World news in brief
Explosive eruption rocks volcano on St Vincent
An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St Vincent yesterday following mandatory evacuation orders from the local government. Emergency management officials said the ash column was about 20,000 feet (6km) high and that the ash was headed east into the Atlantic Ocean. Heavy ashfall also was reported in communities around the volcano, said Erouscilla Joseph, director of the
University of the West Indies Seismic Centre. “More explosions could occur,” she said, adding that it was impossible to predict whether any potential upcoming explosions would be bigger or smaller than the first one. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The volcano last erupted in 1979, and a previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people.
Kim Jong-un raises fears of food shortages in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has raised the threat of food shortages in his country, comparing the current situation to a deadly 1990s famine. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the party conference, Mr Kim asked people to wage another “arduous march” – a term used to refer to a devastating famine at the end of the last century where some people ate tree bark to survive. His admission of a deepening crisis – he said North Korea is facing its “worst-ever” crisis – came as human rights groups issued warnings of food shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic and economic instability. Trade with its biggest economic partner, China, has fallen almost 80 per cent with zero imports of food and medicines during the coronavirus pandemic. Greater international economic sanctions by the US and Japan to pressure Kim’s regime to abandon its nuclear programme has added to the woes.
Norway PM fined £1,715 for breaking coronavirus rules
Police have issued Norway’s prime minster with a fine for breaching coronavirus restrictions during her birthday party earlier this year. The prime minister, Erna Solberg, hosted a 60th birthday celebration attended by 13 people in late February, breaking her own government’s ban on gatherings of more than 10. She has since apologised for her actions, stating that she was “very sad about what has happened”. She has been fined 20,000 Norwegian crowns (£1,715) for the breach, police chief Ole Saeverud told a news conference yesterday. Police suggested that the rules are being enforced particularly strictly in this case “in order to uphold the public’s trust” in the measures. They said that they would not have issued a fine in most similar cases, but did so because Ms Solberg has led the government’s imposition of restrictions.