While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 8, 2026
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Stranded passengers waiting at a terminal as Soekarno Hatta International Airport closed its operations on Sept 7 due to the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Jakarta airport and four others near Indonesia’s capital reopen after volcanic ash disruption
Indonesia’s main airport and several other air travel hubs reopened early on Sept 8 after days of closure due to ash from a volcanic eruption, the Transport Ministry said.
The ministry wrote on Instagram that the airport serving the capital Jakarta and four others near the city or around the island of Java are now operating again, as the air safety crisis that left hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded subsides.
Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150km from Jakarta, erupted on Sept 5, spewing a fountain of lava and a plume of volcanic ash.
Eight airports halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights and leaving more than 340,000 passengers stranded, the Transport Ministry reported on Sept 7.
Britain set to impose trade ban on Israeli West Bank settlements
PHOTO: REUTERS
Britain is set to announce wide-ranging economic restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as soon as Sept 8, according to seven officials briefed on the measures, in what experts say would be a significant censure of Israeli policy toward Palestinians.
The measures are expected to include a trade ban on goods produced in the settlements, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Three of the officials said the measures could also include sanctions on companies helping to build settlements.
Israel has become increasingly isolated on the world stage in the aftermath of the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, and international attention has focused on Israel’s tightening grip over the West Bank.
Paris probes claim that women were hidden from Hindu delegation at Eiffel Tower
PHOTO: REUTERS
Female employees at the Eiffel Tower were asked to step out of sight during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation at the weekend, according to union representatives, prompting a staff protest and an investigation by the Paris city authorities.
The monument was closed late on Sept 7 as employees held a meeting over the incident, which has angered staff and drawn criticism from French politicians.
The dispute stems from a private visit on Sept 5 by a delegation of about 100 people linked to BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), a Hindu group whose representatives were in France for festivities related to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs.
Europe’s biggest mobile operators in talks for satellite-to-mobile venture
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
A group of Europe’s biggest mobile operators are in early talks to create a consortium to bid on satellite spectrum and offer direct-to-mobile service, which would rival Elon Musk’s Starlink service on the continent, people familiar with the matter said.
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Vodafone Group and Telefonica would jointly bid for a share of airwaves that the European Union has proposed reserving for a local operator, a plan aimed at increasing sovereign satellite capabilities, the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans are private. No final decisions on the consortium or plans to bid have been made, they said.
To comply with the EU’s proposal, any satellite operator would need to be majority controlled by a European business.
Elena Rybakina tops Naomi Osaka, sets US Open quarter-final clash with China’s Zheng Qinwen
PHOTO: AFP
World number two Elena Rybakina swept past four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on Sept 7 to line up a US Open quarter-final against China’s Zheng Qinwen.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who added the French Open title to her 2022 Wimbledon crown this year, is into the US Open last eight for the first time in her career.
The meeting with 2024 Olympic gold medallist Zheng will carry extra weight. If Rybakina reaches the semi-finals she is assured of supplanting Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings, even if the Belarusian wins her third straight US Open title.
