A court in Myanmar on Monday sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s deposed former leader, to four years in prison, delivering the first two guilty verdicts in a raft of criminal cases the ruling military have brought against her since a coup in February.
The 76-year-old leader was sentenced in the capital Naypyidaw to two years in prison after being convicted of inciting dissent against the military, and two for violating the country’s disaster management law.
The latter charge was brought by junta authorities against Suu Kyi for allegedly breaching Covid-19 containment rules when she waved to supporters of her National League for Democracy party as they passed her residence during last year’s election campaign.
Myanmar’s toppled leader has been given only limited access to legal counsel, and faces more than 10 criminal charges in all, in what her supporters describe as a show trial meant to bar her from ever holding office again.
General Min Aung Hlaing’s military regime seized power on February 1 and detained Suu Kyi and hundreds of other NLD parliamentarians and ruling officials after making unsupported claims of widespread fraud in an election that her party won.
“Since the day of the coup, it’s been clear that the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi, and the dozens of other detained MPs, have been nothing more than an excuse by the junta to justify their illegal power grab,” said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and chair of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a pressure group.
“Despite this most recent attempt to demonstrate their power, the Myanmar people continue to risk their lives every day to show that they completely reject this military,” he added in a statement.
A US congressman has faced a barrage of criticism after he posted a Christmas photograph of his family posing with military-style rifles, just days after a deadly school shooting.
Kentucky's Republican representative, Thomas Massie, tweeted the photo with the caption: "Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo".
The post has been condemned by a host of families affected by gun violence, plus figures on both sides of politics.
He has been contacted for comment.
In the wake of the controversy, Mr Massie has retweeted messages of support, and also those criticising him - directly engaging with several Twitter users who said he was "tone deaf" and "insensitive".
In response to one person who wrote the "bar was on the floor, but somehow you managed to tunnel underneath it," the 50-year-old quipped that "The BAR is under the couch," referring to a type of military assault rifle.
The photo was posted days after a school shooting in Michigan which left four teenagers dead and seven people injured after a 15-year-old student allegedly went on a rampage using his father's gun.
It is was the latest in a string of shootings in the US that has lead to fierce debate about gun rights and laws.
The families of students killed in previous school shootings have spoken out against the post.
Fred Guttenberg's daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland high school shooting in Florida in 2018 - one of the worst school attacks the US has seen.
He posted a photo of Jaime, and also a photo of her gravestone under the congressman's post.
.@RepThomasMassie, since we are sharing family photos, here are mine. One is the last photo that I ever took of Jaime, the other is where she is buried because of the Parkland school shooting.
The Michigan school shooter and his family used to take photos like yours as well. pic.twitter.com/MsQWneJXAp
Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin also died in the Parkland attack, told CNN that the tweet was in "the worst taste ever".
Several figures from the Republican party also condemned the post.
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman from Illinois, mocked him for displaying a "gun fetish" with the post.
And Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly former President Donald Trump's communications director, tweeted that he would fund any potential candidates running against Mr Massie in next year's congressional elections.
Despite the criticism, several prominent names in US conservative circles have defended the congressman.
The Colorado representative and gun-rights activist, Lauren Boebert tweeted: "That's my kind of Christmas card". Another Republican, Jose Castillo wrote "All I want for Christmas is... more elected officials like Thomas Massie."
Getty Images
Mr Massie was first elected to be Kentucky's congressional representative in 2012 and is closely associated with the libertarian wing of the Republican party.
He is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment - the right to keep and bear arms - and has always strongly opposed any gun control initiatives, saying in interviews that they would not stop school massacres.
A British teenager who survived a crocodile attack in Zambia has said she had "fully accepted" she would lose a foot.
Amelie Osborn-Smith, from Andover, Hampshire, had been with friends on a gap-year holiday and was white-water rafting on the Zambezi River near the famous Victoria Falls when the incident happened.
The 18-year-old, who finished her A-levels at school in Winchester earlier this year, was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her and dragged her under the water.
She was saved by a friend who reportedly punched the crocodile on the nose, with The Sun reporting that other rafters and guides also jumped in the water to fight the 10ft reptile off.
Image:She was said to have been resting her leg over the side of the boat when the crocodile bit her. Pic: Medland Hospital
She was then airlifted to a hospital in Zambia's capital Lusaka - about 240 miles away.
Advertisement
And speaking from her hospital bed, she revealed: "When the accident happened I fully accepted that I was going to lose my foot…
"I said to my friends, 'I've lost my foot, but I'm still alive.'
More on Zambia
Related Topics:
"And then I was told that my foot is going to be fine, and I'll be able to walk again, it was such a relief."
She also described the moment the attack happened in a video posted to the hospital's Facebook page on Saturday, which says she's set to fly home "within the coming 48 hours".
Image:Amelie finished her A-levels earlier this year. Pic: Instagram/@amelieosbornsmith
"A lot of people say you see your life flash before you, but you don't," she said.
"I just thought, 'how am I going to get out of this situation?'
"I was just very, very lucky."
