More people are evacuated after dramatic eruption of an Indonesian volcano

More people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island were evacuated on Friday due to the dangers of spreading ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.

An international airport in Manado city, which is located less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the erupting Mount Ruang, is still temporarily closed as volcanic ash was spewed into the air.

Satellite imagery from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency showed that the ash has spread to the west, northwest, northeast and southeast, covering Manado and North Minahasa, according to a statement from Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry.

“We are still monitoring developments in the eruption of Mount Ruang and coordinating with relevant stakeholders … to anticipate the necessary actions to ensure flight safety, security and comfort,” said Ambar Suryoko, head of the regional airport authority.

More than 11,000 people were told to leave their homes and at least 1,000 have done so. A joint team from the local authorities is still combing the villages surrounding the volcano and evacuating the residents to safer areas by boat.

Officials worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami, as happened in an eruption there in 1871 eruption.

Houses, roads and other buildings in the affected areas were covered by gray volcanic ash. Many house roofs were also broken by the materials spewed from the eruption.

Mount Ruang saw at least five large eruptions Wednesday, causing the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation to issue its highest level of alert. People were ordered to stay at least 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the 725-meter (2,378-foot) mountain.

The observation from the agency on Friday said that white smoke is rising from the main crater with medium to thick intensity.

Tagulandang Island, east of the volcano, could be at risk if a collapse occurred. Its residents were among those being told to evacuate. Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents will be relocated to Manado, a journey of six hours by boat.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

 

Elon Musk postpones India visit, citing Tesla obligation 

Elon Musk has postponed his planned trip to India, citing “very heavy” obligations at Tesla.

The Tesla CEO was due to arrive in India next week for a visit that was expected to include a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and confirmation that Tesla will build a factory in the world’s most populous country.

“Unfortunately, very heavy Tesla obligations require that the visit to India be delayed, but I do very much look forward to visiting later this year,” Musk posted on X on Saturday.

Musk posted last week on X that he was “looking forward” to meeting Modi.

He was also planning to meet leaders of Indian space tech startups during his visit, including Pawan Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, which launched India’s first privately developed rocket in 2022. Apart from Tesla (TSLA), Musk is also the boss of rocket company SpaceX and X, formerly Twitter.

Currently the world’s fourth-richest man, Musk was expected to announce an investment of $2 billion to $3 billion in India, mainly for building the new Tesla factory, Reuters and the Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources.

His trip was originally scheduled just days after India commenced the world’s largest democratic election. An estimated 960 million people in the country of 1.4 billion are eligible to vote in the poll, which started on Friday and will take more than a month to complete. Modi is widely expected to clinch a rare third consecutive five-year term as prime minister.

 

Nigerian chess champion breaks record after playing nonstop for 58 hours

A Nigerian chess champion has broken the record for the longest chess marathon after playing the game nonstop for 58 hours.

Tunde Onakoya, 29, hopes to raise $1m for children’s education across Africa from the world record attempt, which took place in Times Square in New York.

He hit 58 hours in the early hours of Saturday, beating the current chess marathon record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds, which was achieved in 2018 by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, both from Norway.

He played against Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, in line with Guinness World Record guidelines that any attempt to break the record must be made by two players who would play continuously for the entire duration.

The Guinness World Records organisation has yet to publicly comment on Onakoya’s attempt. It sometimes takes weeks for the organisation to confirm any new record.

Onakoya, who in 2018 founded Chess in Slums Africa, said the record attempt was “for the dreams of millions of children across Africa without access to education”. His organisation wants to support the education of at least 1 million children in slums across the continent.

“My energy is at 100% right now because my people are here supporting me with music,” Onakoya said on Thursday evening after the players had crossed the 24-hour mark.

A total of $22,000 was raised within the first 20 hours of the attempt, said Taiwo Adeyemi, Onakoya’s manager.

“The support has been overwhelming from Nigerians in the US, global leaders, celebrities and hundreds of passersby,” he said.

