News in Brief 2024-05-20

Eruption of Indonesia's Mt Ibu forces
seven villages to evacuate
JAKARTA, May 19: A volcano on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera has spectacularly erupted, spewing a grey ash cloud into the sky, and people from seven nearby villages have been evacuated, authorities said on Sunday. Mount Ibu erupted on Saturday evening, sending ash 4 km (2.5 miles) high, as streaks of purple lightning flashed around its crater, according to information and images shared by Indonesia's volcanology agency. A joint team of police, military and search and rescue officials was dispatched to the area to evacuate residents from surrounding villages, Abdul Muhari, from the disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement. Photos shared by the disaster agency showed authorities assisting the elderly, while other residents were moved in pick-up trucks and accommodated in emergency tents for the night. -- Reuters
Afghan fresh floods toll hits 66
KABUL, May 19: Fresh floods killed 66 people in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Sunday, in the latest deadly flooding to hit the country. Heavy floods in multiple districts of Faryab province on Saturday night "resulted in human and financial losses," Asmatullah Muradi, spokesman for the Faryab governor, said in a statement. "Due to the floods 66 people were killed," he said, adding that at least five people were injured and others were still missing. The flooding damaged more than 1,500 houses, swamped more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land and killed livestock in their hundreds, he said. — AFP
Iraq's lawmakers fail to elect a speaker
BAGHDAD, May 19: Iraq's lawmakers failed to elect a speaker on Saturday as neither of the two main candidates secured a majority during a tense session of parliament. It is the latest in a series of failed attempts to replace the former head of parliament who was dismissed in November, with political bickering and divisions between key Sunni parties derailing every attempt so far. Saturday's vote was the closest yet to selecting a new head of the 329-member parliament, with 311 lawmakers showing up for the session and the leading candidate falling just seven votes short. — AFP