The Zambezi River is a haven for those seeking water sports and wonderful views, but it is also home to a number of vicious - and potentially deadly - animals, including crocodiles.
ITV News Correspondent Lewis Warner has the latest developments on the Mount Semeru volcano eruption, which has prompted a desperate search for survivors
The death toll following the eruption of the highest volcano on Indonesia’s most densely populated island of Java has risen to 14, according to reports.
Mount Semeru in Lumajang district in East Java province spewed thick columns of ash more than 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) into the sky, and searing gas and lava flowed down its slopes after a sudden eruption on Saturday triggered by heavy rains.
Several villages were blanketed with falling ash.
“There’s no life there ... trees, farms, houses are scorched, everything is covered in heavy gray ash,” said Haryadi Purnomo of East Java’s search and rescue agency.
Search and rescue efforts were temporary suspended on Sunday afternoon because of fears that hot ash and debris could tumble down from the crater due to heavy rains.
Villagers look at the broken bridge destroyed by the lava flow following the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang district. Credit: AP
A thunderstorm and days of rain, which eroded and finally collapsed the lava dome atop the 3,676-metre (12,060-foot) Semeru, triggered the eruption, said Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the geological survey centre.
He said flows of searing gas and lava travelled up to 800 metres (2,624 feet) to a nearby river at least twice on Saturday.
People were advised to stay 3.1 miles from the crater’s mouth, the agency said.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said 56 people had been hospitalised, mostly with burns.
The ash from the eruption of Mount Semeru covers a village area in Lumajang distrct, East Java, Indonesia Credit: Trisnadi/AP
Several hundred people were moved to temporary shelters or left for other safe areas, he said, adding that a power blackout hampered the evacuation.
The debris and lava mixed with rainfall formed thick mud that destroyed the main bridge connecting Lumajang and the neighbouring district of Malang, as well as a smaller bridge, according to officials.
Despite an increase in activity since Wednesday, Semeru’s alert status had remained at the third highest of four levels since it began erupting last year, and Indonesia’s Volcanology Centre for Geological Hazard Mitigation did not raise it this week, Mr Lelono said.
Watch as people flee for their lives as the volcano starts spewing out ash and smoke
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari had said at least 13 villagers died from severe burns and 57 were taken to hospital, including 16 in critical condition with burn injuries.
The Associated Press has reported the death toll now stands at 14.
Mr Muhari said rescuers were still searching for seven residents and sand miners along a river in Curah Kobokan village who were reported missing.
Entire houses in the village were damaged by volcanic debris and more than 900 people had fled to temporary government shelters, he said.
Liswanto, the head of Semeru’s monitoring post, said his office had informed the community and the miners that hot ash could tumble down from Semeru’s crater at any time, after sensors picked up increased activity in the past week.
But some residents who fled to a government shelter near Lumajang district’s head office said authorities did not convey any information to them about the volcano’s activities.
An Indonesian soldier walks by a house buried in the ash Credit: Trisnadi/AP
“Suddenly everything went dark, the bright afternoon turned into night. A rumbling sound and heat forced us to run to the mosque,” said Fatmah, a resident who fled to the shelter from Curah Kobokan, about three miles from the crater.
“It was a far stronger eruption than in January.”
Transport ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati said her office issued a notice Saturday for all airlines to avoid routes near the volcano.
The last time Semeru erupted, in January, there were no casualties.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 270 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped series of fault lines.
Belgian police used tear gas and water cannon on protesters in Brussels to disperse crowds demonstrating against new coronavirus restrictions.
Thousands gathered to reject new measures introduced by the government on Friday, the third week in a row measures have been tightened, following a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
Most of the protesters marched peacefully, with some carrying signs criticising COVID-19 vaccinations and against making jabs mandatory. Several were accompanied by children.
Image:Thousands of demonstrators railed against new lockdown measures on Sunday. Pic: AP
Shouting "Freedom! Freedom!" and carrying banners that said, "United for our freedom, rights and our children", the protesters marched to the European Union headquarters.
The main crowd had mostly dispersed by the time around 100 protesters clashed with a barricade of police wearing riot gear protecting access to the European Commission.
Advertisement
Image:Protests had mostly been peaceful before some clashed with riot police. Pic: AP
According to the Associated Press news agency, after a brief stand-off, the protesters began to throw rubbish and other objects - including a bicycle - at police.
The protesters set off firecrackers and flares, while police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. No injuries were immediately reported.
More on Belgium
Related Topics:
Belgium's prime minister, Alexander De Croo, announced on Friday that day care centres and primary schools would close a week early for the Christmas holidays.
Mr De Croo added that children must wear masks from the age of six, and that indoor events would be limited to a maximum of 200 people.
Image:Several people brought their children along to the demonstration. Pic: AP
Nightclubs have already been ordered to close, and the government told bars and restaurants to shut at 11pm for three weeks.
Despite speculation that closing times would be brought forward to 8pm, ministers decided against it.
Image:Some of the signs expressed an opposition to vaccines. Pic: AP
According to the latest national health figures, cases in Belgium appear to have reached a plateau.
