Bali volcano: Non-evacuees may be forced to leave area

People who have not left their homes around a rumbling volcano in Bali may be forcibly evicted, Indonesian authorities have said.
Tens of thousands of people stayed put near Mount Agung after an alert was raised to its highest level.
Some still felt safe while others did not want to leave livestock.
A spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said people were checking the exclusion zone for non-evacuees.
"There are personnel doing the sweeping, if they [residents] need to be forcibly evacuated," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
The closure of the island's airport was extended for a second day, leaving thousands stranded in the tourist hotspot.
Up to 100,000 people live in the area that could potentially be affected by streams of burning rock have been spotted flowing down from the mountain. But by Monday only 40,000 had left.
Mount Agung's volcanic tremors first began in September.
Since last week dark gas and ash have been billowing up to 3,400m (11,150ft) above the mountain's summit.

How close is it to a major eruption?

The BNPB raised the alert to level four from 06:00 local time (22:00 GMT on Sunday) because of an "imminent risk of disaster".
The volcano is emitting "continuous ash puffs" with occasional "explosive eruptions" that could be heard 12km (7 miles) from the summit.
"The rays of fire are increasingly observed at night. This indicates the potential for a larger eruption is imminent," it said in a statement (in Indonesian) on its Facebook page.

Geologist Mark Tingay of the University of Adelaide told the BBC that eruptions were difficult to predict and it was "very hard to tell" exactly how the situation would develop.
He added that Indonesian authorities appeared "extremely well prepared", with the situation "well under control".

How are locals coping?

Authorities have widened the exclusion zone to a 10km (six-mile) radius, and have ordered people in the area to evacuate.
Mr Sutopo said some people within the exclusion zone did not leave because the area was not touched during the last eruption, more than 50 years ago.
Others are concerned about their animals. Local man Komang Gede told AFP news agency: "We will try to go the evacuation centres in the afternoon, because in the morning we have to stay here to feed our livestock."
Lahars, also known as "cold lava", are slurries of rock fragments mixed with water, and have been spotted in fields and rivers near the volcano.
They are chiefly caused by pyroclastic flows - fast-moving flows of gas and ash that can reach temperatures of 800C (1470F).
Officials have been distributing masks for local residents, as ash rains down in the vicinity.
Anna Baranova, who works with non-governmental organisation Kopernik that is helping evacuees, told the BBC her group was trying to bring in better masks and distribute solar-powered TVs for informational purposes in case the electricity cuts out.



Authorities first issued warnings of an imminent eruption and raised the alert to the highest level two months ago, after detecting heightened volcanic activity.
Following mass evacuations, some islanders returned to their homes in October when the alert level was lowered with a decrease in activity.
According to official estimates, the holiday island lost at least $110m (£83m) in tourism and productivity during that major evacuation.

Should tourists be worried?

The main tourist stretch of Kuta and Seminyak is about 70km (43 miles) from the volcano, far beyond the exclusion zone.
Airport authorities said 445 flights had been cancelled, affecting 59,000 travellers, while Indonesia's hotel association said stranded tourists staying at member hotels could stay one night for free.
The Australian government issued travel advice saying: "Volcanic activity may escalate with little or no notice."
The UK's Foreign Office have advised travellers to be prepared for cancelled flights, closely monitor local media, and to heed local authorities' warnings.




Prince Harry: Stars were aligned when I met Meghan

Prince Harry says he and US actress girlfriend Meghan Markle fell in love "so incredibly quickly" and it seemed proof that the "stars were aligned".
The fifth in line to the throne was speaking after the couple announced their engagement and plans to marry in spring 2018.
The couple told the BBC's Mishal Husain they met on a blind date and neither had known much about each other.
Prince Harry said "beautiful" Ms Markle "just tripped and fell into my life".
He believed Ms Markle and his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, would have been "thick as thieves... best friends".

