NATO Baltic leaders set to boost security after cable ‘sabotage’


By AFP
January 13, 2025


The Oil tanker Eagle S is suspected of sabotaging cables linking Finland and Estonia - Copyright Lehtikuva/AFP/File Vesa Moilanen

Anna KORKMAN

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea will look to boost security when they meet in Helsinki on Tuesday, following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables widely blamed on Russia.

They are expected to announce a NATO patrol mission monitoring activity “below, above, and on the sea surface”, researcher Iro Sarkka of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs told AFP.

Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war.

The sabotage has been blamed on a “shadow fleet” of vessels — often ageing and operating under opaque ownership — that carry Russian crude oil and petroleum products, embargoed since the invasion of Ukraine.

Addressing the European Parliament, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed Monday the need to make clear that “such hostile actions” and such efforts “will not go unanswered”.

“We will also strengthen NATO’s military presence in the region, and of course, we will discuss the shadow fleet and what to do about it, so we are responding and will continue to ensure no country can exploit us, control our infrastructure or disrupt our societies,” Rutte said, adding he would be attending the meeting.

Tuesday’s meeting will focus on “strengthening of NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea and responding to the threat posed by Russia’s shadow fleet”, according to a statement from the office of Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who is co-hosting the meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

Stubb also promised “measures required to secure the critical underwater infrastructure”.

The leaders of Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, and the executive vice-president of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen are expected to attend.

NATO said in late December it would increase its presence in the region following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables between Finland and Estonia, but it has yet to announce an official operation.

“How long the potential operation will last and what kind of mandate it will have I assume will be revealed (on Tuesday),” Sarkka said, adding that maritime operations have previously been conducted by NATO in the Mediterranean Sea.

“The actions in recent months related to the Russian shadow fleet and sabotage has prompted NATO to develop its maritime situational awareness in the Baltic Sea region,” she added.

A comprehensive NATO operation would serve as a “deterrent and a strategic signal” that NATO is prepared to act in response to the recent activities, according to Sarkka.



– Tense security situation –



Last week, Finland said NATO would contribute two vessels to a monitoring mission in the Baltic Sea, while the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which comprises Nordic and Baltic states as well as the Netherlands, also said it would increase its surveillance.

Sweden is sending up to three warships and a surveillance aircraft.

Tensions have mounted around the Baltic Sea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In September 2022, a series of underwater blasts ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines that carried Russian gas to Europe, the cause of which has yet to be determined.

In October 2023, an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down after it was damaged by the anchor of a Chinese cargo ship.

The most recent incident occurred on December 25, when the Estlink 2 electricity cable and four telecom cables linking Finland and Estonia were damaged.

That came just weeks after two telecom cables in Swedish waters were severed on November 17-18.

Suspicion over the Christmas Day incident has fallen on the Eagle S, a Cook Island-flagged oil tanker believed to be part of the “shadow fleet”.

Finnish police seized the Eagle S on December 28 as part of a criminal investigation.

Finnish authorities last week deemed the ship unseaworthy following an inspection, barred it from sailing and have banned eight crew members from leaving the country while police carry out a probe.

Investigators suspect the cables were damaged by the tanker’s anchor being dragged over them.

Thai man serving record royal insult sentence faces new charges


By AFP

January 14, 2025


Mongkol Thirakot was sentenced last year to at least 50 years in prison on royal defamation charges for posts made on his personal Facebook account several years ago - Copyright AFP Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV

A Thai man serving a record sentence for insulting the monarchy has been hit with three more charges, a rights group told AFP on Tuesday.

Mongkol Thirakot, 31, was sentenced last year to at least 50 years in prison on royal defamation charges for posts made on his personal Facebook account several years ago.

The record-breaking sentence came after several years in which Thailand ramped up use of the controversial legislation against pro-democracy protesters in what critics say is a tactic to silence dissent.

“Police have charged him with three more counts of royal defamation over three Facebook posts from 2022,” said Noppol Achamas from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

He told AFP that Mongkol faces at least nine more years in prison.

The lese-majeste law, which shields King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family from criticism, is often referred to as 112 in Thailand after the relevant section of the criminal code.

When Mongkol was sentenced in January last year, TLHR said it was the longest jail term handed down for royal defamation, beating the previous record of 43 years imposed on a woman in 2021.

Mongkol, who owns an online clothing store in Thailand’s north, is currently being held in Chiang Rai Central Prison.

He has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on his earlier sentence, according to TLHR.

More than 250 activists have been charged under lese-majeste laws since the 2020 protest movement began, according to the rights group.

Boeing 2024 plane deliveries tumble on labor, safety woes


By AFP
January 14, 2025


The 787 Dreamliner, one of two major Boeing jets that serve as the revenue lifeblood for the embattled aviation giant 

- Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File BRUCE BENNETT

John BIERS

Boeing delivered just 348 commercial planes in 2024 according to figures released Tuesday that showed the ugly effects from a year of labor disruption and safety setbacks.

The annual figure was well below 2023 deliveries and less than half the 766 aircraft European rival Airbus brought to customers last year.

The figures cap a difficult year for the US aviation giant, kicked off by an emergency landing in January 2024 of a 737 MAX flown by Alaska Airlines after the plane suffered a mid-flight blowout on a window panel.

That incident prompted heavy scrutiny on Capitol Hill and from the Federal Aviation Administration, leading to Boeing cutting output on the MAX while it intensified quality control efforts.

Boeing’s operations were also hampered by a more than seven week labor strike in the fall that shuttered two major assembly facilities in the Seattle region. Production did not resume at the plants until mid-December.

Those difficulties meant that Boeing’s gap with Airbus in terms of commercial jet deliveries widened in 2024 to the largest since 2020.

The US company has lagged its European competitor since a pair of fatal MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 plunged Boeing into crisis. Its last annual profit was in 2018.

Getting the company back on track will require Boeing to achieve consistent plane production before ramping up.

In 2025, “the number of planes they produce and deliver is the real thing to watch,” said Morningstar analyst Nicolas Owens. “The hope is that the worst is behind them.”

Plane deliveries are tied to company revenues, making them a crucial benchmark for financial performance.



– Leadership shakeup –



Heading into 2024, Boeing appeared to be poised for a financial comeback, with the MAX having returned to the air and flown for more than three years without significant incident.

But the Alaska Airlines episode revived major questions about Boeing’s operations, ultimately leading to a March announcement that David Calhoun would step down as CEO.

In late July, Boeing named as its new CEO former Rockwell Collins boss Kelly Ortberg, who in October unveiled a plan to cut 10 percent of Boeing’s workforce.

Ortberg has spoken of the need for a “fundamental culture change” at Boeing that includes resetting the company’s difficult relationship with organized labor, as seen in the bruising Pacific Northwest strike of some 33,000 hourly workers.

After rejecting two earlier offers, workers with the Seattle-based International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 approved a new contract in early November that includes a 38 percent wage hike.



– Looking ahead –



In the months to come, Ortberg’s company expects to complete an acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier that builds fuselages and other parts for Boeing.

The company will also submit a revised criminal settlement with the US Justice Department over the 737 MAX crashes after a federal judge in Texas rejected a prior proposal.

Boeing may also receive recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board on lessons learned from the Alaska Airlines incident.

Ortberg has discussed slimming down Boeing’s scope as part of a turnaround to boost operations and improve financial performance.

Although he has not signaled plans to scale back Boeing’s space program, Ortberg in October pointed to commercial planes and defense as “core” products that “will always stay with the Boeing company.”

Investors would welcome efforts to simplify Boeing’s mission, but trimming the company’s portfolio is “not as needle-moving as getting the 737 assembly line back,” said analyst Owens.

Prior to the strike, Boeing was producing far fewer than the 38 MAX planes per month that were previously approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Restoring MAX output will be a priority for Boeing this year, along with clearing out built MAX and 787 Dreamliner planes in inventory that were not delivered, said Owens.

