2025-11-30 11:42

Death toll surges to 435 dead in Indonesia after flooding, landslides 170 dead in southern Thailand In Indonesia, helicopters deliver aid where roads are blocked Malaysia lifts storm warnings, forecasts clear skies JAKARTA/BANGKOK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The death toll mounted to over 600 from floods and landslides caused by torrential rains across three countries in Southeast Asia, officials said on Sunday, as relief efforts for tens of thousands of displaced people continued over the weekend. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand faced large-scale devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait fuelling heavy rains and wind gusts for a week. There were 435 dead in Indonesia, 170 in Thailand, and three deaths reported in Malaysia. Sign up here. Rescue and relief officials in the Southeast Asian countries were still trying to get access to many flood-hit areas on Sunday even as flood waters receded and tens of thousands of people were evacuated across the three countries. Over 4 million people have been affected - nearly 3 million in southern Thailand and 1.1 million in western Indonesia, according to official statistics. Separately, across the Bay of Bengal, another 153 people were killed by a cyclone in the island nation of Sri Lanka, authorities said, with 191 others missing and more than half a million affected nationwide. INDONESIA The death toll surged in Indonesia to 435 on Sunday, up from 303 on Saturday, official data uploaded on a government website showed, as officials compiled reports of casualties and damage pouring in from the western island of Sumatra, where three provinces had been devastated by landslides and floods after the rains. Many areas were cut off due to blocked roads, while damage to telecommunications infrastructure has hampered communication. Relief and rescue teams used helicopters to deliver aid to people in areas that could not be reached by road. From a navy chopper flying over the isolated town of Palembayan in West Sumatra, a Reuters photographer saw large tracts of land and homes swept away by floodwaters. As the helicopter landed in a soccer field, dozens of people were already standing close by waiting for food. There have been reports of people looting supply lines as they grow desperate for relief in other areas, officials said on Saturday. "The water just rose up into the house and we were afraid, so we fled. Then we came back on Friday, and the house was gone, destroyed," Afrianti, 41, who only goes by one name, told Reuters in West Sumatra's Padang city. She and her family of nine have made their own tent shelter beside the single wall that remains of their home. "My home and business are gone, the shop is gone. Nothing remains. I can only live near this one remaining wall," she said. According to official figures, 406 people were still reported missing and 213,000 displaced. THAILAND AND MALAYSIA Thailand's Ministry of Public Health reported the death toll from flooding in southern Thailand at 170, an increase of eight from Saturday, and 102 injuries. Songkhla Province had the highest number of fatalities at 131. Hat Yai, the largest city in Songkhla, received 335 mm (13 inches) of rain last Friday, its highest single-day tally in 300 years, amid days of heavy downpours. In neighbouring Malaysia, there are still about 18,700 people in evacuation centres, according to the country's national disaster management agency. Meteorological authorities lifted tropical storm and continuous rain warnings on Saturday, forecasting clear skies for most of the country. Parts of the country were battered last week by heavy rain and wind. Malaysia's foreign ministry said it had evacuated over 6,200 Malaysian nationals stranded in Thailand. On Sunday the ministry put out an advisory to its citizens living in Indonesia's West Sumatra to register with the local consulate for assistance. It said a 30-year-old Malaysian had been reported missing following a landslide in the area. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/tropical-storm-deaths-cross-500-southeast-asia-over-4-million-affected-2025-11-30/

2025-11-30 08:04

DUBAI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Iran seized on Sunday an Eswatini-flagged vessel carrying 350,000 litres of smuggled fuel, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. "We seized a vessel carrying smuggled fuel in the form of gasoil and flying Swaziland's (Eswatini) flag. It was brought to Bushehr's coast following a judicial order and its content will be unloaded," a Revolutionary Guards navy commander said, adding the vessel's 13 crew were from India and one neighbouring country. Sign up here. Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iran-seizes-eswatini-flagged-vessel-smuggling-fuel-2025-11-30/

2025-11-30 06:59

BAGHDAD, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Operations restarted at Iraq's Khor Mor gas field, with the transmission of gas to power stations starting at 2:00 a.m. Sunday (2300 GMT Saturday), the Kurdish regional government's electricity ministry announced, days after a drone attack halted production and led to extensive power cuts. The Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, provides supplies for regional power generation. Sign up here. On Thursday, joint field operator Dana Gas said a rocket hit a storage tank at the gas field, leading to a shutdown in production and extensive power cuts. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and authorities have not said who was behind the attack. The attack was the most significant since a series of drone attacks in July hit oilfields and cut production from the region by around 150,000 barrels per day. The Kurdistan Regional Government exercises autonomy in northern Iraq, where U.S. companies have significant investments in energy. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/operations-restart-iraqs-khor-mor-field-transporting-gas-power-stations-ministry-2025-11-30/

2025-11-30 06:22

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Four people died after 14 people were shot at a family gathering in Stockton in northern California on Saturday night, police said. The shooting took place at a child's birthday party, Stockton's Vice Mayor Jason Lee said in a Facebook post. Sign up here. "I am in contact with staff and public safety officials to understand exactly what happened, and I will be pushing for answers," he said. Police said they received reports shortly before 6:00 p.m. local time (0200 GMT) of a shooting that occurred near the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue in Stockton. "We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased," San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said in a post on X. "This is a very active and ongoing investigation, and information remains limited. Early indications suggest this may be a targeted incident, and investigators are exploring all possibilities." Authorities have not provided any details about a shooter. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/four-dead-after-14-people-shot-family-gathering-stockton-california-2025-11-30/

2025-11-30 06:08

CPC, which carries 1% of global oil, halts exports Ukraine attacks CPC with naval drones Ukraine says actions only aimed at repelling 'full-scale Russian aggression' Kazakhstan says CPC accounts for 80% of Kazakh crude exports MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which handles more than 1% of global oil, after a major drone attack halted exports and seriously damaged loading infrastructure. The CPC, which includes Russian, Kazakh and U.S. shareholders, said it had halted operations after a mooring at its Russian terminal on the Black Sea was significantly damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack. Sign up here. Ukraine this year mounted wave after wave of attacks on Russia's oil refineries and crude oil terminals in an attempt to undermine one of the most important sources of income for the Russian war economy. Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said the drone attacks were the third such series of attacks on what it called "an exclusively civilian facility whose operation is safeguarded by norms of international law." ATTACK ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Kazakhstan "expresses its protest over yet another deliberate attack on the critical infrastructure of the international Caspian Pipeline Consortium in the waters of the Port of Novorossiysk," the ministry said. "We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future." Ukraine said its actions were not directed against Kazakhstan or third parties and were only aimed at repelling what it called "full-scale Russian aggression". "Ukraine hits back at the aggressor," Ukraine's foreign ministry said. CPC accounts for about 80% of oil exports from OPEC+ member Kazakhstan, which exported about 68.6 million tons of oil last year. It brings crude from the Tengiz, Karachaganak and Kashagan fields of Kazakhstan to the Yuzhnaya Ozereevka terminal at Novorossiysk. CPC's main suppliers are fields in Kazakhstan but it also collects crude from Russian producers. TANKERS WITHDRAWN FROM CPC WATER AREA The CPC's 1,500 km (930 mile) pipeline includes Russian, Kazakhstan's state-owned KazMunayGas, and units of Chevron (CVX.N) , opens new tab, Russia's Lukoil (LKOH.MM) , opens new tab and ExxonMobil as shareholders. CPC said on Saturday that a November 29 naval drone attack on its terminal had "significantly damaged" Single-Point Mooring (SPM) 2 - essentially a floating buoy which connects to tankers to load oil. "Further operation of Single Point Mooring 2 is not possible," CPC said. "Loading operations and other operations were stopped (and) tankers were withdrawn from the CPC water area." "We believe that the attack on the CPC is an attack on the interests of the CPC member countries," CPC said. RUSSIA SAYS UKRAINE ATTACKS AMOUNT TO TERRORISM Ukraine says its attacks on infrastructure deep inside Russia are justified as it is fighting for its existence in what it casts as an imperial-style war launched by Russia which has targeted Ukraine's energy sector ahead of winter. Russia's foreign ministry says the Ukrainian attacks amount to "acts of terrorism" and Russian officials say European powers are engaged in a hybrid war against Russia, which includes using Western intelligence agencies to help Kyiv target infrastructure deep inside Russia. The ministry said the attacks threaten freedom of navigation in the region. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kazakhstan-criticises-ukraine-over-drone-attack-cpc-oil-terminal-2025-11-30/

2025-11-30 03:56

TOKYO, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Japan's finance minister said on Sunday that recent erratic swings in the foreign exchange market and rapid yen weakening are "clearly not driven by fundamentals". "It's our position to issue warnings against such matters," Satsuki Katayama said on a Sunday morning talk show on Fuji Television. Sign up here. Katayama also reiterated that currency intervention remains possible in dealing with excessively volatile and speculative moves in the yen, in line with a Japan-U.S. joint statement in September that said exchange rates should be market determined. Markets last week had been looking out for intervention by Tokyo to shore up the declining yen, but the currency stabilised. On Monday, all eyes will be on a speech by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda to see whether he signals a likely rate increase at the BOJ's December meeting, which would help lift the currency. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-finance-minister-says-yens-rapid-fall-clearly-not-driven-by-fundamentals-2025-11-30/