On a weekly average, 17,862 new daily cases were reported in Belgium, a rise of 6% compared to the previous week, reported the Associated Press.
Image:A little girl was pictures offering flowers to police in riot gear. Pic: AP
Hospital admissions rose 4%, leaving more than 3,700 people in hospital with COVID, 821 of them in intensive care.
More than 27,000 people with the virus have died in Belgium, which has a population of 11 million, since the outbreak began last year.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for survivors in villages buried by hot ash, after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday.
Fourteen people are known to have died and dozens were injured, emergency authorities said.
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were "very dire".
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.
"There were 10 people carried away by the mud flow," said Salim, who lives in the village of Kampung Renteng.
"One of them was almost saved. He was told to run away but said 'I can't, who will feed my cows?'"
One man searching for survivors said 10 people were missing in his village. Another described what happened.
"Locals here thought it was just usual floods. We did not know it was hot mud. All of sudden, the sky turned dark as rains and hot smoke came. Thankfully, it was raining so we could breathe," he told AFP.
Some relatives of the victims in Lumajang in East Java say they have not yet been able to collect their loved ones as some of the bodies have not yet been identified.
EPA
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said, and 10 sand mine workers who were trapped in buildings have been saved. Rescue shelters have been equipped with food, face masks, tarpaulins and body bags.
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption.
EPA
Reuters
The head of Indonesia's geological agency said heavy rain falling on the lip of Mt Semeru's crater caused it to partially collapse, triggering the eruption. There had been no increase in seismicity to suggest any change in magma flow, he said.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia said the ash cloud from the eruption appeared to have dissipated. The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.
Ash that solidifies on cooler parts of plane engines can disrupt airflow, which can lead to engines stalling or failing completely. It also affects visibility for the pilots and can affect air quality in the cabin - making oxygen masks a necessity.
Mt Semeru is in a near permanent state of eruption and regularly spews ash up to about 4,300m, so Saturday's eruption was a "pretty significant increase in intensity", Campbell Biggs, a meteorologist at the VAAC, told the BBC.
Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
16.50 BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi@PRB_BNPBpic.twitter.com/DYj8qIW23u
Info saat ini bahwa jembatan Gladak perak putus. Tolong menginfokan kepada masyarakat yang akan melewati lokasi ini untuk berhati-hati pic.twitter.com/Cgap7SZwBz
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
Rescuers in Indonesia are searching for survivors in villages buried by hot ash, after Mt Semeru on Java island erupted on Saturday.
Fourteen people are known to have died and dozens were injured, emergency authorities said.
One volunteer in the nearby district of Lumajang filmed police and military officials working to dig out bodies with their bare hands.
Houses were buried to their rooftops and vehicles wholly submerged.
Taufiq Ismail Marzuqi, who filmed the struggle to excavate bodies, told Reuters the rescue efforts were "very dire".
At least 11 villages in Lumajang, in East Java, were coated in volcanic ash. At least 56 people have been injured, with many suffering burns after they mistook the hot mud flow for flooding.
"There were 10 people carried away by the mud flow," said Salim, who lives in the village of Kampung Renteng.
"One of them was almost saved. He was told to run away but said 'I can't, who will feed my cows?'"
EPA
A spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said the injured were being treated at various hospitals and medical facilities.
Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from the area so far, the agency said, and 10 sand mine workers who were trapped in buildings have been saved. Rescue shelters have been equipped with food, face masks, tarpaulins and body bags.
The evacuation has been hampered by choking smoke, a power blackout, and rainstorms during the eruption which turned the debris into mud. An important bridge from the area to the nearby city of Malang was also severed during the eruption.
EPA
Reuters
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in Darwin, Australia said the ash cloud from the eruption appeared to have dissipated. The VAAC provides advice to the aviation industry about the location and movement of potentially hazardous volcanic ash.
Ash that solidifies on cooler parts of plane engines can disrupt airflow, which can lead to engines stalling or failing completely. It also affects visibility for the pilots and can affect air quality in the cabin - making oxygen masks a necessity.
Mt Semeru is in a near permanent state of eruption and regularly spews ash up to about 4,300m, so Saturday's eruption was a "pretty significant increase in intensity", Campbell Biggs, a meteorologist at the VAAC, told the BBC.
Mt Semeru rises 3,676m above sea level and is among Indonesia's almost 130 active volcanoes. The last time it erupted was in December 2020, forcing thousands of residents to take shelter.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Videos shared by emergency officials and local media showed residents running away as a giant ash cloud rose behind them.
16.50 BPBD Provinsi Jatim dan BPBD Lumajang telah menuju lokasi untuk melakukan assesment dan evakuasi warga di sekitar Gunung Semeru. Silahkan mention jika ada yang dilokasi@PRB_BNPBpic.twitter.com/DYj8qIW23u
Info saat ini bahwa jembatan Gladak perak putus. Tolong menginfokan kepada masyarakat yang akan melewati lokasi ini untuk berhati-hati pic.twitter.com/Cgap7SZwBz
— PRB Indonesia BNPB (Disaster Risk Reduction) (@PRB_BNPB) December 4, 2021
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