Shares of Boeing fell 2.4 percent in afternoon trading.

South Korea’s six weeks of political chaos


By AFP
January 14, 2025


Police officers patrol near the residence of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol - Copyright AFP YASUYOSHI CHIBA

South Korea has endured six weeks of political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and sent soldiers and helicopters to parliament.

Forced to rescind the decree, Yoon has since been impeached — pending an ongoing court trial — and was arrested Wednesday after authorities entered his residence to execute a new court-ordered warrant.

Here is a recap of events:


– December 3: martial law –



On December 3, after a budget tussle with the opposition, Yoon takes to television to declare martial law in a flashback to Korea’s authoritarian past.

He says he wants to protect the country against “threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness”.

Armed troops head to parliament, scaling fences, smashing windows and landing by helicopter in an apparent bid to stop lawmakers from overturning the decree.

As thousands of protesters gather outside, lawmakers vote 190-0 to nullify Yoon’s declaration in the early hours of December 4.

Soldiers begin withdrawing and Yoon re-appears on television and lifts martial law. Protesters celebrate. Yoon goes to ground.



– December 4: impeachment plan –



The opposition immediately vows on December 4 to push for impeachment and file an official motion.

They file separate complaints of “insurrection” against Yoon, his defence and interior ministers, and “key military and police figures involved, such as the martial law commander and the police chief”.

Police announce they are investigating Yoon and others for “insurrection”.



– December 7: Yoon sorry –



Yoon reappears on December 7 and apologises in a televised address for the “anxiety and inconvenience”.

Tens of thousands of anti-Yoon protesters rally outside parliament.

An impeachment motion is defeated several hours later and Yoon stays in power.



– December 9: Yoon travel ban –



On December 8, Kim Yong-hyun, who had resigned as defence minister days earlier, is arrested over his role in the martial law declaration. The interior minister resigns.

The main opposition party says it will try to impeach the president again on December 14.

The next day, the justice ministry announces it has banned Yoon from travelling abroad.

On December 12, Yoon again defends his shock decision, saying the opposition had pushed South Korea into a “national crisis”.



– December 14: Yoon impeached –



Out of 300 lawmakers, 204 vote to impeach Yoon and 85 vote against the motion.

Yoon is suspended from office while South Korea’s Constitutional Court has six months to deliberate on the vote.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo becomes the nation’s acting leader.

The vote is followed by scenes of jubilation among tens of thousands of demonstrators in front of the parliament building.



– December 27: second impeachment –



The Corruption Investigation Office sends a third summons to Yoon on December 26, after he defied investigators’ demands twice in a week.

Yoon faces impeachment and criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life imprisonment or even the death penalty.

On December 27, lawmakers impeach acting president Han over what the opposition calls his refusal to sign into law special bills to investigate Yoon.

Finance minister Choi Sang-mok takes over.



– December 30: arrest warrant –



Investigators apply for an arrest warrant for Yoon after he fails to report for questioning a third time.

This is the first attempt in the country’s history to forcibly detain a president before an impeachment procedure is complete.

A court issues the warrant on Tuesday, valid until January 6. Yoon’s lawyer calls it “illegal and invalid”.



– January 1: Yoon defiant –



As investigators vow to execute the warrant, hundreds of his supporters gather outside his compound in protest against his impeachment.

Yoon repeats in a statement a pledge to fight alongside them “until the very end to protect this nation”.



– January 3: first arrest attempt –

Investigators make their move to arrest Yoon but are blocked by his guards in a tense six-hour standoff.

They are forced to stand down, citing security concerns, after being met by hundreds of security forces linking arms to block access to Yoon.


– January 14: impeachment trial –

The country’s Constitutional Court opens Yoon’s impeachment trial.

But it quickly adjourns the first hearing after the suspended leader does not show up.

Four more hearings are scheduled until February 4.


