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Flights Resume Gradually in Indonesia After Volcanic Eruption

A Citilink Airbus takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as the airport reopened following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, September 8, 2026. (Reuters)
A Citilink Airbus takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as the airport reopened following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, September 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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Flights Resume Gradually in Indonesia After Volcanic Eruption

A Citilink Airbus takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as the airport reopened following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, September 8, 2026. (Reuters)
A Citilink Airbus takes off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, as the airport reopened following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, September 8, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesia had planes flying again on Tuesday after a volcanic eruption forced the country's major airports to close for days, with authorities saying that flights would resume gradually.

The disruption, caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatau, halted nearly 3,000 flights and stranded more than 340,000 passengers.

The country's main airport serving the capital Jakarta and four other airports reopened early Tuesday after authorities cleared volcanic ash from critical infrastructure.

Transport minister Dudy Purwagandhi told reporters it would take time for flight schedules to return to normal.

Dudy said there were around 178 aircraft at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta's main air travel hub.

"We will be operating these aircraft, but before we do so, we want to ensure their airworthiness. So, it may take a bit of extra time," he said.

"We ask for a little patience from passengers and the public, as we will be carrying out inspections to ensure that these aircraft are fit to fly," he added.

The transport minister said three flights departed shortly after the airport reopened, including two commercial flights to eastern Indonesia.

Airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia said in a statement that volcanic ash had been cleared from the runway and other areas to ensure the facilities were safe for flights.

Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, sits in a strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

The volcano erupted at least three times on Tuesday morning alone, according to the head of the Geology Agency, Lana Saria.

It has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea nearly a century ago in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau.

A 2018 tsunami triggered by a collapse of parts of Anak Krakatau killed more than 400 people and displaced thousands.

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Varieties

Eiffel Tower Reopens after Row over Removing Women Staff

Pedestrians walk past the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 8, 2026. (Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 8, 2026. (Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP)
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Eiffel Tower Reopens after Row over Removing Women Staff

Pedestrians walk past the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 8, 2026. (Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 8, 2026. (Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP)

The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday after staff walked out over the removal of women colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group which later apologized.

The operating company that runs the Paris landmark, SETE, acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested the visit on Saturday be organized so as to limit "interactions with women" and said that "these conditions should not have been accepted.”

The Eiffel Tower, which says it receives nearly seven million people a year, reopened on Tuesday morning, with visitors making their way through security checkpoints at the base.

The monument was closed on Monday, when SETE said it held a meeting between staff and management, AFP reported.

The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) spiritual movement apologized for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by the incident.

"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower," the organization wrote on X.

"Due to the size of our delegation, the visit was arranged in conjunction with the Eiffel Tower team at the start of normal operating hours to avoid disrupting or inconveniencing others."

Eiffel Tower staff condemned "professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex" during the visit by the delegation.

"Instructions were given to female employees of the Eiffel Tower and to female employees of contractors to make themselves invisible in order to welcome this delegation," the staff said in a statement, adding they were shocked to have been put in such a situation.

"Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present."

BAPS, which is close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling conservative Hindu nationalist party, opened its first major temple in France on Sunday, near Paris.

BAPS spiritual leader Mahant Swami Maharaj, 93, consecrated it himself.

The BAPS organization claims a worldwide network of more than 1,300 temples, some of which have been inaugurated by Modi himself.

France's gender equality minister Aurore Berge voiced indignation after the Eiffel Tower incident.

"In France, we do not ask women to erase themselves," she said.

Candidates in next year's presidential election also weighed in.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen also criticized the incident, saying France would "never accept that women's presence be 'limited'".

Gabriel Attal, a centrist rival to become head of state, said: "In France, no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one can come and dictate to women what their place should be."

Varieties

Australia Targets Social Media Algorithms with New User-Choice Rules

The Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
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Australia Targets Social Media Algorithms with New User-Choice Rules

The Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)
The Instagram app icon is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Australia on Tuesday ‌proposed giving social media users the option to select the content they see on their feeds, marking the next step in the government's push to improve online safety, following its world-first social media ban for children.

Under draft laws proposed by the center-left Labor government, social media platforms will be required to notify users and offer them a choice over their default feed.

Users can choose to opt in to having their default feed include personalized content recommended by an algorithm. Alternatively, they can opt out of algorithmically recommended content and instead ‌see posts ‌only from the friends and creators they choose ‌to ⁠follow.

"This is sensible, ⁠pragmatic, practical reform," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. "It gives users choice and it will hold the big tech companies responsible for inaction if they don't follow our laws."

Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Alphabet's Google did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Australia follows in the footsteps of the European Union's Digital ⁠Services Act, which has since 2024 required platforms ‌to offer users the option of ‌switching off profiling. However, the rollout had a bumpy start, with regulators complaining ‌that platforms did not make it simple enough for users ‌to opt out.

Social media companies face growing scrutiny around the world over concerns that algorithms have been designed to encourage addictive behavior, with users drawn into prolonged viewing through recommendations that push them toward similar content.

Albanese said ‌the "My Feed, My Way" initiative would also require digital platforms to document the measures taken to address identified ⁠risks of ⁠harm to Australian users and ensure those measures remain effective over time.

Failure to comply could attract penalties of up to A$109.2 million ($79 million), with Australia's internet regulator, eSafety, responsible for compliance and enforcement.

eSafety will also be granted the power to issue notices requiring Big Tech companies to swiftly remove harmful, nudity-related and illegal content. However, free speech advocates warned the proposed legislation could result in censorship.

"It's not about giving government control. It's about giving people control," Albanese said.

The government will seek feedback from digital platforms, industry bodies, civil society organizations and advocates on the draft legislation, with the bill expected to be introduced to Parliament this year.

Varieties

Rare 1,800-Year-Old Roman Mosaic Uncovers Man’s Tribute to Beloved Pet Cat and Dog

Colorful floor mosaic in Roman-era villa at Adramytteion (Journal of Social Sciences)
Colorful floor mosaic in Roman-era villa at Adramytteion (Journal of Social Sciences)
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Rare 1,800-Year-Old Roman Mosaic Uncovers Man’s Tribute to Beloved Pet Cat and Dog

Colorful floor mosaic in Roman-era villa at Adramytteion (Journal of Social Sciences)
Colorful floor mosaic in Roman-era villa at Adramytteion (Journal of Social Sciences)

Unique mosaic engravings unearthed at the ruins of a Roman-era villa in Türkiye could be memorializing its rich owner’s beloved pet dog “Ocean” and cat “Emerald,” archaeologists say.

The colorful mosaic, portraying over a dozen mythological and living animals, was uncovered during recent excavations at the ancient city of Adramytteion on Türkiye’s Aegean coast.

It was found in the main reception area of the villa dated to the late second to third centuries AD.

The elaborate mosaic measuring about 5 meters by 3.6 meters is located in the middle of the main “North Hall,” and would have greeted visitors arriving at the villa, according to a forthcoming study to be published in the Journal of Mosaic Research.

Ancient artists who made the mosaic used a “rich polychrome palette” that included “red, orange, black, white, blue, green, yellow, and burgundy tesserae,” according to the study.

The mosaic features 15 panels arranged in three rows, depicting birds, fish, and felines, as well as what seem to be depictions of Medusa and Pegasus.

“The figural repertoire varied, combining animal imagery, particularly birds, together with emblematic and mythological elements, including a winged horse, a pygmy figure, a Medusa head, and representations of domesticated and wild animals, as well as a fish,” archaeologist and study author Huseyin Murat Ozgen wrote.

Such elaborate mosaics made from costly materials like marble and colored glass were often put on display by wealthy Romans to project their high social standing.

They were often placed in entryways, reception rooms, and dining areas of villas and spaces owned by rich Romans to project their taste in art.

There is also a mosaic panel depicting a running or leaping dog with the Greek letters “ΩΚΕΑΝΟΣ,” meaning “Ocean,” inscribed underneath.

The pale cat would have been the first panel a person entering the reception room would have noticed to their left.

On the right side, a person entering the room would have likely first noticed the mosaic panel depicting the leaping dog.

Both these panels stand out as they are the only animal depictions bearing names.

The imagery used in the mosaic is a particularly common repertoire for North Africa, researchers say.

They suspect the dog’s name could be inspired by Adramytteion being an ancient harbor city.

The cat’s name may hint at the villa owner’s link to Roman Egypt, where emeralds were mined in antiquity, Dr. Ozgen told Live Science.