Onakoya’s attempt was being closely followed in Nigeria, where he regularly organises chess competitions for young people living on the streets to boost his cause. More than 10 million children are out of school in the west African country – one of the world’s highest rates.

Among those who have publicly supported him are Nigeria’s former vice-president Yemi Osinbajo, who wrote to Onakoya on X: “Remember your own powerful words: ’It is possible to do great things from a small place.’”

Onakoya and his opponent got five minutes’ break for every hour of game played.

Onakoya used the breaks to catch up with Nigerians and New Yorkers cheering him on, where a blend of African music kept onlookers and supporters entertained – even joining in with the dancing sometimes.

 

US House of Representatives on brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel

The House of Representatives is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve 95 billion dollars in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies.

Democrats and Republicans are joining together behind the legislation after a gruelling months-long fight over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion into Ukraine.

Republican House speaker Mike Johnson, putting his job on the line, relied on Democratic support this week to set up a series of votes on three aid bills, as well as a fourth that contains several other foreign policy proposals.

If the votes are successful, the package will go to the Senate, where passage in the coming days is nearly assured. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

Passage through the House would clear away the biggest hurdle to Mr Biden’s funding request, first made in October as Ukraine’s military supplies began to run low. The Republican-controlled House, sceptical of US support for Ukraine, struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance be tied to policy changes at the US-Mexico border, only to immediately reject a bipartisan Senate offer along those very lines.

Reaching an endgame has been an excruciating process for Mr Johnson that has tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly urging his removal from the speaker’s office. Yet congressional leaders cast the votes as a turning point in history – an urgent sacrifice as US allies are beleaguered by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East to Asia.

“The only thing that has kept terrorists and tyrants at bay is the perception of a strong America, that we would stand strong,” Mr Johnson said this week. “And we will. I think that Congress is going to show that. This is a very important message that we are going to send the world.”

Still, Congress has seen a stream of world leaders visit in recent months, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, all but pleading with legislators to approve the aid. Globally, the delay left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.

At stake has also been one of Mr Biden’s top foreign policy priorities – halting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance in Europe. After engaging in quiet talks with Mr Johnson, the president quickly endorsed the speaker’s plan this week, paving the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.

We must confront aggression against democracy and freedom.

Not appease it.

House Democrats will make sure that bipartisan legislation for America’s national security can proceed.

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) April 19, 2024

“It’s long past time that we support our democratic allies in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians who are in harm’s way in theatres of conflict like Gaza, Haiti and the Sudan,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference on Friday.

Voting on the package is likely to create unusual alliances in the House. While aid for Ukraine will likely win a majority in both parties, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the bill aiding Israel as they demand an end to the bombardment of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.

At the same time, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has loomed large over the fight, weighing in from afar via social media statements and direct phone calls with members of Congress as he tilts the Republicans to a more isolationist stance with his “America First” brand of politics. Ukraine’s defence once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a bulk of Republicans oppose further aid.

At one point in the months-long slog to get Ukraine assistance through Congress, Mr Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the bipartisan Senate proposal on border security. This past week, Mr Trump also issued a social media post that questioned why European nations were not giving more money to Ukraine, though he spared Mr Johnson from criticism and said Ukraine’s survival was important.

Still, the House Freedom Caucus has derided the legislation as the “America Last” foreign wars package and urged representatives to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills do not include border security measures.

Mr Johnson’s hold on the speaker’s gavel has also grown more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, supported a “motion to vacate” that can lead to a vote on removing the speaker. A few more were expected to soon join, said Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who is urging Mr Johnson to voluntarily step aside.

The speaker’s office has been working furiously to drum up support for the bill, as well as for Mr Johnson. It arranged a series of press calls in the lead-up to the final votes on the package, first with Jewish leaders, then with Christian groups, to show support for the speaker and the legislation he is bringing to the floor.

Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary under then-president George W Bush, said it was about time the United States “did something to support Israel, fight Vladimir Putin and stand up to China”.

“Coming together like this is a refreshing reminder of the old days when foreign policy had bipartisan support,” he said.

The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats endorse, or at least are willing to accept. Those include proposals that allow the US to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organisations that traffic fentanyl; and legislation to require the China-based owner of the popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.

Still, the all-out push to get the bills through Congress is a reflection not only of politics, but realities on the ground in Ukraine. Top politicians on national security committees, who are privy to classified briefings, have grown gravely concerned about the situation in recent weeks. Russia has increasingly used satellite-guided gliding bombs — which allow planes to drop them from a safe distance — to pummel Ukrainian forces beset by a shortage of troops and ammunition.

“I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten,” Mr Johnson said, adding, “I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed.”

A former ambassador to Ukraine under Mr Bush, John Herbst, said the months-long delay in approving more American assistance has undoubtedly hurt Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.

But it is not yet too late, Mr Herbst added. “The fact that it’s coming now means that disaster has been averted.”

 

Surfer rides 93ft wave off coast of Portugal in unofficial world record

German big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner has surfed what is possibly the biggest wave ever measured at 28.57 metres (93.73ft).

Steudtner’s attempt came off the coast of Nazare , Portugal , two months ago on Saturday 24 February.

The height of the wave was measured using state-of-the-art drone technology developed by Porsche Engineering and Team Steudtner.

Official confirmation of the new record is still pending, according to a press release from Porsche.

The current world record, which Steudtner also set in Nazare in 2020, is 26.21 metres (86.4ft).

 

Pregnant Woman Among Civilians Killed As Ukraine, Russia Trade Strikes

Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Russia in the early hours of Saturday, setting a fuel depot ablaze, officials said, as both sides accused each other of deadly attacks on civilians.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said cross-border Ukrainian attacks left at least three people dead, while a Russian strike killed two in Ukraine’s northeast.

A source in Ukraine’s defence sector told AFP Kyiv targeted eight Russian regions in the “large-scale” drone attack, which was aimed at “energy infrastructure that feeds Russia’s military-industrial complex”.

“At least three electrical substations and a fuel storage base were hit and caught fire,” the source said, calling it a “joint operation” of Ukraine’s SBU security service, army, and military intelligence.

Russia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted 50 Ukrainian drones overnight, some of them hundreds of kilometres from the border, including near the capital Moscow.

Video on social media purportedly showed a large blaze burning at a fuel depot in Russia’s western Smolensk region, an attack that the governor confirmed was caused by drones.

“Air defence forces shot the aerial vehicles down. However, as a result of falling debris, a tank with fuel and lubricants caught fire,” Governor Vasily Anokhin said.

Kyiv has ramped up strikes on Russian oil and gas facilities in recent months, part of what it calls “fair” retaliation on infrastructure used to fuel Russia’s war.

Ukrainian drones left two people in Russia’s Belgorod border region dead, its governor said early Saturday, while shelling later in the day killed a pregnant woman.

A residential building and a barn in the village of Poroz, less than two kilometres (one mile) from the frontier, were “completely burned down”, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Another building was severely damaged.

“As a result of the release of two explosive devices, a private residential building caught fire. Tragically, two civilians died — a woman who was recovering from a fractured femur, and a man who was caring for her,” Gladkov wrote on Telegram.

He later said Ukraine shelled the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka, killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

“Doctors did everything possible to save both mother and child. But to the great grief, the woman and the unborn baby died from their wounds,” he said.

Ukraine meanwhile said Russia launched strikes at residential buildings in the northeastern city of Vovchansk, killing two people and injuring two others.

“A direct hit was recorded on a nine-storey residential building. A woman and a man were injured. Both victims are 61 years old. At other addresses, two men aged 50 and 84 died as a result of shelling in the city,” regional prosecutors said.

The region’s governor, Oleg Sinegubov, shared a photo showing a pile of rubble next to the collapsed section of a multi-storey residential block.

Russia fired at least seven missiles at Ukraine overnight, two of which were shot down by air defences, Ukraine’s air force said.

Ukraine has in recent months pleaded for more air defences from its Western allies as it struggles to fend off a surge in deadly attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The strike on its northeast comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO to quickly deliver more aid to help his struggling forces, which have ceded ground to Russia in recent months.