– January 15: Yoon arrested –

South Korean investigators try to enter Yoon’s residence while his presidential guards, lawyers and supporters all try to stop the arrest warrant from being executed.

Officers use ladders to breach his compound and head towards his residence.

After negotiations, investigators say they have executed the warrant for his arrest and Yoon appears at the offices of investigators.

In a pre-recorded message, Yoon said he complied to “prevent bloodshed”.

burs-stu-jfx/cwl

Operation to pull out illegal miners from abandoned S. African pit


By AFP
January 13, 2025


Rescuers and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers carry remains in blue body bags during the rescue operation - Copyright AFP Christian Velcich

Rescuers on Monday hoisted seven illegal miners and at least four bodies from an abandoned South African gold mine amid claims that hundreds were still underground and many had died.

A professional mine rescue company sent a large cage to retrieve men at the site near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.

“We can confirm to you that the machine is working. It has brought up seven people,” civic representative Mzukisi Jam told reporters at the site.

At least four bodies were also retrieved, community leader Johannes Qankase told AFP. Video filmed by AFP at the site showed what appeared to be several body bags being removed from the cage.

The operation on Monday follows a weeks-long saga at the abandoned shaft where authorities have been accused of trying to force the miners to surface by throttling food and water supplies lowered to them by the surrounding community.

It is not clear how many people are in the shaft. There were claims in mid-November that up to 4,000 people were underground but police have said the figure was probably in the hundreds.

Jam, from the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO), said that with the operation underway, the organisers should get a clear idea of how many people were still underground.

The company sending down the machine, which is called a Rescue Winder, had been given 10 days to complete the operation, he said.

Six bodies were brought up from the mine in early December and one in November. There have been claims recently that there were more than 100 corpses underground.

Two miners’ rights groups released a video Monday they said was filmed at the shaft showing what appears to be several corpses wrapped in plastic.

Rights groups have taken the government to court to compel it to extract the miners and provide humanitarian assistance.

Over the past weeks a few dozen miners have exited the shaft and reported dire conditions underground, including acute hunger and dehydration. Some were arrested for being in South Africa without proper documentation.

Thousands of illegal miners, many of them hailing from other countries, are said to operate in abandoned mine shafts in mineral-rich South Africa.

Locally known as “zama zamas” — “those who try” in the Zulu language — the miners frustrate mining companies and are accused of criminality by residents.

Starbucks shift on non-paying visitors stirs debate in US


By AFP
January 14, 2025


Hot drink behemoth Starbucks boasts 29,000 retail stores in 78 markets - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Adam Gray

Gregory WALTON

Starbucks has stirred the coffee pot by reversing a policy that allowed anyone to use its bathrooms, with the US public warned they’ll need to buy something or get out.

In a new code of conduct issued Monday, the hot drink behemoth that boasts 29,000 retail stores in 78 markets said it wanted “to ensure our spaces are prioritized for use by our customers.”

That includes the chain’s cafes, patios and restrooms, according to the policy, which Starbucks noted is something most retailers enforce.

US retailers like Starbucks that bill themselves as a so-called “third space” — a gathering place outside the home or office — face a dilemma in a country where public restrooms are sparse.

The question of bathroom access has been a fraught one for Starbucks, with the issue thrust into the spotlight in 2018 when two Black men were refused access to a branch bathroom while they waited for a friend.

When they sat in the Philadelphia location’s seating area without ordering, staff called the police, sparking a PR disaster. The men were arrested but never charged.

Following the debacle, Starbucks adopted an “open bathroom” policy meaning its restrooms — at the cafes that had them — would be open to all.

But in 2022 interim chief executive Howard Schultz said the policy might have to end, owing to safety issues from people with mental health problems.

– ‘Harden our stores’ –

“We have to harden our stores and provide safety for our people,” Schultz said at the time. “I don’t know if we can keep our bathrooms open.”

In one busy Manhattan location, where the policy was not yet displayed on the door as planned, a barista who declined to be named said “people are still gonna try and go in there — the homeless of course — that’s for sure.”

The Midtown branch was equipped with a single toilet, fitted with a numerical lock, with a steady stream of people using the facility after obtaining the code from staff.

“But if people follow the rules it should be better,” the barista added, suggesting the policy would make life easier for staff.

At another location a few blocks away, an employee said “it’s fine” for non-paying visitors to use the restroom and the cafe seating area, apparently unaware of the new policy.

Starbucks customer Noelle Devoe speculated on X that the policy would not be used against “college kids or professionals.”

“It’ll just be a way for them to kick out those they feel are undesirable,” she said.

Starbucks posted a 3 percent decline in global net revenue for the fourth quarter year-on-year, to $9.1 billion, in October 2024.

The results showed that sales are continuing to fall, as the new CEO vowed a strategic overhaul to turn the company around.

The caffeinated giant claims in its corporate motto to be “nurturing the human spirit… one neighborhood at a time.”

UK launches probe into dominance of Google search


By AFP
January 14, 2025


Britain's competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Google's dominant position in the search engine market. - Copyright AFP Josh Edelson

Britain’s competition watchdog Tuesday launched an investigation into Google’s dominant position in the search engine market and its impacts on consumers and businesses.

The investigation could lead to the US tech giant being handed “strategic market status”, subjecting it to special requirements under new UK regulations, the Competition and Markets Authority said in a statement.

The CMA will probe whether “Google is using its position to prevent innovation by others” in the search engine market and whether it gives “self-preference” to its own services.

It will also look into “potential exploitative conduct” including investigating the collection and use of large quantities of consumer data without informed consent.

– Google engagement –

A Google spokesperson said the company will “continue to engage constructively with the CMA”.

They added: “Google Search supports millions of UK businesses to grow by reaching customers in innovative ways. The CMA’s announcement today recognises that.”

Under the UK’s tougher new regulation that came into force this year, the watchdog has been given more powers to develop and enforce conduct requirements on companies to prevent anti-competitive behaviour in digital markets.

Potential requirements could include Google having to make the data it collects available to other businesses or giving publishers more control over how their data is used, the CMA said.

A similar tech competition law from the European Union, the Digital Markets Act, carries hefty financial penalities for giants like Apple, Google and Meta in the event of infringements.

“Millions of people and businesses across the UK rely on Google’s search and advertising services — with 90 percent of searches happening on their platform and more than 200,000 UK businesses advertising there,” CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in the statement.

“That’s why it’s so important to ensure these services are delivering good outcomes for people and businesses and that there is a level playing field,” she added.

The probe is in its preliminary stages with the CMA firstly inviting comments to determine the scope of the investigation.

It aims to reach a final outcome on the probe by October.

Google is also fighting an antitrust crackdown in the United States after the Department of Justice asked a federal court in November to order it to sell its widely used Chrome browser.

The DOJ also asked the court to ban deals for Google to be the default search engine on smartphones and prevent it from exploiting its Android mobile operating system.

Amazon orders 200 Mercedes-Benz electric trucks


By AFP
January 14, 2025


The eActros 600 can travel about 500 kilometres (310 miles) on a single charge - Copyright AFP/File Pau BARRENA

Online retailer Amazon has purchased 202 electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 vehicles from Germany’s Daimler Truck, the automaker said Tuesday, marking both firms’ largest-ever order for battery-powered lorries.

Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are responsible for six percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions, according to the European Commission, and account for over a quarter of road transport emissions in the bloc.

EU regulations require truckmakers to collectively reduce the emissions caused by the vehicles they sell by 45 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels. The reductions are set to increase to 65 percent by 2035 and to 90 percent by 2040.

Daimler Truck, one of the world’s largest truck manufacturers by volume, last year delivered 4,035 electric vehicles out of more than 460,000 worldwide.

About 2,000 orders have been taken in total for the eActros 600 since it was unveiled at the end of 2023, a spokesman told AFP.

Former Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum said last year that the eActros was “the future of the company”, adding that he was encouraged by its performance in real-world conditions.

