Landslides and Flash Floods on Indonesia’s Java Island Leave 17 Dead and 8 Missing 

In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), rescuers carry the body of a victim of flash flood in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (BNPB via AP) 
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), rescuers carry the body of a victim of flash flood in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (BNPB via AP) 
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Landslides and Flash Floods on Indonesia’s Java Island Leave 17 Dead and 8 Missing 

In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), rescuers carry the body of a victim of flash flood in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (BNPB via AP) 
In this photo released by Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), rescuers carry the body of a victim of flash flood in Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (BNPB via AP) 

Indonesian rescuers recovered the bodies of at least 17 people who were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country’s main island of Java, officials said Tuesday. Eight people were missing.

Torrential rains on Monday caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down on mountainside hamlets, said Bergas Catursasi, who heads the local Disaster Management Agency.

He said rescue workers by Tuesday had pulled out at least 17 bodies in the worst-hit village of Petungkriyono, and rescuers are searching for eight villagers who are reportedly still missing. Eleven injured people managed to escape and were rushed to nearby hospitals, Catursari said.

Television reports on Tuesday showed police, soldiers and rescue workers used excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to sift through the rubble looking for the dead and missing in devastated villages, while others carried victims on bamboo stretchers or body bags to ambulances or trucks.

“Bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain hampered the rescue operation,” Catursari said, adding that people who were fishing in the river and those who were taking shelter from the rain were swept away by flash floods.

National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flash floods swept away villagers and vehicles passing through devastated villages and triggered a landslide that buried two houses. The disaster also destroyed two main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan district.

Seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains.

Last month, a landslide, flash floods and strong winds hit the Sukabumi district of West Java province, killing 12 people. In November a landslide and flash floods triggered by heavy downpours hit Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, leaving 20 dead and two missing. A landslide in the region also hit a tourist bus that killed nine people.



NATO Summit Seeks to Keep Trump Happy -- and Alliance United

President Donald Trump meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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NATO Summit Seeks to Keep Trump Happy -- and Alliance United

President Donald Trump meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump meets with members of the Juventus soccer club in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

NATO leaders will seek to lock in US President Donald Trump's commitment to their alliance with a summit pledge to boost defense spending, as they gather Tuesday in The Hague with global tensions soaring over Iran.

The overriding focus of the gathering -- which kicks off with dinner hosted by the Dutch king -- has been on keeping Trump happy after his return to power sparked fears he could blow a hole in the seven-decade-old alliance, said AFP.

From meeting his spending demand to limiting the participation of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, everything is being done to try to avoid the chances of a damaging confrontation with the volatile leader.

But despite the careful planning the meeting still risks being overshadowed by the fallout from Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

Central to the effort to keep Trump on board -- given his threat not to protect lower-spending NATO allies -- will be a pledge to satisfy his insistence that members cough up five percent of their GDP on defense.

To give him a headline victory, NATO's 32 countries have thrashed out a compromise deal to dedicate 3.5 percent to core military needs by 2035, and 1.5 percent to broader security-related areas like cybersecurity and infrastructure.

"This is a quantum leap that is ambitious, historic and fundamental to securing our future," said NATO chief Mark Rutte, who warns the alliance must be ready to confront the threat of a Russian attack within five years.

- Deep divisions -

"We must navigate this era of radical uncertainty with agility, speed," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday in announcing the UK's commitment to meet NATO's spending target.

In a joint Financial Times op-ed on the summit's eve, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz likewise argued that Europe must rearm "not because someone asks us to, but because we are clear-eyed and owe it to our citizens to do so".

In the run-up to the meeting, Spain had sparked fears of undermining the alliance's carefully choreographed unity by refusing to commit to the headline figure of five percent.

But Rutte stressed Spain had not been granted an "opt-out" from the pledge.

"The summit will be historic," US NATO ambassador Matthew Whitaker said.

"This summit is really about NATO's credibility and we are urging all of our allies to step up to the plate and pay their fair share for transatlantic security."

But while the promise of more spending looks like it could win Trump over, deep divisions remain over the approach to Europe's key security issue: Russia's war in Ukraine.

Since storming back to power Trump has upended the West's approach to the three-year conflict by turning his back on Kyiv and opening the door to closer ties with Moscow.

Zelensky downgraded

Zelensky, who had an infamous Oval Office bust-up with Trump, has been downgraded from the central role he played at recent NATO gatherings.

This time he is set to attend the king's dinner, meet EU leaders and attend an industry forum -- but he will not hold formal talks with the alliance's 32 leaders.

Rutte said the summit would still send the message that support for Kyiv was "unwavering and will persist".

The French and German leaders, in a message aimed at Trump, said they would jointly press for a ceasefire in Ukraine and ramped-up pressure on Russia "including through sanctions" while in The Hague.

But despite Rutte's insistence that Ukraine's bid for membership remains "irreversible", the alliance will avoid any mention of Kyiv's push to join after Trump ruled it out.

Allies have also had to push hard just to get Washington to name Moscow as a "threat" in a summit declaration set to be released when NATO leaders hold their main session on Wednesday.

The push to make sure the United States remains on the same page comes as Washington is weighing whether to pull forces from Europe as it focuses more on the threat from China.

The Pentagon is set to announce the results of a review of its global deployments later in the year -- but diplomats at NATO say they don't expect Trump to make any announcements in The Netherlands.