Mount Ibu erupts again, spewing ash high into air

Jakarta: Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupted again on Sunday and spewed thick, gray ash 7,000 metres into the air, officials said. The volcano, which is located on an island in the eastern North Maluku province, erupted for more than six minutes, said Muhammad Wafid, chief of Indonesia’s Geology Agency. A column of ash could be seen rising high into the sky. —AP

Chinese spacecraft lands on moon’s far side

Beijing: A Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon today to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. The mission is the sixth in the Chang’e moon exploration programme, which is named after a Chinese moon goddess. It is the second designed to bring back samples, following the Chang’e 5, which did so from the near side in 2020. —AP