The truck, which Amazon will use in Britain and Germany, can travel about 500 kilometres (310 miles) on a single charge.

The sale price of an eActros 600 is about twice the cost of an equivalent diesel model, the spokesman said.

At competitor Traton, Volkswagen’s truck-making unit, electric vehicle sales fell 18 percent last year, the firm said Tuesday, and account for about 0.5 percent of vehicles sold.

Amazon to invest over $5 bn in Mexico data center

By AFP
January 14, 2025

Amazon Web Services is the world's biggest cloud computing company, with data centers scattered across the globe - Copyright AFP/File Pau BARRENA

Jean ARCE

Amazon will invest more than $5 billion in a data center in central Mexico, the e-commerce giant said on Tuesday, part of a push by big tech to add more storage facilities to meet the needs of AI.

The director of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Latin America, Paula Bellizia, announced the investment at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s regular morning news conference in Mexico City.

Bellizia said the center demonstrated Amazon’s “commitment” to the United States’ top trading partner in 2023 and would “contribute to Mexico positioning itself as a digital node in the Americas and a leader in Latin America.”

Sheinbaum said it showed that Mexico, which has been battling threats of steep tariff hikes from US President-elect Donald Trump that have raised fears for its economy, “not only has a great present but also a great future.”

Google in July announced plans to build a data center in Queretaro, its first in Mexico.

– AI-fueled spending blitz –

AWS is the world’s biggest cloud computing company, with data centers scattered across the globe storing the flood of data from billions of smartphones, tablets and other connected devices.

Its biggest rivals in the sector are Google and Microsoft.

With the emergence of generative AI making demand for data storage bigger than ever, all three companies have announced plans to spend massively on building new infrastructure around the world.

AWS already has a data center in Brazil and has announced plans for another two in Chile.

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the Mexican center, to be located in the central state of Queretaro, would generate around 7,000 jobs and contribute more than $10 billion to Mexico’s GDP over the next 15 years.

Neither the government nor AWS gave a date for the construction of the center.

AWS, on its website, said that its “AWS Mexico (Central) Region” was already available and providing customers “with cloud infrastructure and services.”

“It will also help customers with data residency requirements to securely store data in Mexico,” the company said.



– Water sponges –



Data centers have drawn scrutiny from environmentalists over their massive energy consumption.

They can put a massive burden on the local power supply, straining already fragile electricity grids.

The huge amounts of water used in their cooling systems is a further bone of contention in South America, where several countries, including Brazil and Chile, have been hit by historic droughts in recent years.

A court in Chile forced Google, which is planning a huge new data center in the capital Santiago, to go back to the drawing board after it submitted plans for a cooling system that would consume a staggering seven billion liters (1.85 billion gallons) of water per year.

The search giant later came up with a new, much less water-intensive cooling model.

Amazon told AFP late last year that it aimed to make all its data centers “water-positive” by 2030, meaning it would conserve or put back more water than it uses.Facebook
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Thousands to be evacuated after Mount Ibu eruption


By AFP
January 15, 2025


Thousands of residents on the island of Halmahera are set to be evacuated after Mount Ibu erupted on Wednesday - Copyright AFP AZZAM

Thousands of islanders are set to be evacuated after a volcano erupted in eastern Indonesia, spewing a towering column of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, officials said Wednesday.

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera, erupted for a fifth time this year on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky.

The volcano’s alert status was subsequently raised to the highest level by Indonesia’s Geological Agency.

“Following the increase in Mount Ibu’s (alert) level, today we will evacuate residents in five villages,” said local disaster management head Wawan Gunawan Ali.

He added that local authorities were planning to evacuate approximately 3,000 residents from nearby villages on Wednesday evening.

Many residents had already gathered in a village hall, ready for evacuation, an AFP reporter on the ground reported.

Mount Ibu has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, following a series of earthquakes.

In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, which is one of Indonesia’s most active, erupted four times.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five to six kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano’s peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.