Connect with us

Published

on

Indonesia and Thailand are marking 20 years since a tsunami caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people in one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

People started gathering in prayer today and visiting mass graves in Aceh, one of the worst-hit areas by the Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami which saw an estimated 230,000 people killed across a dozen countries.

The tsunami was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake that struck off the west coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia, at 7.59am local time on 26 December 2004.

Indonesia was the country with highest number of deaths, but India, Sri Lanka and Thailand were also badly hit.

People gather to commemorate the victims of a tsunami that hit Indonesia's province of Aceh 20 years ago
Image:
People remember the victims of the tsunami in Indonesia’s Aceh

Many wept openly at the mass grave in Ulee Lheue village, where more than 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims are buried. It is one of several mass graves in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s northernmost province.

Footage showed people visiting a mass grave in Siron to remember the victims of an event that shocked the world.

People gather to commemorate victims of tsunami in Thailand on 20th anniversary
Image:
People gather to mark the anniversary in Thailand

People gather to commemorate victims of tsunami in Thailand on 20th anniversary

In Thailand, people gathered in Phang Nga province to honour the victims and those affected.

More on Indonesia

To mark the 20th anniversary of the disaster, Sky News has spoken to people who survived the tsunami, one of whom lost his brother to the huge waves while they holidayed together in Thailand.

In Aceh, the tsunami reached 167ft (51m) high, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and caused flooding up to three miles (5km) inland.

The infrastructure in Aceh has been rebuilt and is now more resilient than 20 years ago.

Early warning systems have been installed in coastal areas to alert residents of potential tsunamis, providing crucial time to seek safety.

A coast guard ship that was carried about five kilometres inland to the city centre of Banda Aceh during the tsunami. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A coast guard ship that was carried about 5km inland to the city centre of Banda Aceh during the tsunami. Pic: Reuters

The rebuilding efforts were made possible by the support of international donors and organisations, who contributed significant funds to help the region recover.

Schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure that were destroyed by the disaster have been reconstructed with enhanced strength and durability, ensuring better preparedness for future challenges.

Read more from Sky News:
‘Revealing my ADHD was the best thing’
Candid King opens up about anxieties of illness

Various communities in Aceh commemorate the tsunami yearly along with the government and local authorities.

In Banda Aceh, art communities in early December spread disaster awareness through theatrical or musical performances that can be easier for people to follow and target all groups, including those born after the tsunami.

Continue Reading

World

Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

Published

on

By

Thousands defy ban to join Pride march in Budapest

If Hungary’s authorities thought banning this year’s Pride march would keep people off the streets, they were wrong.

Thousands turned out in Budapest, defying a law which said LGBTQ+ events like this should be cancelled to protect children.

The crowd was determined to fight for their rights.

People hold a six-colour rainbow banner during the Budapest Pride March in Budapest, Hungary, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Image:
Rainbow flags were on display everywhere as people celebrated Pride. Pic: Reuters


People cross Elisabeth Bridge during the Budapest Pride March in Budapest, Hungary, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Image:
Huge crowds crossed the Elisabeth Bridge over the Danube. Pic: Reuters

“This is a special march, not just because it was the 30th, but also because it was banned,” said Orsi, who proudly wore a rainbow headband and waved a rainbow flag.

“I mean that’s all the more reason to go out on the street and show that Budapest and Hungary is a place where everybody is welcome, where love is equal,” she added.

Orsi - speaking at a pride march in Budapest, Hungary
Image:
Orsi told Sky News that it was a special march and worth the risk of being fined

Attendees had been warned that just being there could mean a 500 euro fine or prison time for the organisers.

They were told police would use facial recognition cameras to identify them, but they didn’t care.

More on Hungary

Orsi said it was worth a fine.

Leonas had travelled from Poland to show his support and was also happy to take the risk.

“LGBT rights are attacked across the whole world, and we need to defend each other and work with each other,” he said.

Leonas who had travelled from Poland to join at a pride march in Budapest, Hungary.
Image:
Leonas from Poland felt it was important to defend LGBTQ+ rights

Viktor Orban’s government has repeatedly pitched family values against LGBTQ+ rights.

“The mother is a woman, the father is a man and leave our kids alone,” he told conservative audiences in the past.

He says he is protecting Hungary’s Christian values, but critics say this is just part of a wider attack on democracy which has happened during his 15 years in control.

The Pride ban is just the latest targeting of LGBTQ+ communities.

