Iraqis demand pullout of US troops

BAGHDAD • Thousands of supporters of volatile Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered in Baghdad yesterday for a "million-strong" march to demand the ouster of US troops.

The American military presence has been a hot-button issue in Iraq since a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis outside Baghdad airport on Jan 3.

Long opposed to the US troop presence, Mr Sadr had seized on the public anger over the drone strike to call "a million-strong, peaceful, unified demonstration to condemn the American presence and its violations".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Taal volcano remains a threat

MANILA • The Philippines has recorded more tremors beneath the Taal volcano island, keeping its warning that hazardous explosive eruption may happen within hours to days.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded 486 volcanic earthquakes including four low-frequency ones in the past 24 hours. "Such intense activity likely signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice, which may lead to further eruptive activity," it said in a report yesterday.

BLOOMBERG

This postman didn't even call once

TOKYO • A former Japanese postman faces possible charges after police found a mountain of mail at his home, and he reportedly said it was "too much bother" to deliver the items.

The man was "referred to prosecutors for allegedly violating postal law", a Kanagawa prefectural police spokesman said yesterday.

Local media reported that the 61-year-old had around 24,000 undelivered items from between 2003 and 2019 at his home in Kanagawa, near Tokyo. If convicted, the man faces prison time of less than three years or fines of up to 500,000 yen (S$6,200), the spokesman said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE