Volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau forces closure of eight Indonesian airports

40 min agoJapan's foreign reserves dropped $79.6 billion in August to $1.208 trillion, the largest monthly decline on record, after Tokyo spent 15.4 trillion yen on dollar-selling, yen-buying intervention to support its weakening currency. The operation, which included the first coordinated intervention with the United States since 2011, lifted the yen from near 40-year lows of 164 per dollar to as high as 155.20.

1 h agoMarnus Labuschagne has been retained in Australia's 16-person squad for a three-Test tour of South Africa in October, despite scoring only 36 runs across three innings in the recent Bangladesh series. The tour, beginning at Durban's Kingsmead Stadium on October 9, is Australia's first Test series in South Africa since 2018. Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser and Matthew Kuhnemann were added to the squad.

2 h agoThe transport minister said early Monday that eight airports across Indonesia, two of them serving Jakarta, had shut down because of ash from Anak Krakatau. More than 170,000 passengers have been stranded by flight cancellations and suspensions since the volcano erupted late Friday.

3 h agoThe Alternative for Germany won 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, achieving a breakthrough that gives an extremist faction access to state-level authority for the first time since 1945. The result delivered a major blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and reflects deep unpopularity of Germany's ruling coalition. Turnout reached 77 percent.

3 h agoAsian equity markets gained on Monday after a strong US employment report, though oil prices edged higher following military confrontations between the US and Iran in the Gulf. The robust payrolls data eased some expectations for immediate interest-rate increases, supporting investor sentiment across the region.

3 h agoIran's security chief said the country would establish a prohibited shipping zone near the Strait of Hormuz within days, with vessels entering it to face Iranian sanctions. The government also doubled the price of petrol for its heaviest consumers to 10,000 tomans per litre, effective September 8, as the Iranian currency weakened sharply under US economic pressure.

3 h agoFive people were injured, including three critically, authorities said. The aircraft plowed across a road used by warehouse workers and other businesses surrounding the airport.

4 h agoFive people were seriously injured, officials said. The aircraft, a Boeing 767-300 operated by 21 Air as Prime Air Flight 7598, caught fire after overshooting the runway.

4 h agoJosh Hill's birdie on the final hole secured an unlikely victory for Great Britain and Ireland over the United States at Lahinch. The team recovered from a three-point deficit in Sunday's singles to win 13½-12½, their first title in 11 years.

5 h agoFormer prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have unveiled a combined slate for Israel's 2026 election, placing three women among the top five candidates. The slate will integrate with Lapid's Yesh Atid party and pursue a broader alliance with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party in the anti-Netanyahu bloc.