- Angry French cognac makers see red over Chinese tariffs threat
- Protect the prosciutto: Italy battles swine fever
- UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises
- Marxist leader set to become Sri Lanka's next president
- From blades to pull-up bars: UK charity tackles knife crime
- Swiss vote on pensions and environment protections
- No pain, no gain: Chinese pro wrestlers fight for recognition
- UAE leader seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties in US visit during Mideast crisis
- Hezbollah takes heavy hits but still fighting Israel
- Floods, landslides hit central Japan months after major quake
- All Blacks coach Robertson demands better finishing
- Argentina edge South Africa to keep title hopes alive
- Biden says China 'testing us,' in hot mic remarks to Quad allies
- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
- Alcaraz fears tennis tour grind will 'kill us'
- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
- Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 384
- Chelsea owners 'happy' with win at West Ham amid rift report
Floods, landslides hit central Japan months after major quake
Heavy rain lashed central Japan on Sunday, with floods and landslides leaving one dead and at least six missing in an area already devastated by a major earthquake earlier this year.
Muddy rivers ran high in Anamizu, a city on the Noto Peninsula, where damage from the January quake that killed at least 318 people is still visible, AFP reporters said.
Authorities on Saturday had urged tens of thousands to evacuate, calling the rains "unprecedented" as the weather agency issued an emergency warning for the area that remained in place on Sunday.
Landslides blocked roads and widespread flooding affected homes -- including eight temporary housing complexes in Wajima and Suzu where victims of the magnitude-7.5 earthquake on January 1 are residing.
Military personnel have been sent to the Ishikawa region on the Sea of Japan coast to join rescue workers, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Saturday.
Some 6,000 households were without power and an unknown number were without running water, the Ishikawa regional government said.
In Anamizu, more rain fell Sunday onto quake-damaged houses and the shattered stone columns of a shrine still lying on the ground months after they were toppled.
A message blared from the city's loudspeaker disaster prevention system warning residents that the rain could flood the sewer system and dirty water could rise up.
Hideaki Sato, 74, stood on a bridge holding a small blue umbrella, anxiously looking at the swollen water of a small canal.
"My house was flattened completely in the quake," he told AFP.
"I now live in a small apartment room right there," he said, pointing at a wooden structure behind him. "If this floods, it would be a real problem."
- 'Secure your safety' -
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed the government "to do its best in disaster management, with saving people's lives as the first priority", according to Hayashi.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.
The areas under the emergency warning saw "heavy rain of unprecedented levels", JMA forecaster Satoshi Sugimoto told reporters Saturday, adding "it is a situation in which you have to secure your safety immediately".
More than 120 millimetres (4.7 inches) of rainfall per hour were recorded in the city of Wajima on Saturday morning -- the heaviest rain since comparable data became available in 1929.
Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed an entire street submerged in Wajima, one of the areas hardest hit by the huge New Year's Day quake, which toppled buildings, ripped up roads and sparked a major fire.
As of Sunday morning, one person had been killed, three were missing and two were seriously injured in Ishikawa, the fire and disaster management agency said.
At least a dozen rivers burst their banks and two of the missing were reportedly carried away by strong currents.
Another three people were missing who had been working for the land ministry to restore a road in Wajima, local ministry official Yoshiyuki Tokuhashi told AFP.
One worker who had been reported missing "walked to the tunnel" near the landslide where 26 others were taking shelter, Tokuhashi said, adding that all 27 workers had now been evacuated to safety.
"Rescue work was planned to start at 5 am this morning, then it was suspended due to heavy rain, but is scheduled to resume at around 11 am," he said.
Municipalities in Ishikawa told 75,000 residents in the region -- including in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, as well as Noto town -- to evacuate, officials said.
Another 16,800 residents in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures north of Ishikawa were also told to evacuate, the fire and disaster management agency said.
G.Stevens--AMWN