Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Rises to 25

The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on Friday. Devi RAHMAN / AFP
The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on Friday. Devi RAHMAN / AFP
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Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Rises to 25

The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on Friday. Devi RAHMAN / AFP
The death toll from a landslide in Indonesia rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on Friday. Devi RAHMAN / AFP

The death toll from a landslide on Indonesia's main island of Java rose to 25 as rescuers found three more bodies on Friday, a search and rescue agency official said.

Intense rainfall on Monday in a mountainous area near Pekalongan city in Central Java province triggered the landslide, collapsing bridges and burying cars and houses.

"Overall, the victims who were found dead were 25 people, with a note that two people are still unidentified," Budiono, head of the search and rescue agency from nearby Semarang, told AFP.

If those two victims are among the list of missing people, there would be only one more person left to find, he said.

The two unidentified victims were found trapped under rocks and landslide materials, making it difficult for rescuers to recover their bodies, added Budiono, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.

Bad weather was hampering search efforts, with the operation suspended on Friday afternoon to ensure the safety of rescue teams as rain and fog descended on the area.

The rescue operation is set to resume on Saturday, Budiono said, with rescuers focusing their search around a cafe where the victims are thought to have been buried as they sought shelter from the rain.

At least 13 people were also injured in the landslide, according to the national search and rescue agency Basarnas.

Indonesia is prone to landslides during the rainy season, typically between November and April, but some disasters caused by adverse weather have taken place outside that season in recent years.

Climate change has also increased the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

In May, at least 67 people died after heavy rains caused flash floods in West Sumatra, pushing a mixture of ash, sand, and pebbles from the eruption of Mount Marapi into residential areas.



Trump Reposts Suggestion that Rubio become Next Cuba Leader

Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, US November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, US November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/
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Trump Reposts Suggestion that Rubio become Next Cuba Leader

Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, US November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) react during campaign event at Dorton Arena, in Raleigh, North Carolina, US November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/

President Donald Trump reposted a social media message on Sunday suggesting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, born to Cuban immigrant parents, would become the next leader of Cuba.

Trump republished on his Truth Social platform a message from X user Cliff Smith on January 8 that read: "Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba," accompanied by a crying laughing emoji, AFP reported.

"Sounds good to me!" Trump commented in his repost.

The largely unknown user, whose bio refers to him as a "conservative Californian," has less than 500 followers on X.

Trump's repost comes a week after US forces seized Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation in Caracas that killed dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security forces.

Cuba's communist government has yet to directly respond to the US president's provocative suggestion that an American citizen could rule the island.

But shortly after Trump's post, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez insisted "right and justice are on Cuba's side."

The United States "behaves like an out-of-control criminal hegemon that threatens peace and security, not only in Cuba and this hemisphere, but throughout the entire world," Rodriguez posted on X.


UK's Former US Envoy Apologizes to Epstein's Victims, Not for His Own Ties

British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss Israel-Iran conflict, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo
British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss Israel-Iran conflict, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo
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UK's Former US Envoy Apologizes to Epstein's Victims, Not for His Own Ties

British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss Israel-Iran conflict, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo
British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson walks on the day British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss Israel-Iran conflict, in London, Britain, June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo

Britain's former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed over his links to Jeffrey Epstein last year, apologized on Sunday ​to the victims of the late convicted sex offender but not for his own actions.

Mandelson was fired in September over emails that came to light revealing a much closer relationship than previously acknowledged. The veteran British politician called Epstein "my best pal" and had advised him on seeking early jail release.

"I want to apologize to ‌those women ‌for a system that refused to ‌hear ⁠their ​voices and ‌did not give them the protection they were entitled to expect," Mandelson told the BBC broadcaster when asked if he wanted to say sorry for his links, Reuters reported.

Mandelson said he would only apologize for his own ties if he had known about Epstein's actions or been complicit.

"I was not ⁠culpable, I was not knowledgeable of what he was doing," he said.

"I ‌believed his story and that of ‍his lawyer, who spent ‍a lot of time trying to persuade me of ‍this ... that he had been falsely criminalized in his contact with these young women. Now I wish I had not believed that story."

Britain's government said at the time of Mandelson's dismissal that ​the depth of his ties to Epstein appeared "materially different" from what was known at the ⁠time of his appointment.

It has since named Christian Turner as its next ambassador to the US in a pivotal moment for transatlantic ties.

"Do you really think that if I knew what was going on and what he was doing with and to these vulnerable young women that I'd have just sat back, ignored it and moved on?", Mandelson added in the interview, describing Epstein as an "evil monster".

Mandelson also said he believed that, as a gay man in Epstein's ‌circle, he was "kept separate from what he was doing in the sexual side of his life".


German FM Puts Emphasis on Close Ties before US Trip

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attends a press conference in Beijing, China December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attends a press conference in Beijing, China December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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German FM Puts Emphasis on Close Ties before US Trip

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attends a press conference in Beijing, China December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attends a press conference in Beijing, China December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized the importance of transatlantic relations on Sunday as he ​left for a trip to Washington that takes place at a delicate time due to tensions over US interests in Greenland and Venezuela.

"Never before has it been so crucial to ‌invest in ‌the transatlantic partnership in ‌order ⁠to ​remain ‌capable of shaping the world order," Wadephul said in Berlin before his departure.

He said he would address what he called "differences of opinions" between Germany and the United States during ⁠a meeting on Monday with US Secretary ‌of State Marco Rubio.

"Where ‍there are ‍differences of opinion, we want ‍to address these differences through dialogue in order to fulfil our shared responsibility for peace and security," Wadephul said.

On ​his way to Washington, Wadephul plans to stop over in Iceland ⁠on Sunday, where a meeting on Arctic security is scheduled with his Icelandic counterpart in Reykjavik.

Later on Monday, he also plans to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"For Germany, reliability as an international partner clearly includes a commitment to international law and international cooperation," he said, ‌referring to the United Nations.