Indonesia: Flash floods and landslides kill dozens

It is the last place on the planet where the Sumatran rhino, tiger, elephant and orangutan still roam together in the wild – and it is under threat. The Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh, Indonesia is facing a series of mounting pressures, including loggers, plans for hydroelectric dams, and human encroachment on the land. Now activists, led by a group of women, are fighting to ensure it survives. We spoke to Farwiza Farhan, one of the women on the front line of forest conservation.

Flash floods engulfing cities and washing away entire communities are yet another reminder of the climate crisis. But are we bound to live with the ever-present danger of deadly downpours? And how can cities prepare for the next big disaster? We take a closer look in this edition of Down to Earth.

"Islamic State" propaganda lured hundreds of Indonesians to fight for an extremist cause in Syria. One such Indonesian says the IS Islamic caliphate dream was flawed and that he wants to turn over a new leaf. He has joined a social media campaign to counter extremist narratives.

Java's northern coast is slowly subsiding into the sea — mainly because of groundwater exploitation. Without a wholesale change in the provision of water, the city of Pekalongan could be submerged by ocean waves by 2030.

A blaze took hold as two gangs from rival ethnic groups in the province of West Papua fought to settle a quarrel. The two sides used machetes, arrows and Molotov cocktails to attack each other.

The carcasses of goats and sheep strewn across the scrubland of northern Kenya are testament to the devastation wrought by the once-in-a-generation floods that have hit the region. In just one area of Marsabit County, herders lost around 20,000 goats and sheep last week after the torrential rain, Roba Koto, the top government official in North Horr constituency, said.

we spoke to members of two refugee communities currently blocked in countries and requesting resettlement. First, in Indonesia, members of the Hazara ethnic minority from Afghanistan told us about their rising desperation to be moved to a third country after police violence and a suicide in their community. Some of these refugees have spent over a decade in Indonesia, where they are unable to drive, work or go to school.

At least six people have died in floods that were sparked by heavy rainfall in the eastern state of Queensland.Scores of others have been evacuated, with authorities scrambling to respond to calls for help.

President Joko Widodo had promised not to delay elections in order to hold on to power, but many say his statements don't convince. Monday's protests echoed those that ousted President Suharto in 1998.

At least 306 people have been killed in flooding around Durban in South Africa. On a visit to the stricken city, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the devastation as a "catastrophe of enormous proportions". Also, Amnesty International accuses Mali of stalling war crimes and abuse investigations. And after the French city of Bordeaux, the international tour of an exhibition highlighting the African experience heads to Abidjan in Ivory Coast.

Thousands have been displaced and scores are missing in what is considered to be one of the worst natural disasters on record. South Africa's weather service is warning of even more heavy rains.

The death toll from South Africa's unprecedented floods has risen to nearly 400. Police army and volunteers have widened the search, and the dozens of people still missing after the storm that devastated Durban over the weekend. In Senegal, citizens express their anger at the failures of the healthcare system after a pregnant woman died in hospital. And in South Sudan, the World Food Programme warns that millions are on the brink of hunger.