Volcano eruption danger level is raised
Java: Indonesian authorities have raised the danger level for the volatile Mount Merapi volcano on the densely populated island of Java and ordered a halt to tourism and mining activities.
Indonesia’s geological agency raised 9,737ft Merapi’s alert level, which had been at the thirdhighest level since it began erupting last year, to the second-highest level after sensors picked up increasing activity.
“This condition can trigger a magma extrusion process or an explosive eruption,” national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Raditya Jati said in a statement.
He said authorities have halted the climbing of Merapi and mining activities along its rivers.
Merapi spewed ash and hot gas in a column as high as 3.7 miles into the sky in June, but no casualties were reported.
Its last major eruption in 2010 killed 347 people and caused the evacuation of 20,000 villagers.
Arizona: A sex worker is suing the state governor over the pandemic-led shutdown of legal brothels.
Alice Little, 30, who is named as “the highestearning courtesan at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel”, alleges that sex workers have been unfairly singled out during the Covid-19 shutdowns in Arizona.
Little said in a statement to announce the lawsuit: “If it’s safe for a customer to get a massage at a massage parlour, then it should be safe for a customer to visit a legal sex worker if Covid19 precautions are taken.
“Sex workers like me are suffering financially and emotionally.”
The legal complaint, filed on Monday, states that “similarly situated businesses have been permitted to re-open” while brothels remain shuttered.
Ms Little seeks a judicial order to rescind Governor Steve Sisolak’s executive order that keeps brothels closed, plus damages for loss of income and her constitutional rights.
Seven of Nevada’s sixteen counties contain legal brothels.
Beijing: China is suspending entry for most foreign passport holders who reside in Britain, reacting to a new surge of coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom.
The suspension covers those holding visas or residence permits issued prior to November 3, with exceptions for diplomats and some others.
China has largely contained the spread of the coronavirus within the country but continues to record imported cases, including another 20 reported on Thursday.
Chinese officials require all people arriving in China to undergo two weeks of quarantine.
Canberra: An online petition created by former Australian PM Kevin Rudd demanding an inquiry into the media dominance of Rupert Murdoch was signed by a record number.
More than 500,000 Australians put their names to the petition to parliament since its launch three weeks ago.
Murdoch’s company, News Corp Australia, controls 70 per cent of local newspaper circulation. The media mogul has not commented on the petition. Parliament is not obligated to act on it.
Mr Rudd, the country’s prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, has been a frequent critic of Mr Murdoch.