On Saturday morning, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's Java Island. The death toll has reached 5136, and UNICEF believe some 20,000 are injured and more than 130,000 homeless. Hospitals are struggling to cope with the numbers of injured and everyone is keeping an eye on the volcano Mount Merapi, whcih is sporadically emitting hot lava and highly toxic hot gas.

In Timor-Leste (East Timor), political unrest has led to violence between feuding army, police units, and gangs of youth. Seven years ago, Timor-Leste voted for independence and this led to militia violence and a UN presence in the soon-to-be state. In the last few months, the UN has been discussing finally removing the remnants of their presence there. Now Timor-Leste requires a heightened presence of Australian & New Zealand soldiers and for many it looks increasingly like Timor Leste is again where it was 7 years ago.

New Zealand is a tiny country, we have just over 4 million people and we're stuck in the bottom of the Pacific. There's a few maps that ignore New Zealand completely by cutting us off the edge. The thing I guess I want to show is that New Zealand plays a crucial role in the Pacific and South East Asia and shouldn't be forgotten.

While you're busy doing whatever you're doing today, spare a thought for those stuck in Dili and Yogyakarta. Aid agencies are currently scaling up their operations in Yogyakarta and would appreciate any donations you can give.