KOTA KINABALU, Nov 11 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued an advisory regarding the strong tropical storm (Fung-Wong), which was detected at 8am at latitude 19.8° north and longitude 117.9° east, approximately 335 kilometres north-west of Laoag City, Philippines.

In a statement, MetMalaysia’s National Weather and Earthquake Operations Centre reported that the storm is currently moving towards the north-west at a speed of 15km/h, with maximum wind speeds of 111km/h.

MetMalaysia also noted that the storm is located approximately 1,439 km north-east of Kudat, Sabah. “The conditions may cause strong winds and rough seas in the South China Sea,” the statement added.

During its impact on the Philippines, Fung-Wong caused 18 fatalities and forced 1.4 million people to evacuate. — Bernama 

PETALING JAYA – Jabatan Meteorologi (MetMalaysia) pagi ini mengeluarkan amaran ribut petir di lapan buah negeri.

MetMalaysia dalam satu hantaran berkata, amaran itu dikeluarkan susulan hujan lebat dan angin kencang yang dijangka berlaku hingga 1 tengah hari nanti.

“Ribut petir, hujan lebat dan angin kencang dijangka berlaku di Kedah di Langkawi dan Perak melibatkan Larut, Matang Dan Selama, Kuala Kangsar, Hilir Perak, Batang Padang dan Muallim.

“Cuaca sama juga dijangka berlaku di Terengganu melibatkan daerah Marang, Dungun dan Kemaman manakala Pahang melibatkan Rompin,” katanya.

Sementara itu, amaran ribut petir itu juga turut dijangka di Selangor melibatkan Sabak Bernam dan Johor di Tangkak, Muar, Batu Pahat, Mersing dan Pontian.

Selain itu, cuaca buruk dijangka melanda Sarawak di Mukah (Daro, Matu, Dalat dan Mukah) dan Miri (Telang Usan) manakala di Sabah di Pedalaman (Nabawan dan Keningau) dan Tawau (Tawau dan Semporna). – KOSMO! ONLINE

ISABELA (Philippines), Nov 10 — One of the year’s most powerful storms in the Philippines, Super Typhoon Fung-wong has killed four people, authorities said today, as they began assessing damage after its fury abated, though no reports of major destruction have flowed in yet.

More than a million people were evacuated before Fung-wong hit land yesterday, unleashing fierce howling winds, heavy rain and storm swells on the most populous island of Luzon that left some sleepless through the night.

“We could not sleep because of the winds hitting our metal sheets and tree branches falling,” said Romeo Mariano, who sheltered with his grandmother in their home in the province of Isabela.

“When we got out to check our home, we saw the damage.”

Early indications suggest the tally of dead “will be minimal,” however, civil defence senior official Raffy Alejandro told a media briefing.

A mudslide buried a house to kill two children in the northern town of Kayapa in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, regional civil defence official Alvin Ayson said by telephone.

They followed two deaths from drowning and fallen debris.

Landslides also isolated at least four towns in the province of Aurora, where Fung-wong made landfall, Alejandro added.

Forecast to shift northeast to Taiwan, Fung-wong was packing winds today whose speeds had dropped to between 130kph and 160kph, but it remained a typhoon, whose outer bands could dump rain in coastal areas and trigger storm surges.

The storm is the 21st this year in the Philippines, coming after Typhoon Kalmaegi killed 224 last week, with five dead in Vietnam. — Reuters

KURIGRAM (Bangladesh), Nov 10 — On an overcast morning, Nurun Nabi loads bamboo poles and tin sheets onto a wooden boat. His home, built just a year ago on a fragile island in the Brahmaputra River, is on the verge of being swallowed by water.

It is the second time the farmer and father of four has had to move in a year.

“The river is coming closer every day,” Nabi said, his voice tight with exhaustion. “We are born to suffer. Our struggle is never-ending. I’ve lost count of how many times the river took my home.”

Nabi, 50, has no choice but to move to another char — a temporary island formed by river sediment. His rice and lentil fields are already gone, claimed by the advancing current of the Brahmaputra, which originates in the Himalayas and flows through China and India before reaching Bangladesh.

“I don’t know what awaits us there in the new home,” he said, looking towards the wide brown river. “If I’m lucky, maybe a few years. If not, maybe a month. This is our life.”

Every year, hundreds of families in northern Bangladesh’s Kurigram district face the same fate. As riverbanks collapse, people lose not only their homes but also their land, crops, and livestock. The Brahmaputra, Teesta, and Dharla rivers — once lifelines for millions — have become unpredictable, eroding land faster than ever before.

The chars — sandy, shifting islands scattered across the country’s northern plains — are among the most fragile places in Bangladesh. Families rebuild again and again, only for the river to take everything they have.

“The water comes without warning,” said Habibur Rahman, a 70-year-old farmer who has lived on several chars. “You go to sleep at night, and by dawn, the riverbank has moved. You wake up homeless. There is no peace in our life.”

As the world’s eyes turn to Brazil, the host of the UN climate summit from November 10 to 21, Bangladesh’s struggle offers a sobering message for global leaders. The country is often praised as a model of resilience — building embankments, improving flood forecasting, and pioneering community-based adaptation. But without stronger international support and climate finance, those efforts will fall short.

“People here are paying the price for emissions they never made,” said Ainun Nishat, a water resource and climate change specialist. “If COP30 means anything, it must deliver real funding for loss and damage and help vulnerable nations like ours protect lives and land before it’s too late.”

Climate change made visible

Scientists say what is happening in Kurigram is climate change made visible, as the melting of the Himalayan glaciers that feed the Brahmaputra and Teesta rivers accelerates.

“We are seeing rapid glacial melt, almost double the rate of the 1990s. Extra water is flowing downstream, adding to already swollen rivers,” said Nishat, the climate change specialist.

At the same time, the monsoon has grown more erratic — arriving earlier, lasting longer, and falling in intense, sudden bursts. “The rhythm of the seasons has changed,” Nishat said. “When it rains, it rains too much, and when it stops, there are often droughts. This instability is making erosion and floods far worse.”

He added that Bangladesh contributes less than half a per cent of global carbon emissions, yet suffers some of the most serious consequences of climate change.

The World Bank estimates one in every seven Bangladeshis could be displaced by climate-related disasters by 2050.

For Kosim Uddin, 50, a father of seven, moving has become routine. “In my life, the river has taken my home 30 or 35 times—maybe more,” he said.

“Every time we rebuild, the river comes again,” Uddin said, his eyes fixed on the water. “But where can we go? The whole world is water now.”

Women carry much of the burden of the constant displacement. Shahina Begum, 30, a mother of two, recalled standing in waist-deep water as she cooked for her family during floods last year. “We moved six times in 10 years,” she said. “Every time we start again, the river takes it back.”

For Shahina, each move brings new hardships. “It is even more difficult for women and adolescent girls,” she said. “We have to find dry ground, cook, take care of children — and there is no privacy or safety.”

Building for survival

On Kheyar Alga Char, about 300 families have managed to stay put for three years after local groups installed geobags — large sand-filled sacks that strengthen riverbanks against erosion.

“Geobags have made a huge difference,” said Johurul Islam, 39, who lost his home more than 10 times before settling here. “For the last three years, the river didn’t take our land. For the first time, I feel a little confident about the future.”

Local NGOs are also helping to build raised villages — clusters of homes elevated above the ground to withstand seasonal floods.

Standing by the riverbank that has held firm for three years, Islam struck a note of cautious optimism.

“Maybe the river will come again one day,” he said, smiling faintly. Around him, children played on solid ground, their laughter carried by the evening wind. “This time, we’ll be ready. For now, the land is holding — and so are we.” — Reuters