“This year, we can’t wait for decisions to be made,” he told NATO defence ministers.

“We need seven more Patriots or similar air defence systems — and it’s a minimum number. They can save many lives and really change the situation,” Zelensky said.

 

About 1,300 people flee Myanmar to Thailand amid clashes at border town

The latest clashes were triggered when Karen guerillas launched an attack against Myanmar troops who were hiding near the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge.

About 1,300 people have fled from eastern Myanmar into Thailand, officials said Saturday, as fresh fighting erupted at a border town that has recently been captured by ethnic guerillas.

Fighters from the Karen ethnic minority last week captured the last of the Myanmar army’s outposts in and around Myawaddy, which is connected to Thailand by two bridges across the Moei River.

The latest clashes were triggered in the morning when the Karen guerillas launched an attack against Myanmar troops who were hiding near the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, a major crossing point for trade with Thailand, said police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat in Thailand’s Mae Sot district. He estimated about 1,300 people fled into Thailand.

Thai officials reported people had started crossing since Friday following clashes in several areas of Myawaddy.

The fall of Myawaddy is a major setback for the military that seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. Myanmar’s once-mighty armed forces have suffered a series of unprecedented defeats since last October, losing swathes of territory including border posts to both ethnic fighters, who have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, and pro-democracy guerrilla units that took up arms after the military takeover.

The clashes, involving drone attacks from the Karen forces and airstrikes by the Myanmar military, had subsided by noon Saturday compared to the morning, but Mae Sot police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat said he could still hear sporadic gunshots. He said Thai authorities would move people fleeing into a safer area.

Footage from the Thai border showed Thai soldiers maintaining guard near the bridge with sounds of explosions and gunshots in the background. People with children waded across the river with their belongings and were received by Thai officials on the river bank. Several are seen taking shelter in buildings along the river bank on the Myanmar side.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday that he was closely monitoring the situation at the border.

“I do not desire to see any such clashes have any impact on the territorial integrity of Thailand and we are ready to protect our borders and the safety of our people. At the same time, we are also ready to provide humanitarian assistance if necessary,” he wrote.

In March, Thailand delivered its first batch of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar for about 20,000 displaced people.

Nikorndej Balangura, a spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Friday that Thailand is currently working to expand its aid initiative.

 

Melania Trump is set to make a return to her husband’s campaign with a rare political appearance

Former first lady Melania Trump is making a return to her husband’s presidential campaign with a rare political appearance after months of being absent from Donald Trump’s latest run for the White House.

She plans to attend a fundraiser Saturday for the Log Cabin Republicans, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ members of the GOP. The event at the Palm Beach, Florida, estate that she shares with the former president is scheduled to take place behind closed doors. It will be the first major political event for her this year.

Melania Trump had for months not appeared at her husband’s campaign events, notably being absent at his victory party on Super Tuesday. Her attendance at the fundraiser — for a group she has previously supported — could be a sign that she will ramp up her schedule with several months left before the November election.

Both Trumps went together to cast their ballots in the Florida primary last month. When a reporter asked if she would return to the campaign trail, she responded with a smile, “Stay tuned.”

The former first lady then attended a high-profile fundraiser at hedge-fund billionaire John Paulson’s house in Palm Beach, where she was photographed with her husband in front of the mansion facing the ocean.

The Log Cabin Republicans group describes itself on its website as the county’s “largest organization representing LGBT conservatives and straight allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality for all Americans.” Melania Trump was a special guest and award recipient of the organization’s Spirit of Lincoln award in 2021 at a dinner hosted at Mar-a-Lago.

The Log Cabin Republicans on Friday posted on X thanking Melania Trump for her message in a Fox News Digital interview.

“We must unite in our effort to establish a society where equality is the everyday experience of every American,” Melania Trump said in the interview.

In a 2020 endorsement of the former president for his reelection bid, the Log Cabin Republicans described Trump as having a “commitment to govern from a place of inclusion.” In this endorsement, the group praised Trump for his “commitment to end the spread of HIV/AIDS” and his initiative to “end the criminalization of homosexuality internationally.”

