, late Saturday night.

It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour (115 miles per hour), the hurricane centre said.

Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon to make closest approach to Earth on October 21

2025-10-18T13:58:00.005+03:00

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) will pass at its minimum distance from Earth - around 89 mln km - on October 21, according to the Solar Astronomy Laboratories of the Space Research Institute and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon will pass at its closest distance to Earth, about 89 million kilometers, in three days, on October 21," the laboratory noted.

The object is of particular interest to astrophotographers, especially professionals: through high-precision instruments, it appears as an "exceptionally beautiful" target.