News in Short

• Indonesia’s Mount Merapi continued to erupt, forcing authorities to halt tourism and mining activities on the slopes of the country’s most active volcano.
• The volcano on the densely populated island of Java unleashed clouds of hot ash and fast-moving pyroclastic flows.
• It was Mount Merapi’s biggest lava flow since authorities raised its danger level in November 2020. The volcano is near Yogyakarta, an ancient city, which is also a centre of Javanese culture and a seat of royal dynasties going back centuries.

• The 15th round of Corps Commander talks between India and China began on the Indian side of ChushulMoldo Meeting Point in eastern Ladakh.
• The immediate focus will be working out a disengagement agreement at Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area as part of the overall disengagement and de-escalation process.
• India has been insisting on comprehensive disengagement and de-escalation of the situation in eastern Ladakh, while China has been reluctant to discuss Depsang and Demchok.

• Russia has accused the United States of funding research into the development of biological weapons in Ukraine, as Moscow stepped up its campaign to gain control of key Ukrainian cities.
• Russia claimed the ministry had obtained documents detailing US military-biological activities in Ukraine, including on the transfer of Ukrainians’ biomaterial abroad.
• Both Washington and Kyiv have denied the existence of laboratories intended to produce biological weapons in the country, which has faced a Russian assault by tens of thousands of troops since February 24.

• Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative former top prosecutor and foreign policy neophyte, was elected South Korea’s president.
• With over 99% of the votes counted, Yoon from the main opposition People Power Party had 48.6% against ruling liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung’s 47.8%. It was South Korea’s most closely fought presidential election.
• It is also a dramatic victory for the opposition People Power party, who were left in disarray in 2017 after their president Park Gung-hye was impeached.

• Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• He is one of seven oligarchs to be hit with fresh sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans. The list also includes billionaires Igor Sechin and Oleg Deripaska, both seen as allies of Vladimir Putin.
• Chelsea FC cannot sell any more tickets for games, its merchandise shop will be closed, and it will be unable to buy or sell players on the transfer market.