'Amazing surprise'

Prince Harry revealed he proposed earlier this month during a "standard, typical night for us" at his home in Kensington Palace as the couple were making roast chicken.
"It was just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet, and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee," Ms Markle said.
Prince Harry said: "She didn't even let me finish. She said 'Can I say yes'.
"Then there were hugs and I had the ring in my finger.
"I said 'Can I give you the ring?'. She said: 'Oh, yes, the ring'. It was a really nice moment. Just the two of us."
Turning to Ms Markle, Prince Harry said: "And I think I managed to catch you by surprise as well."

Camping in Botswana

The 36-year-old star of US legal drama Suits confirmed she would be giving up acting and with her new role focus even more energy on the causes that are important to her.
She is already involved with humanitarian work and is a women's advocate with the UN.
Ms Markle said: "I don't see it as giving anything up. I see it as a change. It's a new chapter."
Turning to Prince Harry, she said: "Now it's time to work as a team with you."
The prince, 33, added: "I know that she will be unbelievably good at the job part of it as well."
The couple described how they were set up on their blind date by a mutual friend, and then met once more before going camping together in Botswana.
"I think about three, maybe four weeks later I managed to persuade her to come and join me...
"And we camped out with each other under the stars... she came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic."
Prince Harry said "both of us have passions for wanting to make change for good".
Ms Markle said "one of the first things we started taking about when we met was just the different things we wanted to do in the world and how passionate we were about seeing change".
She said it was "disheartening" there had been a focus on the fact her father is white and her mother is African-American.
"At the end of the day I am proud of who I am and where I come from... we've just focused on who we are as a couple."
The couple declined to reveal the name of the mutual female friend who introduced them in July 2016.
But Ms Markle said she "didn't know much" about Prince Harry before meeting him.
"The only thing I had asked her when she said she wanted to set us up, was 'was he nice?' If he wasn't kind, it didn't seem like it would make sense".
The prince said he had not been aware of Ms Markle before their first meeting in London as he had never watched her TV show.

'So very happy'

Earlier, the couple posed for photographs outside Kensington Palace in London, where they will live.
Prince Harry said he was "thrilled", while Ms Markle said she was "so very happy".
Ms Markle, wearing a white belted coat, held Harry's hand as they appeared briefly for the press at the palace's Sunken Garden, and showed off her diamond engagement ring.
Asked by a reporter when he knew Suits star Ms Markle "was the one", Prince Harry said: "The very first time we met".
The announcement of their engagement was issued by Clarence House on Twitter, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's official residence, and said details about the wedding day would be unveiled "in due course".
Downing Street said there are "no plans" for a bank holiday on the day.

Harry's thoughtfulness

Ms Markle's engagement ring was designed by Prince Harry and features two diamonds which belonged to his mother.
The band is made from yellow gold and at the centre is a diamond from Botswana.
Ms Markle said it was a sign of "Harry's thoughtfulness".
She had obviously not been able to meet his mother, she said, but it was "so important to me... to know that she's a part of this with us".
Ms Markle said she had met the Queen a couple of times and described her as an "incredible woman".
The Queen's corgis are said to have taken to her "straight away".
Asked about having children, Prince Harry said: "One step at a time and hopefully we'll start a family in the near future."
Ms Markle grew up in Los Angeles and attended a private primary school before studying at a girls' Roman Catholic college. She graduated from Northwestern University School of Communication in Illinois, as her acting career was beginning.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said he was "absolutely delighted" at the engagement announcement and indicated the couple would have a church wedding.
She was previously married, but the Church of England agreed in 2002 that divorced people could be allowed to remarry in church.


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Pakistan army called on to stop 'blasphemy' clashes in Islamabad

Pakistan's government has called for troops to be deployed in the capital, Islamabad, after violence broke out during protests by Islamists.
About 200 people were injured when security forces tried to disperse an Islamist sit-in at the Faizabad Interchange - a key highway.
Several deaths have been reported.
The protesters have been blocking the highway for several weeks, demanding the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid whom they accuse of blasphemy.
Pakistani media report that demonstrators also broke into the minister's residence in Punjab province. Mr Hamid and his family were not in the building.
The protests have spread to other cities, including Lahore and the southern port of Karachi.
The Pakistani government asked the army to deploy in Islamabad on Saturday evening.
The interior minister said the order was issued at the request of the city authorities, who were not able to clear the sit-in.
There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani military.
Earlier on Saturday, security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to try to disperse the demonstrators, Pakistani media report, but were met with rocks and tear gas shells.
About 8,500 elite police and paramilitary forces took part in the operation to clear the Faizabad Interchange. The crackdown was later suspended.
Protesters said four of their activists were killed, but police said there were no deaths, Reuters reports.
However, officials are quoted in other reports confirming that several people were killed. Many of those injured are security personnel.
The request for the military deployment came after hundreds more demonstrators turned up unexpectedly, forcing the police to retreat.
At one point, the authorities took all private television news channels off air, apparently out of concern that the live coverage of the police action could inflame religious sentiments.
The protesting Islamists, from the hardline Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Party, want the law minister to be sacked for omitting a reference to the Prophet Muhammad in a new version of the electoral oath.
The minister has since apologised saying it was a clerical error.

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Argentina missing submarine: Navy denies safety claims


The Argentinean navy has insisted a missing submarine was in good condition and had passed system safety checks before setting off on a training mission 10 days ago.
Some relatives of the 44 missing crew members had suggested the 34-year-old vessel was in a bad state of repair.
The ARA San Juan last made contact with naval authorities on 15 November.
Hopes of finding survivors are fading among relatives fade despite international search efforts.
"We are at a stage of hope and hopelessness at the same time," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said.
"We have to be guided by firm evidence. We are focused on detecting the submarine."
Mr Balbi told a news conference that the submarine had its whole operating system checked two days before setting sail.
"The submarine doesn't sail if that's not done. If it set off... it was because it was in condition to do so," he said.
Relatives gathered at the submarine's naval base on Saturday to take part in a religious ceremony and were joined by hundreds of supporters.
Some have reportedly begun mourning their loved ones, fearing it is too late for them to be found alive.
On Friday the country's president said an inquiry would be launched to find out the "truth" after a week of uncertainty and speculation.

What is known about the missing submarine?

The submarine was returning from a routine mission to Ushuaia, near the southernmost tip of South America, when it reported an "electrical breakdown".
A naval commander said the submarine had surfaced and reported the breakdown, described as a "short circuit" in its batteries. The navy said it then made further contact to say the problem had been fixed and the submarine would proceed toward its port.
On Thursday, the authorities said an event consistent with an explosion had been detected by a nuclear test watchdog.
The Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) said an "abnormal, singular, short, violent, non-nuclear event" was recorded in the South Atlantic.
The US also reported a "hydro-acoustic anomaly" hours after the submarine went missing, close to its last known location.
The news dashed hopes among relatives, although no wreckage or debris has been found by the international search teams.
On Saturday a military spokesman said the submarine was not carrying torpedoes on board, dismissing a theory there had been an accident with explosives it was carrying.

Who is looking for it?



On Saturday Russia joined the operation, deploying one of its largest aircraft on Friday night with specialist equipment on board.
Its unmanned submersible, known as the Pantera Plus, can conduct sonar scans up to a depth of 1,000m (3,281ft).
Russia also has a scientific exploration ship on the way from West Africa.
The US Navy also deployed unmanned "mini-sub" vehicles to join the search.
The UK, Brazil, Chile, Norway, Germany, Canada, France, Peru, Colombia and Uruguay are also helping to try to locate the vessel.

Who is on board?


There are 44 crew members on board, under the command of Pedro Martín Fernández.
Forty-three of the crew are men but there is also one woman, Eliana María Krawczyk. The 35-year-old is the first female officer in Argentina to serve on a submarine.
Reports suggest one crew member escaped the tragedy because he was off the vessel visiting his sick mother, and had been replaced by someone else.
On Saturday relatives held a religious vigil service outside of the Mar del Plata naval base where the submarine was based.
They have expressed frustration with authorities, who they say have been slow at sharing information about search efforts..




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