Iceland volcano: Pollution warning for capital after eruption
By Oliver Slow & Marita Moloney BBC News
Gas pollution could hit Iceland’s capital after a volcano began erupting late on Monday, the country’s meteorological office has said.
The eruption, which broke out on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland, comes after weeks of intense earthquakes and tremors.
Fumes could reach Reykjavik by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
About 4,000 people were evacuated last month from Grindavik, a fishing town threatened by the lava flow.
A resident living near Grindavik described “crazy” and “scary” scenes that night and said she could still see the volcano exploding on Tuesday.
Indian government accused of attack on democracy as 141 MPs suspended
Opposition politicians excluded from rest of winter session for protesting against parliament security breach
More than 140 Indian opposition politicians have been suspended from parliament, the largest number in history, after protesting against a recent security breach at the parliamentary premises.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government was accused of a direct attack on democracy and creating “anarchy” after 141 MPs from 11 different opposition parties, who sit in the lower and upper houses of parliament, were suspended for the rest of the winter session.
While opposition MPs have been suspended by the BJP government in the past, this was the most bulk suspensions of MPs on record in Indian parliamentary history. On Monday alone 78 MPs were suspended, the highest in a single day.
Congo election: North Kivu hopes next president brings peace
As citizens prepare to head to the polls on December 20, people in conflict-ridden North Kivu province are hoping the next president will quash rampant insecurity.
Mahoro Esperance is no stranger to navigating the dangers of conflict in and around her home. The 23-year-old mother of one was born in the territory of Masisi, one of the most unstable areas in the Congolese province of North Kivu.
Most recently, her region was the scene of clashes between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and the Congolese army, prompting her to take refuge in a camp in a safer region.
Wracked with anxiety, Esperance — a seamstress by trade — tries to busy herself with sewing projects to take her mind off things. But it doesn’t seem to be working. As she prepares to vote in the upcoming general election on December 20, the only solution she can think of is a “powerful” president who pushes hard for peace.
French lawmakers strike tentative deal on toughened immigration law
A group of French lawmakers struck a tentative deal on Tuesday on a contested bill that will toughen immigration laws and has highlighted the difficulties for President Emmanuel Macron of running the country with no majority in parliament.
The government had initially said this would be a carrot-and-stick legislation that would make it easier for migrants working in sectors that lack labour to get a residency permit, but would also make it easier to expel illegal migrants.
But, without a majority in the lower house of parliament since the June 2022 elections, and in order to gain support from the right, the government progressively agreed to water down measures meant to give some illegal migrants residency permits, while tightening access to welfare, among other steps.
Prosecutors search offices of two LDP factions mired in funds scandal
Prosecutors on Tuesday searched the offices of two major ruling Liberal Democratic Party factions over a political fundraising scandal, in a further blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s special investigation squad started searches of the biggest LDP faction, once led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and another led by former LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai.
They are seeking to build cases against accountants working for the factions, deeming they failed to declare on behalf of the groups hundreds of millions of yen in fundraising party revenue in political funding reports to create secret slush funds. Some of the money was funneled back to lawmakers, sources familiar with the matter said.
Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea?
The Houthis are believed to have been armed and trained by Iran, and there are fears that their attacks could escalate Israel’s war against Hamas into a wider regional conflict.
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