Global Pulse

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  • Russia’s WWII victory celebrations are muted this year as Ukraine war weighs on Putin

    Russia’s WWII victory celebrations are muted this year as Ukraine war weighs on Putin

    As Russia prepares to mark its most consequential secular national holiday on Saturday, simmering security risks from the ongoing war in Ukraine and growing undercurrents of domestic discontent have cast a long shadow over the traditional commemorations held in Moscow’s iconic Red Square. This year’s Victory Day, which honors the Soviet Union’s 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany, has been fundamentally reshaped by the unresolved conflict that has stretched more than four years beyond Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The day, once a showcase of national pride and military grandeur, is unfolding against a backdrop of failed ceasefire efforts, escalating cross-border attacks, and unprecedented cutbacks to the iconic military parade.

    The unilateral 48-hour ceasefire that Russia declared for Friday and Saturday fell apart within hours of taking effect, mirroring the rapid collapse of a separate unilateral ceasefire announced by Ukraine just days earlier. Almost immediately after the ceasefire went into effect at midnight Friday, both Moscow and Kyiv traded blame for continued hostilities, a public exchange that lays bare the profound, years-long lack of trust between the two warring parties that has derailed all U.S.-led diplomatic initiatives aimed at reaching a lasting peace settlement.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces strictly adhered to the ceasefire, holding their positions and halting all offensive operations, but accused Ukraine of launching sustained strikes on Russian military positions and civilian infrastructure across the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk. The ministry added that Russian air defense systems had intercepted and downed 390 Ukrainian drones and six Neptune long-range guided missiles launched at Russian territory since midnight. A separate statement from Russia’s Transport Ministry confirmed that a Ukrainian drone strike targeted the administrative headquarters of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch in Rostov-on-Don, forcing a temporary suspension of operations at 13 airports across southern Russia.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered a sharply conflicting account of the ceasefire’s first day. Zelenskyy said Russian forces continued offensive attacks along the entire front line overnight, while Ukrainian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 56 Russian drones launched at Ukrainian targets. “All this clearly shows that there was not even a pretense of a ceasefire attempt from the Russian side,” Zelenskyy told reporters Friday. He also confirmed that Ukrainian forces carried out another long-range strike on a Russian oil facility in the Yaroslavl region, located more than 700 kilometers (400 miles) from the Ukrainian border, though he did not provide a specific timeline for the attack. In recent months, Ukraine’s advancements in drone and missile technology have allowed it to carry out increasingly frequent and accurate strikes deep inside Russian territory, with key energy infrastructure, particularly major oil production facilities, emerging as a primary target.

    Russian officials have issued stark warnings of severe retaliation – including the possibility of a large-scale missile strike on Kyiv – if any Ukrainian attack disrupts Saturday’s official Victory Day events. “We have strengthened our focus on the possibility of retaliatory measures,” presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters Thursday. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has urged foreign embassies and international organizations based in Kyiv to evacuate their offices ahead of any potential strike, and the Defense Ministry has called on Ukrainian civilians to leave targeted areas.

    The guest list for this year’s commemorations has also drawn international attention, with Zelenskyy expressing surprise that several foreign leaders have traveled to Moscow for the events. Attendees include Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, and Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Notably, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico – the leader of an EU member state – is scheduled to hold a meeting with Putin and lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin walls, but will not attend the Red Square parade.

    For decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has held power for more than 25 years, has leveraged the symbolic legacy of the World War II victory to rally domestic support for his administration and justify the war in Ukraine, while also projecting Russia’s influence on the global stage. That makes this year’s scaled-back parade all the more notable: for the first time in nearly 20 years, the iconic procession will not feature tanks, missiles, or other heavy military equipment, with only the traditional flyover of military aircraft remaining. Russian officials have only cited the “current operational situation” as justification for the change, offering no further details.

    Beyond security threats from Ukraine, the Kremlin also faces growing rumblings of domestic discontent over its wartime policies. Many Russians have expressed frustration over escalating internet censorship and state control of online activity, including recent restrictions on the widely used messaging app Telegram. To bolster security for Saturday’s events, Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media has announced sweeping restrictions on mobile internet access and text messaging services across Moscow. Only state-approved websites and services included on the government’s official “white list” will remain accessible to mobile users, though home internet and Wi-Fi connections will not be affected. The restrictions have been framed as a necessary measure to protect public safety, but they underscore the Kremlin’s growing anxiety about potential unrest or security breaches during the national holiday.

