Javanese Can't Stop the Mud

No reports of damage yet from 6.7-magnitude temblor

(AP) - A strong earthquake hit off Indonesia's main island of Java Monday, prompting authorities to briefly issue a tsunami warning and sending thousands of residents fleeing their homes in panic. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the 6.7-magnitude quake, which struck shortly after 3am local time. The US Geological Survey said the temblor was centered about 200 miles off southern Java, just 15 miles beneath the ocean floor. More»

Thousands flee erupting Java volcano

(NEWSER) - Twin disasters caused by activity in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" have killed at least 130 people in Indonesia. A tsunami triggered by an earthquake has killed more than 100 in an island chain west of Sumatra. Hundreds more villagers are missing. On the island of Java, the Mount Merapi volcano erupted just before dusk yesterday, killing at least 18 people and forcing thousand more to flee, the AP reports. More»

At least 6 killed at tea plantation

(NEWSER) - A landslide at a tea plantation in Java has killed at least 5 people and left 60 others buried, according to police on Indonesia's main island. Villagers are digging through tons of mud with farm tools and their bare hands searching for survivors, the AP reports. Days of heavy rain have soaked the area south of Jakarta, leaving roads impassable. More»

This time, it's really him—they have fingerprints to prove it

(NEWSER) - Indonesian police say they’ve killed their most-wanted terrorist, Noordin Muhamed Top, and this time, they’re really sure. The last time they declared Noordin dead, after an August raid in Central Java, they later admitted he had actually escaped. But this time they say they’ve done a fingerprint match on the body to ensure it is him, the BBC reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Indonesian security forces have confirmed the death of the country's most wanted terrorist, ABC reports. Noordin Top, believed to have masterminded every terror attack in the country since 2002, including that year's Bali bombings and last month's Jakarta hotel bombings, was found dead after a 17-hour standoff and gun battle with police at a house in a remote part of Java. More»