Historian facing deportation for being away too long ‘living in fear’

A top academic has said she is living in fear of being deported from the UK after being told she had spent too many days out of the country for research work.

Manikarnika Dutta, 37, had been conducting research as part of her academic commitments to the University of Oxford, which required access to archives stored in India.

Her research meant she spent 691 days outside the UK, exceeding the Home Office’s limit of 548 days abroad during a 10-year period before applying for indefinite leave to stay.

Ms Dutta, assistant professor of history at University College Dublin, and her husband Souvik Naha, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, applied last October for indefinite leave to remain in the UK based on long-term residency. While his application was approved, hers was rejected.

Despite being married and living in the UK for more than a decade, the Home Office also ruled she lacked sufficient family ties to Britain.

“I was broken,” Ms Dutta told the Independent.

She hit out at the “out of touch” Home Office, arguing that the immigration rules cited by the department didn’t accommodate the demands of academic research, especially for international scholars.

“Your first priority and your first commitment is towards your academics and the best research that you can produce,” Ms Dutta said. “So whatever is needed for that, you do it. It is not about counting those number of days. It is your research.”

Ms Dutta’s immigration status means she is concerned that if she leaves the UK, it could be difficult – or even impossible – for her to return.

“I have been living with that fear,” she told The Independent.

Ms Dutta asked for an administrative review, but the Home Office upheld its decision and instructed her to leave the UK or face a 10-year re-entry ban and possible prosecution for overstaying.

She has since launched a legal challenge against the decision.

The Home Office has agreed to reconsider its decision within the next three months, though it may still uphold the original ruling.

Until then, Ms Dutta has been left in limbo. She tells The Independent that “every time I took the flight from London, Gatwick to Dublin”, she was scared and “while coming back every single time, I literally have to explain my situation, because in my share code, what was really written is that my decision is pending.”

The emotional toll the situation has taken is even heavier. Ms Dutta says that this has impacted not just her and her husband but their parents in Kolkatta, India as well. Ms Dutta’s mother, who was unaware of the full extent of the problem, is now distressed. She had intentionally kept her family in the dark to avoid causing them unnecessary worry, she says. However, the recent media coverage has made it difficult to shield them from the situation.

“My mother for the last two days, it was very difficult,” she says.

Her husband, Souvik Naha tells The Independent: “We strongly believe that the Home Office made a clinical error in this.” He says: “I am fortunate enough to be able to travel to India, but she can’t, and that is really psychologically very damaging that she is kind of been considered as a persona non grata, who cannot really have any protection under the UK law or international law when it comes to travelling.”

The couple got married in January 2015 in India and live together in south London. However, both commute for work: Ms Dutta travels to Dublin and Mr Naha travels to Glasgow for work two to three days a week and then returns to London to spend the weekends and the first half of the week with her.

Ms Dutta first came to the UK in September 2012 on a student visa. Later, she obtained a spouse visa as a dependant of her husband, who had a visa under the “global talent” route.

Ms Dutta tells The Independent that there is a need for better communication between educational institutions and the Home Office. She says that the UK immigration system doesn’t recognise PhD research as professional work experience, despite its demanding nature and contributions to academia. “Rules really need to be flexible. They need to be human.”

She says: “I’ve done two postdocs, first in Oxford, the second in Bristol… you have to pay taxes to work in the UK for five years, and then that counts. So with your PhD years, it really doesn’t count (for visa and residency purposes).”

Mr Naha, meanwhile, says: “It’s very difficult for us to get in touch with the Home Office. Nobody picks up calls, nobody responds to emails.”

In the past, several academics have been asked by the Home Office to leave Britain for similar reasons. In 2015, Dr Miwa Hirono, a renowned Japanese academic and government adviser, was forced to leave the UK due to strict immigration rules. In 2019, more than 1,000 academics signed an open letter protesting the UK Home Office’s decision to deny Cambridge research fellow Asiya Islam indefinite leave to remain. The rejection was based on her exceeding the permitted number of days abroad, even though her time abroad was necessary for her PhD research on gender and class in urban India.

The Independent has contacted the Home Office for comment.

Fears for health of British couple held by Taliban as ‘trial delayed’

The family of a British couple, in their 70s, last seen chained to a group of Taliban prisoners say they fear for their health after their trial is delayed.

Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested as they travelled to their home in Bamyan province, in central Afghanistan, in February.

On Saturday the couple were presented in chains to hear their charges before their trial was cancelled “at the last minute” when their judge was changed.

Supporters describe the conditions in a Kabul maximum-security prison they are being held in as “brutal” and likened to “what I imagine hell is like.”

The couple, who married in Afghanistan in 1970, are hoping to get a “fair” court appearance early next week.

Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, said they had been kept away from each other by their prison guards.

“Mum’s health is rapidly deteriorating, and she is collapsing due to malnutrition. She and the other women are provided only one meal a day, while the men receive three,” Ms Entwistle told The Guardian.

“Dad’s health is also still declining, and he’s experiencing tremors in his head and left arm.”

Their daughter added the couple “spent four hours sitting on the floor, chained to other prisoners, before being returned to the prison.

“At the last minute, they were informed that they would not be seen by the judge. The guards indicated that a different judge would now be handling the case, and we continue to hope they will receive a fair hearing in the coming week.”

Mrs Reynolds needed help to climb the four staircases required to sit in front of the judge, she added.

“There are still no charges against them, and no evidence of any crime has been submitted. We are, of course, devastated by this delay. It makes little sense, especially given that the Taliban have repeatedly stated that this situation is due to misunderstandings, and that they will be released ‘soon’.”

It came after they were taken to court in chains on Thursday where Mrs Reynolds “looked frail and found it hard to stand”.

They were all cuffed by their hands and feet and whilst they could finally see each other they were not allowed to talk.

Supporters said their interrogator strongly attacked them in court, but has since “proved to be an honourable man”, who reported that there was “no evidence of any crime committed”. This prompted hopes they could be quickly released.

The couple have lived in Afghanistan for over 18 years, and became Afghan citizens, calling the country “home”. When the Taliban took over in 2021 they refused to leave, saying they “couldn’t leave the country and the people they love, in their darkest hour”.

The couple was arrested last month along with an American friend, Faye Hall, who had rented a plane to travel with them, their organisation Rebuild’s employees said. An Afghan translator, Juya, working with them was also arrested.

They were moved to a maximum security prison after being separated. Mr Reynolds is in immense pain after he was beaten and shackled by the Taliban, according to his family.

“His health has significantly deteriorated. We hear he now has a chest infection; a double eye infection, and serious digestive issues due to poor nutrition. Without immediate access to necessary medication, his life is in serious danger,” his daughter said.

“Again, we ask the Taliban to release Dad, Mum, Faye, and the interpreter as a gesture of goodwill during this season of Ramadan,” their daughter said in an previous appeal to the Taliban.

US lifts bounties on senior Taliban figures, Kabul officials say

The US has lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government, officials in Kabul said Sunday.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, who acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including US citizen Thor David Hesla, no longer appears on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. The FBI website on Sunday still featured a wanted poster for him.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the US government had revoked the bounties placed on Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani.

“These three individuals are two brothers and one paternal cousin,” Qani told the Associated Press.

The Haqqani network grew into one of the deadliest arms of the Taliban after the US-led 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

The group employed roadside bombs, suicide bombings and other attacks, including on the Indian and US embassies, the Afghan presidency, and other major targets. They also have been linked to extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activity.

A Foreign Ministry official, Zakir Jalaly, said the Taliban’s release of US prisoner George Glezmann on Friday and the removal of bounties showed both sides were “moving beyond the effects of the wartime phase and taking constructive steps to pave the way for progress” in bilateral relations.

“The recent developments in Afghanistan-US relations are a good example of the pragmatic and realistic engagement between the two governments,” said Jalaly.

Another official, Shafi Azam, hailed the development as the beginning of normalization in 2025, citing the Taliban’s announcement it was in control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Norway.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, China has been the most prominent country to accept one of their diplomats. Other countries have accepted de facto Taliban representatives, like Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the US and the Taliban. US envoys have also met the Taliban.

The Taliban’s rule, especially bans affecting women and girls, has triggered widespread condemnation and deepened their international isolation.

Haqqani has previously spoken out against the Taliban’s decision-making process, authoritarianism, and alienation of the Afghan population.

His rehabilitation on the international stage is in contrast to the status of the reclusive Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who could face arrest by the International Criminal Court for his persecution of women.

Controversy erupts in India as cash found at senior judge’s home

A major judicial controversy has erupted in India after an inquiry report revealed a large sum of cash discovered at the official residence of a high court judge.

The report, made public on Saturday by the Supreme Court of India, includes images of charred bundles of currency allegedly found after a fire broke out at the home of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma on 14 March.

Delhi High Court chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya has urged the chief justice of India (CJI), Sanjiv Khanna, to initiate a comprehensive investigation, citing a report from the city’s police commissioner.

The 25-page document records Justice Varma’s firm denial of any wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as a calculated attempt to tarnish his reputation.

“At the cost of repetition, I unequivocally state that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that storeroom at any point of time,” he said in the statement.

“Our cash withdrawals, made from time to time, are all documented and always through regular banking channels, the use of UPI applications and cards. Insofar as the allegation of the recovery of cash, I once again make it clear that no one from my house ever reported seeing any currency in burnt form in the room,” said Justice Varma.

He argued that multiple individuals, including household staff, gardeners, and Central Public Works Department personnel, had access to the storeroom where the cash was found.

However, Justice Upadhyaya contradicted this claim, asserting that preliminary findings suggest no unauthorised access beyond those residing at the property or authorised personnel.

“Based on the evidence presented and Justice Varma’s responses, I am of the prima facie opinion that this matter requires a deeper probe,” he stated in the report.

The case gained momentum when Delhi Police reported that a security guard at Justice Varma’s residence had witnessed debris and partially burned items being removed from the affected room on the morning of 15 March.

Chief Justice Khanna directly questioned Justice Varma about the origins of the cash and how it ended up at his residence. In response, Justice Varma categorically denied any knowledge or involvement, calling the allegations “totally preposterous”.

Justice Varma said he and his wife were in Madhya Pradesh that day and only his daughter and elderly mother were home when the fire broke out. He said he returned to Delhi with his wife on 15 March.

“When the fire broke out around midnight, the fire service was alerted by my daughter and my private secretary and whose calls would be duly recorded (sic).

“During the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns. After the fire was doused and when they went back to the scene of the incident, they saw no cash or currency on site,” the judge said.

The Supreme Court has since formed a three-member panel to conduct an internal inquiry into the matter. The committee includes Justice Sheel Nagu, chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice GS Sandhawalia, chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. Meanwhile, Justice Varma has been temporarily relieved of his judicial duties while the investigation proceeds.

The fire that led to the discovery occurred late at night on 14 March, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Holi. Firefighters responding to the emergency extinguished the blaze before reportedly uncovering stacks of charred currency. As part of the Supreme Court’s disclosure, images of the cash were uploaded to its website, intensifying public scrutiny of the case.

Justice Varma, upon viewing the images presented in the report, expressed shock, claiming they differed from what he had seen at the site.

“It was during our meeting at the High Court Guesthouse that I was first shown the video and other photographs which had been shared with you (Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya) by the Commissioner of Police.

“I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on-site as I had seen it. It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me,” said Justice Varma, according to the statement noted in the report.

In response to the preliminary findings, Chief Justice Khanna has requested access to Justice Varma’s call records and digital communications from the past six months to further the investigation.

“Justice Yashwant Varma should be advised not to alter or delete any data, messages, or conversations from his mobile phone(s),” he directed in correspondence with the Delhi High Court chief justice.

Adding to the intrigue, Justice Varma was transferred to the Allahabad High Court on Friday, fueling speculation about the case. However, the Supreme Court has clarified that his transfer was unrelated to the cash discovery.

Why Indonesia’s new military law has sparked outrage

Contentious legal revisions giving the military an expanded role in government has sparked outrage in Indonesia and raised fears of a slide back towards the country’s authoritarian past.

The Indonesian parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to amend the 2004 Armed Forces Law to allow serving military officers to hold crucial civilian positions.

The amendments were pushed by the coalition government of Prabowo Subianto, a former army general and son-in-law of former dictator Suharto.

The revisions raise the retirement age for four-star generals from 60 to 63 years and allow non-commissioned officers to serve until they are 55.

They also give the president the authority to appoint military personnel to various ministries as needed, according to the draft.

The legal revisions, pro-democracy activists and analysts say, could mark a return to Indonesia’s authoritarian past when Suharto ruled for 32 years.

It was a period when the military played a role in both defence and governance, ensuring its dominance.

In protest against the revised law, violent demonstrations erupted in the capital Jakarta as enraged citizens broke through the fence of the House of Representatives building.

Police used water cannons to break up the crowds of protesters attempting to storm the building, causing injuries to many.

Some of the protesters carried banners saying, “Return the military to the barracks!” and “Against militarism and oligarchy”.

Activists fear that allowing the military into civilian positions will restore the “dual function” of the armed services they saw during Suharto’s rule.

Al Araf, director of the rights group Imparsial, said the new law was inconsistent with the spirit of the reforms that followed the end of Suharto’s dictatorship in 1998 and returned the military to the barracks.

“The move has the potential to restore the authoritarian system,” Mr Araf said.

That the amendments were discussed behind closed doors, in secrecy and with little public input, has also triggered anger.

The latest draft was introduced less than a month ago, following a letter to the House from Mr Subianto endorsing the bill.

Pro-democracy activists discovered that lawmakers and government officials met in secret to discuss draft revisions at a five-star hotel in South Jakarta on 15 March.

Human rights groups warn that expanding the military’s role beyond defence will compromise its impartiality. Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the government’s rush to adopt these amendments undercuts its expressed commitment to human rights and accountability.

“President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military’s role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity,” he said in a statement.

The Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared, or KontraS, which advocates for justice for victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and state violence during the Suharto era, said it will open “the door to power abuse”, and weaken democracy.

“Worse, this revision is being discussed behind closed doors without public participation. Activists opposing it are facing intimidation,” the group said in a statement.

Dominique Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said on Thursday that the way the law was drafted could prompt backlash.

“Autocratic legalism will damage the foundations of constitutional democracy because it exploits loopholes in the construction of legal thought,” he said.

Defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin defended the amendment, saying it was necessary because “geopolitical changes and global military technology require the military to transform … to face conventional and nonconventional conflicts”.

“We will never disappoint the Indonesian people in maintaining the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.

However, Laksmana, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the revisions did not address the problems faced by the Indonesian military such as adding resources for training and standardisation of hardware.

In 1965, following a failed coup attempt, General Suharto led a violent purge, killing an estimated 500,000 to a million people, mostly accused communists and leftists. This event paved the way for his authoritarian rule, known as the New Order. During his rule, a military-backed autocracy suppressed opposition, rigged elections, and controlled the media.

The military held “dual function” roles in defence and governance and dissent against it was met with harsh measures.

Usman Hamid, head of Amnesty International in Indonesia who protested against Suharto during the New Order era, warned of the past returning.

“Activists were kidnapped and some have not returned home. And today it feels like we’re going backwards,” he said.

North Korea test fires latest anti-aircraft missile system

North Korea test-fired its latest anti-aircraft missile system on Thursday at a launch overseen by its leader Kim Jong Un, state media KCNA reported.

Mr Kim thanked the research group for the anti-aircraft missile system which the test-firing showed was “highly reliable” and carried an “advantageous” combat response, the North Korean state media reported.

While KCNA did not directly mention the research groups who helped North Korea develop an anti-aircraft missile system, experts said Pyongyang might be receiving help from Russia, especially as their security ties become increasingly entwined.

This was North Korea’s sixth weapons testing activity this year and coincided with the annual training between the US and South Korean militaries.

After the launch, the North Korean leader also said that the Korean People’s Army will be equipped with another major defence weapon system with laudable combat performance.

The production of the anti-missile defence system has already begun and the test was carried out by North Korea’s missile administration to examine its performance.

The report did not mention where the test was held but said that Mr Kim was joined by members of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

Photos of the anti-missile defence system test-launch showed a plume from a missile soaring into the sky followed by a mid-air explosion – likely indicating interception of a projectile.

Mr Kim was seen observing the test and smiling in the photographs shared by the KCNA.

North Korea has publicly aided the Ukraine war by sending tens of thousands of its troops to fight alongside Russian troops in Kursk where Ukrainian soldiers launched a daring incursion in August last year, and also shipped heavy weapons including artillery and ballistic missiles.

Russia has, in return, responded to North Korea’s defence demands, says Shin Seung-ki, head of research on North Korea’s military at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.

“In the past North Korea has introduced Soviet weapon systems and developed weapons based on them, and it is highly likely that Russia has given correspondingly what North Korea demands because of the strengthening of cooperation,” said Mr Shin.

He also pointed out that while Pyongyang manufactured and developed ballistic missiles on its own, it is far harder to produce interceptor missiles without any external help.

“It’s much more complicated because there’s not just missiles, but a detection and tracking radar, and there’s a command and control system,” Mr Shin said.

Russia had provided North Korea with anti-air missiles and air defence equipment in return for sending troops to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine, according to South Korea’s national security adviser last year. Seoul and Washington have earlier voiced worries about possible Russian transfers of sensitive nuclear and missile technology to North Korea.

This comes as Russian president Vladimir Putin‘s top security adviser Sergei Shoigu reached North Korea on Friday and is set to meet Mr Kim, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.

While the details of the Russian official’s visit to North Korea are not immediately clear, Mr Shoigu’s trip could be related to Mr Kim’s possible trip to Russia, some observers say.

Mr Shoigu, who served as Russia’s defence minister until last May and secretary of the Security Council since then, has earlier made visits to Pyongyang as North Korea allegedly geared up to deploy soldiers to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Indian court’s ruling on assault of 11-year-old sparks outrage

A high court in India has ruled that grabbing a minor’s breasts and breaking the string of her pyjamas does not constitute an attempt to rape, sparking widespread outrage and calls for a Supreme Court intervention.

The ruling was issued by Allahabad High Court in a case involving an 11-year-old girl who was attacked in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj district in 2021.

According to the prosecution, two men, named only as Pawan and Akash, grabbed the child’s breasts, tore the string of her pyjamas, and attempted to drag her beneath a culvert. The girl, whose name has not been disclosed due to legal reasons, had been walking with her mother when the accused, who knew the family, offered her a ride on their motorcycle.

Her screams alerted passers-by, who intervened, forcing the attackers to flee.

A trial court had initially summoned Pawan and Akash on charges of rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. However, after the accused challenged the charges, Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra ruled on Monday that the allegations did not amount to an attempt to rape. Instead, the judge modified the charges to assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe.

“The allegations levelled against the accused Pawan and Akash and facts of the case hardly constitute an offence of attempt to rape,” Justice Mishra stated in the ruling. “In order to bring out a charge of attempt to rape, the prosecution must establish that it had gone beyond the stage of preparation. The difference between preparation and actual attempt to commit an offence consists chiefly in the greater degree of determination.”

The court further observed that there was no evidence suggesting an intention to commit rape. Justice Mishra noted: “The specific allegation against Akash is that he tried to drag the victim beneath the culvert and broke the string of her pyjamas. It is also not stated by witnesses that due to this act of the accused, the victim got naked or got undressed. There is no allegation that the accused tried to commit penetrative sexual assault against the victim.”

The decision has been criticised by activists, politicians and legal experts.

Senior lawyer Indira Jaising described the ruling as deeply troubling and called for Supreme Court intervention, saying on X: “Requires suo moto action by Supreme Court. Judges have been pulled up for much less by Supreme Court.”

Union minister Annapurna Devi also criticised the verdict, saying, “I don’t support this decision, and the Supreme Court should also reconsider this decision because it will have an adverse impact on civil society.”

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal expressed outrage, calling the judgment “insensitive and dangerous for society”.

“God save this country with such judges adorning the Bench,” wrote parliamentarian and senior advocate Kapil Sibal. “The Supreme Court has been too soft in dealing with errant judges!”

Activist Shabnam Hashmi called the ruling “shameful”, adding: “The child was saved only because passers-by intervened. The judge does not see the intent to rape!”

Social media users also expressed anger over the ruling, with many questioning the judiciary’s approach to sexual violence. One user highlighted, “Mind you, this was done to an 11-year-old girl, a literal child. Somehow grabbing breasts and tearing the pyjama string of an 11-year-old child by two men is not an attempt to rape.”

Concerns over the judiciary’s interpretation of sexual offences come amid rising crimes against children in India.

According to the 2022 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of cases under the Pocso Act, with 7,955 incidents, followed by Maharashtra with 7,467 cases. Nationally, 62,095 cases were registered under Pocso sections in 2022. The report also noted an 8.7 per cent rise in crimes against children, with 162,449 cases recorded in 2022, up from 149,404 in 2021.

Bali flights cancelled as volcano erupts sending ash 8km into sky

At least seven international flights from Indonesia’s popular resort island Bali stand cancelled and many were delayed after a volcanic eruption sent ashes more than 8km high into the skies.

Authorities raised the alert status to the highest level after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, one of the twin active stratovolcanoes in East Flores Regency, Indonesia, erupted on Thursday night.

The large-scale eruption of the volcano in East Nusa Tenggara province happened after dozens of smaller ones had been erupting since Monday, the national geological agency said in a statement.

“The ash column was observed grey to black with thick intensity,” Indonesia’s volcanology agency said in a statement.

The mountain erupted for 11 minutes and nine seconds after the eruption began at 11pm on Thursday.

At least one person was injured during evacuations, a disaster mitigation agency spokesperson said, without sharing the details on the size or logistics of the evacuations.

The man from Nurabelen village is believed to be in critical condition after suffering burn injuries from hot gravel or ash, according to Kompas news outlet.

However, there were no reports of damages to the villages around the volcano but residents have been warned of the potential for volcanic mudflow due to heavy rainfall.

Videos on social media showed a towering dark grey ash cloud rising into the sky after a loud explosion startled the residents. People began clearing mounds of grey ash that settled over the rooftops and inside the houses.

Bali‘s Ngurah Rai International Airport said at least “seven international flights had been cancelled” with six of them being Jetstar flights bound for Australia.

Many others, both domestic and international, were delayed, causing chaos among passengers bound to Thailand, Singapore and Australia.

Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, told CNA that four domestic flights to and from Bali have been retimed.

“Scoot apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust our flight schedule as necessary,” it said.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is a part of the twin volcano system alongside Mount Lewotobi Perempuan, with their summits less than 2km apart. Standing at 1,584m (5,197ft) above sea level, Laki-Laki, meaning “man” in Indonesian, is the more active of the pair.

Indonesia, situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is home to 130 active volcanoes and is prone to frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

At least nine people were killed and thousands had to be evacuated after the Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupted in November last year, pelting nearby villages with hot rocks and lava flows.

A number of homes were burned down, including a convent of Catholic nuns with at least 10,000 people affected by the eruption in Wulanggitang District.

In October 2024, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra erupted, spewing thick ash columns and blanketing nearby villages, though no casualties were reported.

In May, at least 37 people were killed after heavy rains triggered flash flooding that caused cold lava to flow down from Mount Marapi and destroy several nearby homes. Before that, Mount Ruang erupted in April, leading to the evacuation of thousands and raising concerns about potential tsunamis.