Lumajang, Indonesia (AFP) Rescuers evacuated more people Monday from nearby villages after the eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru, with officials warning of danger from cooling lava despite less activity from the volcano. More than 2,400 villagers have now fled their homes and taken shelter in 11 evacuation centres after the highest mountain on the country’s main island of Java erupted early morning Sunday. “The military, police, local disaster and village officials keep evacuating people […]
International
North Korea fires artillery barrage into buffer zone: Seoul
Seoul, South Korea (AFP) North Korea fired a barrage of artillery shells into a maritime buffer zone on Monday, Seoul’s military said, the latest in a series of launches by an increasingly belligerent Pyongyang. About 130 artillery rounds were simultaneously fired at 14:59 pm (0559 GMT) from two separate sites, one on North Korea’s east coast and one on the west coasts, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Seoul’s military said the […]
Meet the Spanish twin chefs who earned a third Michelin star
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – When they were just eight years old, Spanish twins Sergio and Javier Torres set a goal: they wanted to become chefs who were among the top in their field. To achieve this they strategically split up to get training in different esteemed kitchens around the world, published books on cooking and presented a popular TV show. The plan worked. Over four decades after they surprised their family by saying they wanted to […]
2022: a year of living dangerously
by Emilie BICKERTON Agence France Presse Paris, France (AFP) — From the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the overturning of abortion laws in the United States, here is a roundup of the biggest events to mark 2022. – War in Ukraine – Russian President Vladimir Putin launches the biggest invasion in Europe since World War II when he sends troops into Ukraine on February 24 to “demilitarise and de-Nazify” the country, causing millions of Ukrainians […]
Chinese cities relax testing rules as zero-Covid policy eases
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Businesses reopened and testing requirements were relaxed in Beijing and other Chinese cities on Monday as the country tentatively eases out of a strict zero-Covid policy that sparked nationwide protests. Local authorities across China have begun a slow rollback of the restrictions that have governed daily life for years, encouraged by the central government’s orders for a new approach to fighting the coronavirus. In the capital Beijing, where many businesses have […]
Russian oil price cap put to the test
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – The price cap on Russian oil agreed by the EU, G7 and Australia is set to come into force on Monday. It aims to restrict Russia’s revenue while making sure Moscow keeps supplying the global market. – Embargo and cap – The cap is due to take effect alongside an EU embargo on maritime deliveries of Russian crude oil, which comes several months after an embargo imposed by the United States and […]
Moroccans protest price hikes and ‘repression’
Rabat, Morocco (AFP) – Protesters turned out in force to march in Morocco’s capital Rabat Sunday to denounce the “high cost of living and repression”, amid surging inflation and rising social discontent. “The people want lower prices… The people want to eliminate despotism and corruption,” chanted the crowd, estimated by journalists to be around 3,000 people, the largest such rally in recent months. Police put the turnout at between 1,200 and 1,500 people. “We came to protest […]
Flash flood kills 14 at Johannesburg church ritual
Johannesburg, South Africa (AFP) Flash flooding that followed heavy rains has killed at least 14 people taking part in religious rituals in Johannesburg, with others still missing, emergency services said Sunday. A group of 33 worshippers had joined church rituals on the banks of the Jukskei river when the flooding struck on Saturday, said Robert Mulaudzi, spokesman for the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services. An earlier toll of nine dead rose after the discovery […]
Gunmen kidnap worshippers in Nigeria mosque attack
Kano, Nigeria (AFP) Gunmen abducted 19 Muslim worshippers after attacking a mosque in the restive northwest of Nigeria, police said Sunday. The attackers stormed the mosque in Maigamji village, in Katsina state, during evening prayers Saturday and carried out the kidnappings after shooting and wounding the imam and another worshipper, said local police spokesman Gambo Isah. “Our men mobilised and went after the bandits and succeeded in rescuing six of the worshippers from their […]
US navy says seizes ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen
Manama, Bahrain (AFP) The US Navy said Saturday it had seized one million rounds of ammunition along with rocket fuses and propellant being smuggled on a fishing trawler from Iran to war-torn Yemen. The cargo was discovered on Thursday “during a flag verification boarding”, the Bahrain-based United States Fifth Fleet said in a statement, noting it was the “second major illegal weapons seizure within a month” along the maritime route. “This significant interdiction clearly shows […]
South Korea’s ex-national security chief arrested over border killing
Seoul, South Korea (AFP) South Korea on Saturday arrested a former national security chief on suspicion of covering up events surrounding the 2020 murder of a fisheries official by Pyongyang. President Yoon Suk-yeol is expanding an inquiry into the highly politicised case following accusations that his predecessor mishandled the probe to curry favour with North Korea. Suh Hoon is the first top official from the presidential office of former leader Moon Jae-in to be arrested over […]
Ukraine detains 8 over Banksy mural theft
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Ukraine has detained eight people over the theft from a wall in the Kyiv suburbs of a mural painted by elusive British street artist Banksy, the authorities said. The stencil image of a person in a nightgown and gas mask holding a fire extinguisher next to the charred remains of a window in the town of Gostomel went missing on Friday, they said. “A group of people tried to steal a Banksy […]





