25 killed as Guatemala volcano erupts

GUATEMALA CITY • At least 25 people were killed when Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted on Sunday, belching ash and rock and forcing the capital's main airport to close.

The volcano expelled hot muddy material that caused the deaths in the communities located on its southern slope, disaster agency spokesman David de Leon said. Search and rescue operations for the missing and dead were suspended due to low light and dangerous conditions, and were to resume early yesterday morning.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Probe into London tower fire focuses on cause

LONDON • An inquiry into London's Grenfell Tower fire began hearing evidence into its cause yesterday, following a week of poignant testimony from relatives of the 71 victims of last June's disaster.

The public probe is set to examine five newly published expert reports detailing how the inferno started, why it spread so quickly, and the effectiveness of the fire protection measures in the 24-storey building. It is suspected the cladding installed during a recent refurbishment helped spread the blaze.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

HK pro-independence duo get 4 weeks' jail

HONG KONG • Two Hong Kong independence activists who were stripped of their status as lawmakers in 2016 were sentenced to four weeks in prison yesterday for their role in a fracas that disrupted proceedings in the city's Parliament.

Baggio Leung and Yau Wai Ching belong to Hong Kong's embattled independence movement, which is calling for the semi-autonomous city to split from China as its freedoms come under threat from Beijing.

Judge Wong Sze Lai told the pair they had "directly hurt the dignity of the legislative council".

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE