Weather

More bodies found after sudden eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi, raising confirmed death toll to 22

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Family members carry the body of Muhammad Alfikri, 19, a Mount Marapi eruption victim, in Bandar Buat, Padang, West Sumatra province, Indonesia, December 5, 2023, in this photo taken by Antara Foto.  Antara Foto | Via Reuters Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano found 11 more bodies of climbers who were … Read more

Southeast Asia haze returns as peatland fires fan global warming fears

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In this photo taken on Oct. 10, 2023, a man looks at a forest fire as it approaches houses in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra in Indonesia. Al Zulkifli | AFP | Getty Images With El Nino in full force, officials are bracing for the worst transboundary haze in southern Southeast Asia since before the pandemic … Read more

Cocoa farmers face mounting challenges as El Nino rages on

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A woman spreads cocoa beans during the sun-drying process in the backyard of her house in Asikasu, Ghana on December 19, 2020. Cristina Aldehuela | Afp | Getty Images El Nino is here to stay — and that’s bad news for cocoa crops which are highly sensitive to weather changes.  Frequent extreme weather events caused … Read more

Asia food inflation fears rise as rice prices surge

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An undated stock photo of a market stall with piles of many varieties of Vietnamese rice in Ho Chi Minh city grocery. Vietnam is one of the largest exporters of quality rice, Asia’s most important staple food. Bicho_raro | Istock | Getty Images A perfect storm may be brewing in Asia. Rice prices surged to … Read more