Severe Floods Kill Five in Indonesia's Capital

Severe floods submerged entire neighborhoods in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over the weekend | AFP
Severe floods submerged entire neighborhoods in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over the weekend | AFP
TT

Severe Floods Kill Five in Indonesia's Capital

Severe floods submerged entire neighborhoods in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over the weekend | AFP
Severe floods submerged entire neighborhoods in the Indonesian capital Jakarta over the weekend | AFP

Five people were killed in the severe floods that submerged entire neighborhoods in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, authorities said Sunday, as residents returned to clean their homes and salvage belongings.

The city was struck by torrential rains over the weekend, which flooded dozens of major roads and forced hundreds of people to rush to emergency shelters.

A 67-year-old man was found dead after he became trapped in his waterlogged house in the badly hit southern part of the capital on Saturday, Jakarta disaster mitigation agency head Sabdo Kurnianto told AFP.

He added that three boys died after being swept away by the floods, and one girl drowned.

Indonesia's meteorological agency warned that Greater Jakarta -- a region of around 30 million people that is regularly hit by floods in the rainy season -- can expect more heavy downpours next week.

"The river overflowed and brought a lot of mud... I have suffered great financial loss," said Ali Fatullah, a fruit seller in the town of Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta.

He said furniture and electronic devices were damaged by the water.

Kurnianto said some 1,700 people remained in shelters, though many residents had started returning to their homes.

Floodwaters had hit 200 neighborhoods in the region, and 40 were still under at least one foot of water on Sunday.

Jakarta saw some of its deadliest floods in years in January last year after downpours that also triggered landslides.

At least 67 people in the capital and nearby cities were killed in that disaster.



Syria's Sharaa, Shibani Expected at Brussels Donor Summit

A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
TT

Syria's Sharaa, Shibani Expected at Brussels Donor Summit

A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP
A man holds the Syrian opposition flag as they celebrate after Syria's army command notified officers on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended - Aleppo, Syria - AFP

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is expected to attend an international donor summit for his country in Brussels on March 17, a Syrian source and two diplomats familiar with the trip said.
It will be his first visit to Europe since he was declared interim president following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December.

Also, a European official told Reuters on Wednesday that Syria's foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani is also set to attend the donor summit.

The yearly conference, hosted by the European Union, aims to "mobilize international support for an inclusive, peaceful transition" and will be the first time it is held following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad from power in December.

In the past, representatives of Syrian civil society were invited to take part in the summit - but the Syrian state was not.