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Jakarta Post
Asia & Pacific

Malaysia starts cloud seeding to help clear toxic haze

The operation, which also aims to bolster water reserves in anticipation of dry weather, targets three hydroelectric dams and 13 water catchment areas, Sarawak's Disaster Management Committee said.

4 hours ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Haze besieges Southeast Asia as Indonesia’s wildfires rage on

On Wednesday morning, seven air monitoring stations across the metropolitan area of Philippine capital Manila recorded “unhealthy levels” of PM2.5 pollutant particulate, according to the country’s Environment and Natural Resources Department (DENR). ...

16 hours ago
Asia & Pacific

US aircraft carrier arrives in Thailand after months at sea

The 5,000 sailors and Marines on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, arriving from the war in the Middle East, are headed for the Thai resort of Pattaya, a rest-and-recreation stop for US troops since the Vietnam War. ...

1 day ago

The Latest

Asia & Pacific

Global temperature rises to exceed 1.5 Celsius 'within a few years', UN says

The United Nations Environment Programme said bringing temperature rises back to below 1.5C was "possible but highly uncertain," and would require rapid emission cuts as well as interventions to remove carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

US, Australia commit $580 million in support for Pacific Islands

The United States and Australia on Wednesday announced a combined US$580 million in funding for the Pacific Islands, as both nations battle China for influence in the region.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

After over 200 days at sea, US aircraft carrier arrives in Thailand

The Lincoln, with roughly ​5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, has set a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to ​Democratic lawmakers.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific premium

South Korea open to future defense co-development with Jakarta despite fighter jet setback

South Korea remains open to jointly developing future defense systems with Indonesia despite setbacks in the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet program, a Korean diplomat has said, describing the experience as an asset that strengthened mutual trust between the two countries.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Japan answers fire aid call as haze smothers region

Japan is set to deploy three helicopters to help Indonesia battle forest and peatland fires in Kalimantan at Jakarta’s request, as smoke from the blazes spread across Southeast Asia and pressure mounts on the government to accept more international assistance.

1 day ago
Asia & Pacific

Meta, Roblox agree to child-safety measures sought by Philippines

The measures include age-verification, parental controls, faster takedowns of harmful content and closer cooperation with law enforcement, he said. 

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Reducing wildfires will be challenging as El Niño peaks this month, minister warns

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze from forest and land fires across six provinces in Kalimantan and Sumatra islands. The haze has caused respiratory illnesses and forced thousands of schools to move classes online, including in neighbouring Malaysia.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing to visit Vietnam this week, continuing push for re-engagement

Myanmar's junta chief-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing will make an official visit to Vietnam from Sept. 4 to 6 at the invitation of Vietnamese President To Lam, state media in both countries reported on Tuesday.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

China-Taiwan friction clouds Pacific summit

Australia said Tuesday the Pacific bloc will decide for itself who attends its annual summit, after China raised objections to Taiwan's presence on the sidelines.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Nepal toll surges as rescuers struggle through 'unimaginable' disaster

Rescuers struggled through mud and debris for a sixth day, as the number of missing people soared to nearly 4,500 since tsunami-like glacial floods roared down from the China-Nepal border, creating an "unimaginable" disaster.

2 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Sarawak eyes cloud seeding as haze worsens

Indonesia has for weeks battled wildfires that have led to school closures and thousands of people requiring medical treatment, with smoke also drifting across to Malaysia and Singapore.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Nepal teams seek hundreds trapped in hydropower tunnels after deadly floods

The unprecedented deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday – blamed on a glacier collapse – killed more than 900 people and nearly 5,000 are still missing.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific premium

South Korea seeks incentives to deepen nickel partnership with Indonesia

Nickel-based batteries used by many South Korean manufacturers face increasing competition from lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which contain no nickel and are generally cheaper to produce.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Indonesia, US and allies launch annual military drill

Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, what it calls "free and active," as it walks a diplomatic tightrope seeking good relations with both Washington and Beijing.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Indonesia, New Zealand eye closer food, energy cooperation

Among points agreed during the meeting in Auckland was New Zealand’s support for Indonesia to fund food security and nutrition programs in eastern Indonesia aimed at tackling stunting issues in the regions, according to statements issued by both countries’ foreign ministries.

3 days ago
Asia & Pacific

N. Korea defense minister dismissed: State media

North Korea's defense minister has been dismissed as part of a reshuffle of the country's military leadership, state media reported Sunday.

4 days ago
Asia & Pacific

China identifies countries of 261 foreigners missing in Himalayan mudslide

China on Sunday said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were missing on the Tibetan side of a border crossing with Nepal following a mudslide which tore through the Himalayan region, while the death toll in Tibet has reached 16 people.

4 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Number of missing in Nepal, China floods soars to nearly 3,000

The deluge of ice and mud caused huge lakes to form, and one of these formations has become a direct threat to emergency workers scouring the region for survivors.

5 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Death toll nears 400, rescuers search for 1,400 missing after Nepal-Tibet floods

Many of the missing are foreign tourists, including trekkers in the Himalayan nation, as well as scores of Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred snow-capped Mount Kailash.

6 days ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Deeper Indonesia-Australia cooperation to secure Indo-Pacific

During their annual foreign and defense ministers' meeting on Aug. 26, the two neighbors pledged to deepen cooperation with a particular view to enhancing security in the Indo-Pacific amid rising global power rivalry and food and energy shocks from the Mideast war.

6 days ago
Asia & Pacific

Trump's Kim gambit deepens doubts over US reliability at a key moment for Asia

The US president's abrupt decision to cut back military drills with South Korea last week, which he described as hostile to Pyongyang, has reinforced fears that Trump's unpredictability could strain alliances that have long maintained peace in the region, government officials and security experts said.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Indonesia to open airspace for cloud seeding to tackle haze, Malaysia says

Malaysia's national disaster management agency and its meteorological department are currently preparing schedules for cloud seeding operations in shared border locations, to be coordinated with the Indonesian military.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Malaysia, Brunei to raise cross-border haze issue at ASEAN

The Malaysian prime minister and the Brunei sultan aim to use “the ASEAN mechanism” in a bid to find a solution for the recurring problem of transboundary haze from Indonesian wildfires.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

US cancels drills with South Korea over Iran war-related constraints

The cancelation follows US President Donald Trump's surprise order to scale back a separate annual joint military exercise that ended last Friday, citing the cost and Seoul's refusal to take part in the Iran war.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Australia confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in local mammal

Australia on Sunday confirmed its first case of H5N1 bird flu in a mammal, with the deadly virus found in a long-nosed fur seal in South Australia state.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific

Australia's capital to join gun buyback in response to Bondi Beach attack: Albanese

Albanese's center-left government enacted laws in January for the gun buyback, tighter checks for gun licences and a crackdown on ​hate in the wake of the gun attack ​at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state, on Dec. 14, 2025.

1 week ago
Asia & Pacific premium

Indonesia, China agree to boost economy, security ties

Among topics discussed in high-level talks between Foreign Minister Sugiono and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Jakarta was the joint development by both countries in the hotly disputed South China Sea.

1 week ago

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