13/03/2026

FRIDAY | MAR 13, 2026

7

Volcano erupts four times in Indonesia

troops for the international security force in Gaza, but this is dependent on the current dynamic with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and the conflict in the Middle East, he said. Indonesia had been prepared to send 20,000 troops but is now ready to deploy 8,000 in phases, with the move to scale back coming in response to pledges by other countries involved in the initiative to send numbers in the hundreds, he said. “The president has instructed us to prepare our troops, and we are ready to act, but we are awaiting developments from the Board of Peace. I cannot confirm anything yet because the situation is very dynamic.” – Bernama

last month that commits them to consult each other if either country is threatened. Indonesia and Australia will work together on intelligence sharing, said Sjafrie, without providing details. The ministers discussed the possibility of developing a defence training facility on the island of Morotai on North Maluku, with a proposal to upgrade its existing defence infrastructure, he said, adding that “we will work together to improve and utilise it”. Sjafrie also said military personnel from countries such as the Philippines, Australia and Singapore would have access to the facility, as well as another in North Kalimantan being developed with Singapore. Indonesia is ready to deploy

remain alert for potential hot clouds, lava avalanches and lahar flows along rivers originating from the volcano’s summit. In other news, Indonesia and Australia are planning to expand their security cooperation to include Japan and Papua New Guinea, said Jakarta’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin yesterday after a meeting with his Australian counterpart. Trilateral security arrangements would be developed with Indonesia, Australia and Japan, and between Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea, he said after talks with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. The leaders of Indonesia and Australia signed a security treaty

even though the fire has been extinguished,” he said in an email. “We are trying different avenues to get onboard.” The Omani navy has rescued 20 sailors and efforts are underway to rescue the remaining three, the Thai navy said. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said all 23 crew members were Thai. All Thai vessels have left the Strait of Hormuz and Bangkok has “protested against the violence done to the commercial ships”, said ministry deputy spokesperson Panidol Patchimsawat yesterday. “Please be assured that we are on a mission to find the missing three.” Since strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February ignited the Middle East war, the Islamic republic has launched its own attacks against its oil-exporting neighbours. The strikes have threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and plunged the global energy economy into crisis. The strait is a crucial waterway through which a fifth of global oil supplies usually pass. – AFP appliances,” he said yesterday. Tan emphasised that as the global environment becomes less certain and stable, fuel disruptions and price fluctuations are becoming more frequent. These effects are felt in Singapore, which imports all of the natural gas needed to fuel about 95% of its electricity generation, he added. In the meantime, he stressed that the government stands ready to support households and businesses as necessary. “Announced at Budget 2026, eligible Housing and Development Board households will receive 1.5 times the regular amount of U-Save rebates, or up to S$570 (RM1,755) in the financial year. “As the situation in the Middle East is evolving, we are watching closely, especially for secondary effects of disruption.” – Bernama “Mount Semeru erupted again at 5.28am, with the ash column observed at around 600m above the summit, or about 4,276m above sea level,” he said, according to Antara News Agency. Liswanto said the volcano erupted again at 5.46am, producing an ash column reaching around 300m above the summit. He added that Mount Semeru remains at Level III (Alert) volcanic activity status. Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has advised the public not to carry out any activities within a 13km radius in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan from the summit. Residents are also warned to

BANGKOK: Three crew members are “believed to be trapped” aboard a Thai bulk carrier that was hit by two projectiles on Wednesday while travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, the vessel’s owner said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they have struck the Thai-registered Mayuree Naree , as well as a Liberia-flagged vessel, in the strait because the ships had ignored “warnings”. The Thai ship was struck while transiting through the Gulf waterway, after departing Khalifa port in the United Arab Emirates. “The strikes damaged the vessel’s engine room and caused a fire,” said Thai transport company Precious Shipping in a statement on Wednesday. “Three crew members are reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room,” it said, adding that authorities are working to rescue them. “Unfortunately, this remains the case,” the firm’s managing director Khalid Hashim said yesterday. “We still have not been able to get anyone to board our ship, JAKARTA: Mount Semeru, located on the border of Lumajang and Malang regencies in East Java, erupted four times yesterday, with the highest ash column reaching 600m above the summit. According to Mount Semeru Observation Post officer Liswanto, the first eruption occurred at 12.27am Western Indonesian Time, followed by another at 12.31am, although the eruption columns were not visually observed. o Mount Semeru at Level III (Alert) activity status, says officer

Three believed trapped on Thai ship hit in Gulf

LIMITED SUPPLY ... People queueing to buy liquefied petroleum gas cylinders for domestic use at a gas agency office in Chennai, India on Wednesday after tighter controls were ordered over natural and cooking gas on Tuesday following import disruptions caused by the Middle East war. – AFPPIC Beijing-Pyongyang train services resume

BEIJING: Passenger train services between China and North Korea were set to resume yesterday following a six-year hiatus after the link was suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, railway authorities and tour agencies said. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated nuclear state. China Railway said regular train services would resume yesterday, with the first set to depart in the evening from the Chinese capital bound for Pyongyang. The K27 train would make a few

would be a separate daily service between Dandong and Pyongyang. Travel agents for an official ticketing booth in Beijing said on Tuesday anyone with a valid visa can now buy train tickets to the North. Trains will run in both directions between Beijing and Pyongyang every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, China Railway said. Entry and exit procedures would be completed at the Dandong border crossing and at Sinuiju in North Korea, it added. Tickets are available for offline purchase at several Chinese cities, it said. – AFP cases of measles in NSW this year as of yesterday, compared with 37 cases reported for 2025 and 18 in 2024. The neighbouring state of Victoria has reported 21 measles cases this year, compared with 36 in 2025 and 17 in 2024. Health Protection NSW executive director Vicky Sheppeard said the report should serve as a reminder of why vaccination is vital. – Bernama-Xinhua

stops, including at the port city of Tianjin, and then head northeast to Dandong, a Chinese city bordering North Korea. Wagons holding passengers bound for Pyongyang will then be attached to another train there, taking them across the border to the nearby North Korean city of Sinuiju, said Rowan Beard from Young Pioneer Tours, a company specialising in North Korea travel. He said those wagons, as well as North Korean domestic carriages, would be attached to a new train that would head to Pyongyang. China Railway also said there measles overseas, including 32 who travelled to Southeast Asian countries. Eighteen cases were linked to a person who acquired measles overseas, with the other eight cases having no known source of infection. According to the latest data from the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System maintained by the Australian Centre for Disease Control, there has been 25 confirmed

Singapore sets up fuel stockpile SINGAPORE: A fuel stockpile has been established here, comprising gas and diesel that power generation companies can use should gas supplies be severely disrupted due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Energy and Science and Technology Minister-in-Charge Tan See Leng said the measure is one of the government’s multiple lines of defence to safeguard Singapore’s energy security. Nevertheless, he noted that while some measures are in place to ensure Singapore has sufficient energy, global gas prices continue to rise due to the conflict. “We must expect electricity prices to increase in the coming months,” he noted. “Households and businesses have a part to play because they can offset some of this impact by conserving electricity and adopting more energy-efficient

Australia measles surge linked to Southeast Asia SYDNEY: A recent surge in measles cases in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has mainly been driven by infections acquired in Southeast Asia, Xinhua reported, quoting health authorities yesterday. The NSW Health Department said authorities were notified of 60 measles cases in the state between Jan 1, 2025 and March 7 this year. Of those cases, 34 contracted