    The current state of the war has further compounded pressures on the Kremlin. Russia’s far larger and better-equipped military has been locked in a slow, costly grinding campaign in Ukraine, a far cry from the quick victory the Kremlin expected when it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine’s steady campaign of long-range strikes deep into Russian territory has shaken the Kremlin, with attacks targeting critical oil infrastructure, military manufacturing plants, and weapons depots, eroding confidence in the government’s ability to secure the country’s rear areas as the war drags on.

  • A government critic dies in custody in Rwanda, drawing calls for an independent probe

    A government critic dies in custody in Rwanda, drawing calls for an independent probe

    KAMPALA, UGANDA – The death of prominent Rwandan academic and government critic Aimable Karasira in custody, just days before he was set to be released from prison, has triggered urgent calls for an independent international investigation from leading human rights advocates, who are questioning the official account of his death.

    Rwandan authorities confirm Karasira died Wednesday at Kigali’s Nyarugenge District Hospital following what they describe as an overdose of prescription medication for a preexisting chronic condition. In a statement provided to local Rwandan newspaper The New Times, prison system spokesperson Hillary Sengabo claimed Karasira consumed a large excess dose of medication that had been issued to him by prison health services.

    But Human Rights Watch has openly challenged this official narrative, calling on the global community to prioritize this case and pushing for a committee of independent international experts to conduct a full, unfiltered probe into the circumstances of Karasira’s death.

    “There are countless grounds to question the circumstances surrounding Aimable Karasira’s death in custody, not least the years of targeted harassment and systematic persecution he faced at the hands of Rwandan authorities,” explained Clémentineine de Montjoye, a researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The Rwandan government carries the legal and moral burden of proving Karasira was not unlawfully killed while in their custody.”

    Karasira’s path to arrest began in 2020, when he published a YouTube video discussing the loss of his relatives both during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and in its aftermath, following the rise to power of the rebel front that ended the mass killings. Human Rights Watch documentation shows that after the video’s release, Karasira faced sustained pressure from Rwandan intelligence services and anonymous threats from unknown actors.

    He was taken into custody in 2021, facing multiple charges including genocide denial and inciting ethnic division. He was convicted on some counts and acquitted on others, but prosecutors launched an appeal of the acquittals, demanding a 30-year prison sentence that was still pending at the time of his death. Because Karasira had already served four years of a five-year total sentence while awaiting trial proceedings, his release was scheduled for May 6, just days after his death was announced.

    Michela Wrong, a British historian who has extensively documented alleged human rights abuses under the current Rwandan government, said Karasira’s death reveals deep-rooted issues within the country’s criminal justice and political system. “He told multiple visitors he was being beaten and tortured while in custody,” Wrong wrote on social platform X. “Prison eventually proved a fatal experience, as it has for so many dissidents in Rwanda. Now officials claim he died of an overdose of his own prescription medicine.”

    Human Rights Watch has drawn parallels between Karasira’s death and the 2020 in-custody death of Kizito Mihigo, a popular Rwandan singer and fellow government critic. The organization noted both figures held significant moral authority that resonated widely with the Rwandan public, presenting a unique challenge to the ruling government.

    President Paul Kagame’s political party has controlled Rwandan governance since the end of the 1994 genocide. The government has enacted sweeping policy measures to heal ethnic divides, including removing ethnic identifiers from national ID cards and integrating genocide education into national school curricula. Every April, the country holds nationwide solemn commemorations to honor genocide victims, and hundreds of community initiatives led by government and civic groups work to promote national unity. Kagame is widely credited by international supporters with establishing decades of relative stability and economic growth after the genocide.

    However, critics have long accused Kagame’s administration of systematically eliminating all political dissent. Detractors characterize his rule as an authoritarian regime that has erased nearly all organized opposition, with opponents regularly imprisoned, forced into exile, disappeared, or dying under suspicious circumstances while in state custody.

  • From Grandoli to the World Cup: The neighborhood club where Messi’s journey started

    From Grandoli to the World Cup: The neighborhood club where Messi’s journey started

    On a crisp afternoon in Rosario, Argentina, a cool breeze drifts off the Paraná River, cutting through the mild autumn chill. Near the riverbank, a group of young soccer players stretch and warm up, the sharp clatter of their small cleats against packed dirt growing louder by the minute, until the referee’s whistle calls them onto the pitch. Each kid laces up in the iconic orange and white striped jersey of Abanderado Grandoli, the unassuming neighborhood club where Lionel Messi’s extraordinary soccer journey first kicked off 34 years ago. From a faded mural on a nearby brick building, a portrait of a young Messi looks out over the field, watching the next generation chase the same dream he started here decades ago.

    For the 100-odd young players who train at Grandoli today, the shadow of Messi, Rosario’s most famous son and widely considered the greatest soccer player to ever step onto a pitch, looms large. It’s a legacy that drives every kick and every goal on their small, unpolished pitch. “I watched him play when I was little, and it made me want to play just like him,” said 11-year-old Julián Silvera, who says he spends hours practicing Messi’s signature free kicks after every training session.

    Three and a half decades after Messi first laced up cleats here, the final chapter of his historic career is approaching. The 38-year-old Inter Miami captain is widely expected to lead Argentina in his sixth World Cup this year, set to be hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, though he has yet to make an official announcement about his participation. That story all began in this quiet lower-middle-class district of Rosario – Argentina’s third-largest city, a bustling industrial hub that also birthed revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

    It was 1990 when 5-year-old Messi first came through the club’s gates, brought by his maternal grandmother Celia, who had accompanied his older brother Matías to a youth league match at Grandoli. The origin story of how Messi got on the pitch has since become enshrined in club lore: a 6-year-old age-group seven-a-side match was one player short, and Celia spotted an opening for her small, already remarkably talented grandson. She pressed coach Salvador Aparicio to give the boy a spot on the roster.

    “Aparicio didn’t want him to play because he was too young for the age group,” recalled Ezequiel Assales, one of Messi’s original Grandoli teammates who now has two sons playing for the club’s current youth sides. “His grandmother insisted. They finally put him on, and the first thing everyone said was, ‘What a player!’ That’s how it all started.”

    Guillem Balagué, the Spanish journalist who penned Messi’s only authorized biography, notes that Aparicio’s hesitation stemmed from more than just age: Messi was already showing early signs of the growth hormone deficiency that would later threaten his career, and the coach feared the match would be too physically rough for the small boy. He placed Messi on the right wing, close to where his grandmother watched from the stands, and told her, “If you see him cry or get scared, we’ll take him out.”

    Aparicio, who died in 2008, shared the account of that first match in multiple interviews before his passing. Messi fumbled his first touch on the ball, but on the very next play, he trapped it with his left foot and dribbled past a full string of opposing players. In that moment, the first spark of a legend was lit.

    Grandoli is what’s known in Argentina as a “baby fútbol” club, a grassroots training ground for children between 4 and 13 years old. Unlike larger teenage youth academies, these small community clubs do not collect solidarity payments – a cut of transfer fees when their alumni move between professional clubs later in their careers, a key source of revenue for player development clubs across the globe. Instead, they rely entirely on small monthly membership fees from families and ticket sales from match days to keep operating. For Grandoli, Messi’s global fame has opened up an additional stream of income, through advertising partnerships with energy drink and beer brands.

    Inside the club’s modest locker room, a glass display case holds the youth trophies won by Messi’s original team, lined with fading photographs from his time at the club. For the young players training here now, the display is more than a tribute – it is a daily source of inspiration.

    “He was a different kind of player; you just had to give him the ball and support the rest of the team, and he would do the rest,” Assales recalled. “You could already tell he had an incredible future ahead of him. He’d leave three or four players in his dust every time he touched the ball. We would just wait for rebounds, and more often than not, he’d finish the goal himself.”

    As Messi’s goal tally climbed through his Grandoli days, more and more local spectators would crowd the sidelines on weekends to watch the boy fans were already calling the “new Maradona” – a nod to Argentine legend Diego Maradona, who had lifted the World Cup trophy just one year before Messi was born.

    “What everyone else got to see when he became a global superstar, we were lucky enough to watch from the very beginning,” said David Treves, who served as Grandoli’s head coach and president for 17 years before stepping down in 2023. “He had incredible speed and unmatched ball control. Back then, the pitch wasn’t the well-maintained grass you see at top academies – it was just packed dirt. His technical skill was so good that you never even noticed his physical limitations.”

    At 7 years old, Messi moved on to Newell’s Old Boys, one of Rosario’s most popular professional youth academies. When the club declined to cover the cost of treatment for his growth hormone deficiency – a condition that would have cut his career short before it ever truly began – the Messi family relocated to Spain, where FC Barcelona welcomed the 13-year-old prodigy into its famed La Masia academy and agreed to pay for his medical care.

    Over a trophy-laden career that has spanned Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and now Inter Miami, Messi has never returned to officially visit Grandoli. But small, intentional gestures have always tied him back to the club where his career started. Most famously, Messi points to the sky with his index finger every time he scores a goal – a quiet tribute to his grandmother Celia, who died in 1998, and who he has repeatedly credited with pushing him to start playing soccer.

    After leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Messi shared a heartfelt message on social media that summed up his decades-long journey: “From Grandoli to the Qatar World Cup, almost 30 years have passed. Nearly three decades in which the ball has given me many joys and also some sorrows. I always dreamed of being a World Champion and I didn’t want to stop trying.”

    That message has become a core part of the club’s identity today. The phrase “From Grandoli to the Qatar World Cup” is emblazoned on the jerseys of every youth player who takes the pitch here. As the referee blows the final whistle on a recent May training match, the kids rush off the field toward the club’s snack bar, drawn by the smell of hot french fries and fresh chicken cutlet sandwiches.

    With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, Grandoli’s young players – just like the rest of Argentina – are waiting eagerly for Messi to lead the defending champions one last time. For these kids who train where it all began, Messi’s legacy is already permanent.

    “There will never be anyone like him,” said 11-year-old Valentín Enríquez. “I feel sad because the best player on the national team is leaving.”

  • Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Victory Day ceasefire

    Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Victory Day ceasefire

    As Russia prepared to mark its annual Victory Day holiday commemorating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany over the weekend, planned ceasefires on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict unraveled within hours, with Kyiv and Moscow trading accusations of widespread violations that have pushed tensions to new highs.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced a 48-hour unilateral ceasefire set to run from 8 to 9 May, timed to align with the country’s main Victory Day celebrations scheduled for Saturday. Ukraine had previously proposed its own indefinite truce starting 6 May, which Russian forces never acknowledged. By early Friday, just hours after Putin’s ceasefire entered into force at local midnight, both militaries were reporting hundreds of breaches across the front line and deep strikes into each other’s territory.

    The Russian Ministry of Defence released an update via Telegram Friday morning claiming it had documented 1,365 ceasefire violations across the conflict zone, including 153 separate artillery barrages and 887 drone incursions and strikes. The ministry added that Ukrainian forces continued targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia’s border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, which lie adjacent to the main front line, and that Russian troops had launched a proportional “mirror response” to the breaches.

    Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that roughly 20 drones had been intercepted and downed in areas surrounding the Russian capital within the first two hours of the ceasefire, marking one of the largest concentrated drone attempts on Moscow in recent weeks. Additional Ukrainian drone strikes were reported across a wide swath of Russian territory, hitting industrial sites in Perm and Yaroslavl regions, military-related infrastructure in Rostov region, and locations in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic. Thirteen commercial airports across southern Russia were forced to temporarily suspend all flight operations following the wave of attacks, disrupting holiday travel for thousands of passengers.

    On the Ukrainian side, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed the accusations in his own Telegram post, stating that Russian forces had carried out more than 140 separate attacks on Ukrainian positions and launched over 850 drone strikes in the opening hours of the truce. “All of this clearly indicates that there was not even a simulated attempt from the Russian side to cease fire at the front,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Ukraine would “act in kind” to Russian breaches, matching its offensive operations.

    A day earlier, on Thursday, Ukraine had already accused Russia of violating its own earlier unilateral ceasefire, pointing to a drone strike on a kindergarten in Sumy region that killed two civilians. No children were present at the facility at the time of the attack, Ukrainian officials confirmed.

    Amid widespread fears that Ukraine will attempt to disrupt the high-profile Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square, Russian security officials have implemented unprecedented security measures across the capital. In a break from tradition that marks the first shift in nearly 20 years, no heavy military hardware will be displayed during the parade, only marching infantry units. Russian authorities have also issued direct threats in response to any potential attack on the parade: the defence ministry warned it would launch a “retaliatory, massive missile strike” against central Kyiv if Moscow is targeted, and urged foreign diplomatic staff to evacuate the Ukrainian capital before 9 May.

    Russian authorities have also issued formal warnings to residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg that mobile internet connectivity will be intentionally limited across large areas of both cities during the celebrations, a step officials say is necessary for security purposes. Many Russians have been advised to prepare for temporary full internet outages over the holiday period.

    Unlike pre-war Victory Day celebrations, which regularly drew thousands of foreign guests and high-level dignitaries to Moscow, this year’s event will have an extremely limited international attendance. Only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia, Laos, and a small number of other low-level foreign dignitaries are scheduled to participate in this year’s events.

  • Queensland urged to back-pedal on 10km/hr e-bike speed limit

    Queensland urged to back-pedal on 10km/hr e-bike speed limit

    Plans to enforce a uniform 10km/h speed limit across all regions of Queensland for electric bikes and electric scooters are set to be softened after a state parliamentary inquiry delivered a series of amended recommendations on the controversial safety legislation.

    Originally, the Queensland government tabled a new safety bill that would implement a blanket 10km/h speed restriction for all e-mobility riders across the entire state, a policy that immediately drew fierce public pushback. Opponents of the original proposal argued that the overly restrictive limit would force many commuters to shift from low-traffic shared paths onto crowded, high-speed main roads, while also adding significant unnecessary time to daily work and errand commutes across the region.

    After reviewing thousands of submissions and hearing testimony from stakeholders, the bipartisan parliamentary committee tasked with examining the bill tabled its final report Friday, calling for major revisions to the speed limit provision. Instead of applying the 10km/h cap across all public paths and roads, the committee recommends the restriction only be enforced in zones with heavy foot traffic — such as central business districts, shopping strips, and parklands — as well as within 10 meters of any pedestrians on shared footpaths. The panel also proposed that multi-use shared paths remain exempt from the 10km/h rule unless local authorities install dedicated signage indicating the limit, and suggested officials consider raising the cap to 15km/h in cases where riders are passing within 10 meters of pedestrians.

    Beyond speed regulations, the original legislation includes two other key provisions that have proven contentious: a full ban on e-bike and e-scooter use for anyone under the age of 16, and a requirement that all riders hold at minimum a learner driver’s license. Disability advocacy groups raised urgent alarms over the licensing rule, noting that many people living with permanent disabilities or chronic medical conditions are ineligible for driver licenses, and the requirement would create an insurmountable barrier to accessing these affordable, lightweight mobility devices that many rely on for daily transportation.

    In response to those concerns, the committee added a recommendation for targeted exemptions to the licensing rule, covering people who cannot obtain a license due to disability, medical impairment, or age-related eligibility restrictions. Despite the proposed changes to the speed limit, the committee has endorsed the overall passage of the bill, meaning new targeted regulations for e-mobility users are almost certain to take effect in Queensland in the coming months.

    Committee chair Jim McDonald emphasized in the foreword to the final report that the entire inquiry was centered on balancing public safety for all vulnerable road and path users, including riders, pedestrians, and people in motor vehicles. “The evidence presented to the committee was confronting and enlightening, and we acknowledge the heartbreaking experiences of those who have lost loved ones in e-mobility incidents,” McDonald wrote.

    He added that the combination of the original bill and the committee’s revised recommendations will deliver a clear, practical regulatory framework that improves safety for everyone sharing Queensland’s roads, pathways, and public spaces. The framework, he said, is designed to cut down on preventable injuries and save lives, while still maintaining accessible riding opportunities through targeted, proportionate restrictions rather than a one-size-fits-all statewide rule.

  • Former Botswana President Festus Mogae dies aged 86

    Former Botswana President Festus Mogae dies aged 86

    Botswana’s former president Festus Mogae, a towering figure of African governance whose decade-long leadership guided the southern African nation through an era of transformative growth and public health progress, has died at the age of 86. Current Botswana President Duma Boko confirmed the passing in an official public announcement, noting that Mogae died early Friday following an extended period of ill health.

    Last month, the Botswana government confirmed that the former head of state was receiving ongoing medical care at a facility in Gaborone, the national capital, but declined to share details about the specific nature of his condition.

    As the third president of Botswana, Mogae held office from 1998 to 2008, capping a decades-long career in public service that saw him rise through senior government roles including finance minister and vice president before ascending to the country’s highest office. His tenure is widely remembered for two landmark contributions that shaped modern Botswana: strengthening the nation’s economic governance frameworks amid a diamond-fueled period of rapid economic expansion, and leading a bold, life-saving response to one of the world’s worst HIV/AIDS epidemics at the time.

    At the height of the crisis, when Botswana recorded one of the highest global HIV infection rates, Mogae’s administration rolled out an ambitious national antiretroviral treatment program that drove dramatic reductions in both new infections and mortality from the disease. Even after leaving office in 2008, Mogae remained a prominent regional advocate for expanded HIV/AIDS care, pushing for universal access to free antiretroviral therapy and evidence-based policies to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

    In recognition of his exceptional leadership, Mogae was awarded the 2008 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, one of the continent’s most prestigious honors for good governance, which cited his commitment to democratic rule and the orderly, peaceful transfer of power to his successor Ian Khama. Following his presidency, Mogae continued to contribute to African stability and development, taking on a range of international advisory roles and leading peace mediation initiatives across the continent.

    Botswana, where Mogae built his legacy, stands out as one of Africa’s most consistently politically stable nations. Since gaining independence from colonial rule in 1966, the country has never experienced a coup d’état and has held regular, competitive multi-party elections, a track record of democratic governance that Mogae helped cement during his time in office.

  • At least 3 hikers killed by volcano eruption on Indonesian island

    At least 3 hikers killed by volcano eruption on Indonesian island

    JAKARTA, Indonesia – A powerful explosive eruption at Mount Dukono, one of Indonesia’s most continuously active volcanoes located on the remote island of Halmahera, has left three hikers dead and sparked an urgent ongoing rescue operation, Indonesian authorities confirmed Friday.

    A group of approximately 20 hikers departed on their ascent of the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) peak Thursday, openly defying strict public safety restrictions that have long closed the mountain to recreational climbing amid its ongoing high volcanic activity, according to North Halmahera Police Chief Erlichson Pasaribu. The group was caught off guard when the volcano erupted at 7:41 a.m. local time, sending a dense ash plume billowing roughly 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) above the crater. Indonesia’s Geological Agency recorded seismic activity from the eruption that lasted more than 16 minutes.

    In a national television interview, Pasaribu confirmed the hikers were fully aware of the ban: Mount Dukono has been maintained as a restricted zone under its second-highest government alert level for volcanic risk, but the group proceeded with their climb regardless. When the eruption hit, all 20 hikers became stranded within the dangerous restricted area. Rescue teams were rapidly deployed after an emergency distress signal was detected from the mountain slopes.

    As of Friday afternoon, 14 members of the group, including seven foreign nationals, have been successfully evacuated to safety, with five of those rescued sustaining non-life-threatening injuries. Three hikers – two Singaporean citizens and one Indonesian national – were pronounced dead at the scene. Search operations are still underway for the remaining missing hikers, who authorities believe are attempting to make their way down the mountain on their own.

    Recovery of the three fatalities has been delayed, as recurrent after-eruptions and unstable volcanic conditions have kept rescue teams from safely reaching the impact zone. For years, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation has prohibited all human activity within a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius of Dukono’s crater, due to constant risks of flying volcanic bombs, heavy ashfall, and lethal toxic gas emissions. Officials confirmed all members of the hiking group were inside this prohibited zone when the major eruption occurred.

    Pasaribu noted that despite multiple warnings posted on hiking trails and shared widely across social media platforms about the active dangers, many outdoor enthusiasts continue to sneak onto the mountain. The main driver of this risky behavior, he explained, is the growing desire among social media users to capture unique content to share online.

    Indonesia, which lies along the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire, is home to more than 120 active volcanoes across its archipelago of thousands of islands. Mount Dukono is among its most active, having experienced near-constant low-level eruptive activity since 1933. In recent months, volcanic activity at the peak has intensified significantly. According to Lana Saria, head of the Geological Agency under Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, explosive magmatic eruptions have increased sharply since late March. Between March 30 and the day of the fatal eruption, officials recorded nearly 200 separate eruptions, averaging around 95 eruptive events per day. Friday’s deadly blast ranks among the most powerful of this recent uptick in activity, Saria confirmed.

    Ash clouds from the latest eruption, which range in color from pale gray to deep black, are being carried northward by regional winds, Saria said. Authorities have issued warnings that widespread ashfall could impact nearby populated areas, including the larger town of Tobelo. Ashfall poses acute respiratory health risks to local residents, and can also disrupt ground and air transportation as well as normal daily routines. Secondary hazards, including fast-moving volcanic mudflows that can travel down river channels from the volcano’s slopes during heavy rain, are also a major ongoing risk, officials added.

    With volcanic activity remaining at elevated levels, government agencies have ramped up continuous monitoring of Mount Dukono. Officials have issued a renewed plea to local residents, tourists, and hiking enthusiasts to remain calm, strictly follow all official safety guidance, and avoid all restricted areas near the volcano while monitoring continues.

  • Three dead after volcano erupts on Indonesian island

    Three dead after volcano erupts on Indonesian island

    On a Friday morning in Indonesia, a sudden eruption of the active Mount Dukono volcano claimed three lives, turning a routine early morning hike into a fatal tragedy that has sparked new debates about public risk perception and enforcement of volcanic safety regulations.

    The 1,335-meter volcano, located on Indonesia’s North Maluku island, erupted at 07:41 local time, sending a towering column of volcanic ash 10 kilometers into the sky. Footage captured from the scene shows thick plumes of ash and rocky debris continuing to spew from the volcano’s crater long after the initial blast. Among the hikers on the mountain that morning were 20 people who had ignored repeated official warnings against climbing the volcano: 18 Singaporean and Indonesian hikers, and two local porters. Three members of that group — two Singaporean citizens and one local resident from nearby Ternate — were killed by the eruption.

    Search and rescue teams were deployed immediately to extract the remaining hikers. Most of the surviving group members were safely evacuated and transported to local hospitals to receive treatment for eruption-related injuries. The two porters from the original group stayed behind on the mountain to help rescuers navigate the terrain and locate the victims’ remains, which are trapped at higher elevations. As of Friday afternoon, body recovery efforts have been blocked by ongoing volcanic activity, rough, uneven terrain, and repeated explosive blasts from the crater. Aldy Salabia, a local resident assisting with rescue operations, told BBC Indonesian that from the team’s staging shelter, continuous ejection of ash and rock material was clearly visible.

    Eyewitness accounts from other hikers on the mountain that morning have added context to the tragedy. A local guide who escaped unscathed with his two clients told reporters he had detected warning signs of an impending eruption days earlier. “When Dukono hasn’t erupted for a few days, you have to be careful,” he explained, noting that he spotted deep tremors just before the blast and immediately fled downslope with his guests. As he descended, he said, he saw dozens of other hikers still lingering at the summit — including one group at the edge of the crater itself, and another 50 meters away filming footage with a drone.

    Mount Dukono has had more than 200 recorded eruptive events since March 2025, and has maintained a Level 2 alert status on Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic warning system for an extended period, a classification that signals elevated activity and requires strict caution. Since December 2024, Indonesian volcanic authorities have officially banned all tourism and climbing activity within a 4-kilometer radius of the main crater, citing constant risks of flying rock, ash fall, lava flows and sudden explosive eruptions. Officials say these warnings were widely shared across social media platforms and posted on large banners at all trail entrances, but many climbers continue to disregard the restrictions.

    Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency, Barsanas, has launched an investigation into the incident, noting that initial reviews suggest possible negligence by tourism operators or individual guides who led groups up the mountain despite the known risks. “The government is continuing to gather information to establish a complete account of the incident,” a Barsanas spokesperson said.

    Disaster experts say the tragedy exposes a growing, dangerous misperception of volcanic risk among tourists fueled by social media content. Dr Daryono, a member of the Indonesian Association of Disaster Experts, told the BBC that active volcanoes should never be treated as routine tourist destinations. “Dukono is a mountain with almost continuous eruptive activity, so any violation of the danger zone carries a fatal risk,” he said. He added that social media has warped public understanding of the danger: users only see content from influencers and climbers who successfully summit and return unharmed, while the constant, lethal risks of volcanic activity are pushed out of public view. “The real danger remains and could emerge at any time in the form of ejections of incandescent material, thick ashfall, volcanic gas, or sudden explosive eruptions,” he warned.

  • South Africa court rules impeachment proceedings against president should not have been blocked

    South Africa court rules impeachment proceedings against president should not have been blocked

    In a landmark judicial decision that has upended South Africa’s political landscape, the country’s Constitutional Court has ruled that parliament acted unconstitutionally when it blocked efforts to initiate impeachment proceedings against sitting President Cyril Ramaphosa back in 2022. The ruling directly responds to a legal challenge launched by opposition parties, who argued that the 2022 parliamentary vote to halt impeachment violated the core separation of powers enshrined in South Africa’s constitution.

    The entire controversy traces back to a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s private farm in rural South Africa, where intruders stole more than $500,000 in undeclared cash that had been stashed inside a sofa at the property. Following the incident, an independent panel of senior legal experts assembled by parliament concluded that there was sufficient credible evidence to open an impeachment inquiry, finding that Ramaphosa may need to answer to allegations of misconduct related to the unreported cash.

    Critics of the president have raised persistent questions about the origin of the large sum of hidden money, demanding full transparency over how the funds were acquired and why they were not properly disclosed per South African ethics rules for public officials. Ramaphosa has repeatedly and forcefully denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that he has violated no laws or ethical codes during his time in office.

    In 2022, when impeachment proceedings were first brought to a parliamentary vote, Ramaphosa’s long-governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), held an absolute majority in the chamber. That majority allowed the ANC to block the impeachment push from moving forward. However, the political calculus shifted dramatically following South Africa’s 2024 general election, where the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, leaving it reliant on fragile coalition agreements to retain power.

    With the Constitutional Court’s latest ruling clearing the legal path for a new impeachment vote, the coming parliamentary vote will be a critical test for Ramaphosa’s presidency, with the outcome potentially reshaping the future of South African politics.

  • Islamic militants attack Congo villages near Uganda, killing 40 people, local group says

    Islamic militants attack Congo villages near Uganda, killing 40 people, local group says

    KINSHASA, DRC – A series of coordinated overnight attacks carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an insurgent group with ties to the Islamic State, has left at least 40 civilians dead in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s border region adjacent to Uganda, local civil society representatives confirmed Friday. The violent incursion unfolded between Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, striking multiple rural communities across two of eastern Congo’s conflict-torn provinces. According to Charité Banza, head of the Ituri civil society collective, and Kinos Katua, an on-the-ground group member, 25 civilians were killed in border villages within Beni territory, North Kivu, while an additional 15 fatalities were recorded in neighboring Ituri province. Local activists warn the final death toll is expected to climb, as dozens of residents remain unaccounted for following the attacks, which also saw insurgents burn down residential structures and loot civilian property. The ADF, a rebel movement originally formed in Uganda that pledged formal allegiance to the Islamic State network in 2019, has waged a low-intensity insurgency in the shared border region of the two countries for decades, with frequent attacks targeting unarmed civilian populations. The latest bloodshed comes just weeks after Amnesty International released a damning report this week accusing the ADF of systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilian communities in eastern DRC. This attack is one of the deadliest claimed by the group since July 2025, when an ADF assault left 66 civilians dead in eastern Congo—a massacre the United Nations labeled a deliberate “bloodbath.” The DRC is already grappling with one of Africa’s most complex and protracted conflict crises, with roughly 120 active rebel and insurgent groups operating across its eastern territory. The most significant threat to state control currently comes from the M23 rebel movement, which is backed by Rwanda and has seized control of multiple major strategic cities and large swathes of territory in North Kivu over the past two years, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.