Yet critics often criticize Trump’s record on LGBTQ+ issues. During his presidency, he nominated judges for the U.S. Supreme Court, including Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who were criticized by liberal advocates for LGBTQ+ people.

Trump also faced national criticism in 2017 when he announced transgender people were barred from military service, when about 15,000 transgender people were enlisted at the time. In 2019, he barred U.S. embassies from displaying the rainbow or pride flag during Pride Month.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has repeatedly mocked transgender people using language of gender identity that LGBTQ+ critics call harmful. He has acted out a young athlete struggling to lift heavy barbells compared with other competitors “who transitioned.”

In campaign speeches he has touted his promise to cut federal funding on schools pushing what he calls “transgender insanity.”

Some additional promises Trump has made in his rallies include prohibiting federal money going to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors, or ending any program that promotes sex or gender transition. He has also promised that he’d push Congress to ban chemical or surgical interventions on minors.

 

Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries— Police

A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump on trial has died, police said.

The New York City Police Department told The Associated Press early Saturday that the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital.

The man was in Collect Pond Park around 1:30 p.m. Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said.

A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed to the aid of the man, who was hospitalized in critical condition.

The man, who police said recently traveled from Florida to New York, had not breached any security checkpoints to access the park.

The park outside the courthouse has been a gathering spot for protesters, journalists and gawkers throughout Trump’s trial, which began with jury selection Monday.

Through Friday, the streets and sidewalks in the area around the courthouse were generally wide open and crowds have been small and largely orderly.

Authorities said they were also reviewing the security protocols, including whether to restrict access to the park. The side street where Trump enters and leaves the building is off limits.

“We may have to shut this area down,” New York City Police Department Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said at a news conference outside the courthouse Friday, adding that officials would discuss the security plan soon.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

 

Elon Musk’s X, Australian watchdog clash over church stabbing posts

Elon Musk’s X on Saturday said it will fight an Australian watchdog’s order to take down content related to the brutal stabbing of a priest during a live-streamed Sydney church service.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was allegedly slashed in the head and chest by a 16-year-old suspect on Monday, sparking a riot by followers of the Assyrian Christian church in western Sydney.

The bishop has since issued a message from the hospital saying he is recovering from his wounds and has forgiven his assailant.

Video of the bloody attack, which spread widely on social media platforms, has been blamed by Australian authorities for feeding tensions in the community.

X’s government affairs department said it had complied with an initial eSafety directive, “pending a legal challenge”, to remove “certain posts in Australia that commented on the recent attack”.

But the social media platform said it later received a demand from Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant to “globally withhold the posts”.

X said it had been warned it faced a daily fine of Aus$785,000 (US$500,000) for failure to comply.

“The Australian censorship commissar is demanding global content bans!” Musk wrote as he reshared the company’s response.

“The eSafety Commissioner does not have the authority to dictate what content X’s users can see globally. We will robustly challenge this unlawful and dangerous approach in court,” X said.

‘Shocked’

X said the posts did not violate its own rules on violent speech.

The eSafety watchdog said Friday it was working to ensure X’s “full and complete compliance” with Australian law.

“We are considering whether further regulatory action is required,” it said.

The authority said it was “disappointed that the process has been unnecessarily prolonged rather than prioritising the safety of Australians and the Australian community”.

eSafety said it was also working with major social media platforms over the reposting and sharing of content that shows or encourages terrorism or other extreme violence.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has been scathing of the role played by some platforms in making violent images of the attack available.

“I’m shocked but I’m not surprised,” he said Saturday when asked about X’s statement.

“That is exactly what I would expect from X or Twitter or whatever you want to call it: a disregard for the information that they have pumped into our communities, lies and rumours spreading like wildfire,” Minns said.

“And when things go wrong, throwing their hands up in the air to say they’re not prepared to do anything about it.”

Minns called for a strengthening of the rules governing social media companies.

“We have had enough. Sydney has had enough.”