JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A predawn landslide triggered by torrential rains on Indonesia’s main island of Java killed at least eight people on Saturday and left 82 missing as rescuers struggled through deep mud, searching for survivors.
Days of torrential rains had caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through Pasir Langu village in West Bandung district of West Java province. Mud, rocks and trees tumbled down mountainside hamlets, burying some 34 houses.
Rescuers were searching for the 82 residents feared buried under heaps of mud and debris, while 24 people managed to escape the disaster, said spokesperson Abdul Muhari of the National Disaster Management Agency.
Some eight bodies were pulled out in the worst-hit hamlet of Pasir Kuning after the 3 a.m. landslide swept away homes and people.
Television stations broadcast footage of workers and residents digging desperately in Pasir Langu, where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud as the village was covered with thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees.
"Unstable soil and heavy rain continue to complicate search and rescue operations,” said Teten Ali Mungku Engkun, who heads the West Java's Disaster Management Office.
He said local authorities rapidly assessed the damage and deployed emergency response teams immediately after the landslide. Families living within 100 meters (yards) of the landslide zone were evacuated due to fears of further slope failures.
Authorities urged residents in landslide‑prone areas to remain vigilant and evacuate immediately if they hear rumbling sounds, see soil movement or believe conditions are unsafe.
In December, catastrophic floods and landslide struck Sumatra, Indonesia’s largest island, killing at least 1,200 people and injuring more than 7,000, the National Disaster Management Agency said.
Seasonal rains and high tides from about October to April frequently cause flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.
Last January, more than 20 people were killed after being swept away in floods and landslides after torrential rains in Central Java province.
In this photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), an aerial shot taken using a drone shows an area affected by landslides in Pasir Langu village, in West Bandung district of West Java province, Indonesia, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (BASARNAS via AP)
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.
Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.
Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.
Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.
Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.
Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."
Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.
Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."
Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”
Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.
The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.
Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)