A participant in the Pride march cheers in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Rudolf Karancsi)
Image:
Budapest was transformed into a sea of bright colours, as marchers defied a ban. Pic: AP

People attend the Budapest Pride March in Budapest, Hungary, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Lisa Leutner
Image:
Pic: Reuters

In 2020, the country abolished its legal recognition of transgender people, and in 2021, politicians passed a law banning the depiction of homosexuality to under-18s.

While many were outraged by the attempt to cancel the Pride march, a small number of far-right activists organised demonstrations to show their support:

“Hungary and the Hungarian nation don’t want the aggressive LGBTQ+ propaganda. They are dangerous for our families, they are dangerous for our kids,” said Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement.

Gabor Kelemen, a member of the 64 Counties Youth Movement - speaking at a pride march in Budapest, Hungary.
Image:
Gabor Kelemen, from a far-right group, thinks Pride represents LGBTQ+ propaganda that is ‘dangerous for our families’


However, the packed streets showed many disagree.

At one point, as far as the eye could see, the march snaked through streets and across the city’s bridges. The sound of drums and whistles mixing with gay anthems blaring out of speakers.

The organisers said they believed this will be the largest Pride march ever in Budapest.

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Read more from Sky News:
Tom Daley says LGBT rights ‘threatened’
Thailand legalises same-sex marriage
Pride celebrations in New Delhi

The crowd was eclectic, with Hungarians from different communities joining a demonstration which many believe is now part of a fight for Hungary’s future.

“This is not only about the complexity of Pride, not only about love or equality… for Hungarians, it’s about sticking together, supporting each other, showing the government that we believe in a different kind of Hungary. We believe in freedom, we believe in democracy,” said activist Adam Kanicsar.

activist Adam Kanicsar speaking at a pride march in Budapest, Hungary
Image:
Activist Adam Kanicsar believes the Pride march will send an important message to Hungary’s government

Despite the ban, today Pride attendees were celebrating a victory. But make no mistake, many in Hungary do not support the parade or what they see as an attack on traditional values.

Next year, the country will hold a general election, a vote which will expose how divided Hungary really is.

Continue Reading

World

Chants of ‘death to America’ at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Published

on

By

Chants of 'death to America' at funeral for Iranian military commanders and scientists

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to mourn top military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Iran’s 12-day war with Israel.

State-run Press TV said the event – dubbed the “funeral procession of the Martyrs of Power” – was held for 60 people, including four women and four children.

It said at least 16 scientists and 10 senior commanders were among the dead, including head of the Revolutionary Guard General Hossein Salami and the head of the guard’s ballistic missile programme, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Mourners dressed in black. Pic: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters
Image:
Pic: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters

People attend the funeral procession. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Their coffins were driven to Azadi Square on trucks adorned with their pictures as well as rose petals and flowers, as crowds waved Iranian flags.

Chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” could be heard.

Attending the funeral were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior figures, including Ali Shamkhani who was seriously wounded during the fighting and is an adviser to Iran‘s supreme leader.

There was no immediate sign of the supreme leader in the state broadcast of the funeral.

The funeral procession in Tehran of Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi covers his face and kneels in front of a coffin. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi kneels in front of a coffin. Pic: Reuters

Iran’s president later thanked people for turning out.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you dear people,” Mr Pezeshkian wrote on social media.

“With love, you bid farewell to the martyrs of our homeland, and our voice of unity reached the ears of the world.”

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called the deaths “hard and painful”.

Seemingly referencing the recent airstrikes, he added: “Institutions and structures, however important and valuable, return with new glory and greater strength over time, even if it takes years.”

A woman holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as she attends the funeral procession in Tehran.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
A woman holds a picture of Iran’s supreme leader. Pic: Reuters

Israel, the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons, said its attacks on Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.

The US joined in by launching strikes on three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, which Donald Trump said left them “obliterated”, however the exact extent of the damage remains unclear.

Iran denies having a nuclear weapons programme and the UN nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has “no credible indication” of an active, coordinated weapons project.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

New details on US attacks on Iran

Over almost two weeks of fighting, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, before a ceasefire began on Tuesday.

Read more from Sky News:
Truth about airstrikes on Iran lies deep underground
Fury of helicopter crash victim’s son over documents ‘sealed for 100 years’

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

According to Iranian health ministry figures, 610 people were killed, 13 of whom were children and 49 were women.

Israel’s health ministry said 28 people were killed there in Iranian attacks – with 3,238 injured.

Continue Reading

World

England vs Germany: Euro U21 final live updates

Published

on

By

Continue Reading

Trending