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East Java’s blue lava spectacle

BRILLIANT blue flames light up the night sky above Kawah Ijen, casting an eerie electric glow as they flow down the sides of the active volcano in remote Indonesia.

Hot sulphuric gases – escaping at high pressure through cracks in the mountain – ignite upon contact with air, burning a fantastic, iridescent blue. This strange natural phenomenon can also create “blue lava” – rivers of burning liquid sulphur that stream from the vast crater.


The gases burn day and night at this spectacular volcano in the extreme east of Java island, but its characteristic blue hue can only be observed

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Diane Abbott has been suspended again by Labour after repeating comments about different forms of racism in a radio interview.

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Labour suspends Diane Abbott again over race comments

THE LABOUR PARTY has suspended Diane Abbott, the UK’s longest-serving female MP, after she repeated remarks on racism that had previously led to her suspension.

Abbott, a prominent figure in British left-wing politics and the first Black woman elected to parliament, was initially suspended by Labour in 2023 after she said the prejudice faced by Jewish people was similar to, but not the same as, racism.

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University of Bath awards honorary doctorate to Sunil Mittal

SUNIL BHARTI MITTAL, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in business administration by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, the company said on Thursday.

The University of Bath is ranked among the UK’s top ten universities and is placed within the top 10 per cent globally, the statement added.

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The gravesite is one of dozens unearthed across the country. (Photo: X)

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Child’s remains found in Sri Lanka’s Chemmani mass grave

THE skeletal remains of a girl aged between four and five have been identified among 65 sets of human remains exhumed from a mass grave in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district. The site first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the mid-1990s.

“The findings of the excavation at the Chemmani mass grave were reported to the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on on Tuesday (15) by Raj Somadeva, a forensic archaeologist overseeing the exhumation,” Jeganathan Tathparan, a lawyer, said on Thursday (17).

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Aakash Odedra recently won Best Male Dancer and Outstanding Male Classical Performance at the National Dance Awards.

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Aakash Odedra named Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist

AAKASH ODEDRA has been appointed a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, the organisation has announced.

Born in Birmingham and based in Leicester, Odedra is known for combining classical and contemporary dance to reflect British Asian experiences.

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Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. (Photo: Getty Images)

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Trump says trade deal with India ‘very close’

THE US is very close to finalising a trade agreement with India, while a deal with the European Union is also possible, president Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Real America's Voice on Wednesday. However, he said it was too soon to tell if an agreement could be reached with Canada.

Trump’s administration has been working on trade deals ahead of an August 1 deadline, when duties on most US imports are scheduled to rise again. The push is part of efforts to secure what Trump considers better trade terms and reduce the large US trade deficit.

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