Flights to and from Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta resumed early Tuesday after ash from a volcanic eruption forced a two-day closure that halted nearly 3,000 flights.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport serving Jakarta, Husein Sastranegara Airport in West Java’s Bandung city and two smaller airports in Banten province reopened just after midnight, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.

Three other airports remained closed until 10 a.m., including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung on the southern tip of Sumatra island, despite improving conditions at some facilities. Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam in South Sumatra province had resumed normal operations Monday morning.

“We are taking a conservative approach because wind direction is highly dynamic,” Purwagandhi said in a statement. “We want to ensure that volcanic ash has moved away from airports around Anak Krakatau.”

Although tests at several airports showed no traces of volcanic ash, the extended closures would allow time for inspecting and cleaning surfaces and equipment like runways, taxiways and aircraft that may have been exposed to volcanic ash, Purwagandhi said.

The continuous eruption of Anak Krakatau with lava fountains and loud booms ended Sunday but the volcanic island remained active Tuesday morning.

The airport closures Sunday and Monday disrupted nearly 2,961 flights, including 622 international services, and affected about 341,000 passengers.

The government also authorized schools in areas affected by volcanic ash to shift temporarily to online learning to reduce students’ exposure to ash.

Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between Indonesia’s main islands of Java and Sumatra. Its name means “child of Krakatau,” and the volcano is the offspring of the infamous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.

An eruption of Anak Krakatau in 2018 caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java. Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.

The volcano remained at Indonesia’s second-highest alert level since July, and authorities advised residents, tourists and fishermen to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the active crater.

Indonesia has more than 120 active volcanoes and frequently experiences eruptions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the ring of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most global seismic activity occurs.

It is part of the owner’s plan to save £250 million

Three popular Cambridgeshire restaurants are set to close for good this week. Cambridgeshire ’s Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations are soon set to shut their doors.

The news comes after the chain’s announcement that all of its sites across the country will close for good. Brewers Fayre restaurants across the country will shut on September 7, followed by 106 Beefeater sites on September 10.

The company confirmed that both its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre portfolios would be wound down entirely, placing 3,800 jobs at risk, reports MyLondon. The closures are part of owner Whitbread’s major restructuring plan to save £250 million – which involves closing down its remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites.

Three Cambridgeshire Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants are set to close. These are:

• The Brampton Hut Brewers Fayre;
• The Hampton Brewers Fayre;
• The Granary Beefeater.

Brewers Fayre is known for its affordable meals, casual, family dining and traditional pub classics. These include food like burgers, Sunday roasts, fish and chips, and breakfast.

Beefeater is known for serving classic pub grub such as grilled steaks, fish and chips and burgers. It has been serving up family favourites since 1974.

The viral clip from 2020 featured in a montage of other world leaders seeming to ignore people in distress or being disrespectful, while the American leader is depicted as “the people’s president”, greeting troops and police officers, honouring the war dead, hugging elderly veterans and being a doting husband.

The second-hand marketplace is updating its Terms and Conditions (T&Cs), with the new rules applying from October 8, 2026.

Users will need to review and accept the updated terms if they want to continue using Vinted.

One of the changes could affect users who have money sitting in their Vinted Balance.

If Vinted’s Balance Provider cannot verify that the user’s bank account details match their Vinted Balance details, they may be asked to update their information before they can use their balance or receive a payout.

There is also a change for people who decide to delete their Vinted account.

Vinted says its Balance Provider may also be asked to close the user’s Vinted Balance.

The platform has also updated and clarified Section 7, which covers how Vinted deals with community concerns and moderation.

Buyer Protection fee renamed

One change likely to catch the attention of shoppers is the renaming of the Buyer Protection fee.

It will now be called the Vinted fee.

However, Vinted stresses that this does not mean a new or additional charge is being introduced.

The fee will still be calculated in the same way and will remain visible during the checkout process.

Vinted says its existing support and protections will continue to apply when people buy or sell through the platform.

There is also an update to the way items proven to be counterfeit during the Electronics Verification Service may be handled.

The full details of this change can be found in Section 17 of the updated terms.

Vinted users can review and accept the new T&Cs ahead of the changes taking effect.

Recommended reading

When do the rules change for Vinted users?

Until October 8, the current Terms and Conditions will continue to apply.

The new rules mean users may want to check their account and balance details before the changes come into force, particularly if they regularly sell items and withdraw money from Vinted.

Vinted has also provided a PDF copy of the updated terms for users who want to keep a record.

​Council bosses are set to consider finding an external partner to help bring forward regeneration proposals for several council-owned sites in Scarborough town centre.

​The proposed masterplan would consider the future of several high-profile council-owned buildings and sites that require significant investment, including Scarborough Town Hall, where about 80 per cent of the available floor space is currently unused due to its deteriorating condition.

​North Yorkshire Council said it wants a development partner to prepare a masterplan to help identify future uses for underutilised and vacant sites, assess regeneration opportunities, attract investment into some of the town centre’s much-loved buildings and bring forward deliverable proposals for key locations across the town centre.

​The authority recently purchased Resolution House as a new out-of-town office in Scarborough for £3 million, as the first staff members moved into the building last month.

​However, concerns have been raised by local councillors about the future of the Town Hall, which currently serves as a civic centre and hosts many public and council meetings, including those of Scarborough Town Council.

Resolution House. NYC

​Town Mayor, Thomas Murray, said: “Scarborough’s historic Town Hall is not just another office block to be quietly written off from Northallerton.

​“It has stood at the heart of Scarborough’s civic life for generations and remains the home of Scarborough Town Council, our council meetings, mayoralty and civic functions. It is an important part of our town’s heritage and civic identity, and I sincerely hope North Yorkshire Council will work constructively with the Town Council to secure its long-term future.”

​North Yorkshire Council wants to appoint a development partner to prepare a masterplan that will identify future uses for “underutilised and vacant sites, assess regeneration opportunities, attract investment into some of its much-loved buildings and bring forward deliverable proposals for key locations”.

​Scarborough is one of the council’s “highest development priority locations” and is also recognised as a key place for growth and investment by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Scarborough South Bay. Courtesy NYC

​The proposed approach – set to be considered at a meeting on Tuesday, September 15 – would help the council take a coordinated view on a number of sites, identify funding opportunities and attract investment into regeneration projects.

​North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Mark Crane, whose responsibilities include regeneration and economic development, said: “We have a number of prominent sites that are currently underused or vacant.

​“By undertaking market engagement to identify a potential development partner, we can take a coordinated approach to understanding how those sites can contribute to the town centre and bring forward practical regeneration proposals.

​“This will help us assess future options for these sites, identify opportunities for investment, and ensure any proposals are deliverable.”

​Following local government reorganisation in 2023, which saw the former county council and seven previous district and borough authorities merge, North Yorkshire Council inherited a large estate of buildings and land.

​This included a number of sites in Scarborough facing significant challenges, alongside annual running costs of up to £1 million.

​As some council staff begin to transition into Resolution House by the A64 – which was bought from Anglo American – the council will retain a town centre presence in Scarborough, including customer services and a base for those who need to work in and around the town centre. Council staff currently work at both the Town Hall and Castle House.

​If the market engagement exercise is successful and the appointment of a development partner is approved, the masterplan would sit alongside a number of regeneration projects already underway in Scarborough, including the Station Gateway public realm scheme and plans to revitalise West Pier.

​Together, they would support a coordinated approach to investment and development across the town.

​North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for finance and property, Cllr Peter Wilkinson, said: “It’s important that we carefully consider how these sites can contribute to Scarborough’s future, identify regeneration opportunities and reduce the costs associated with buildings that are underused and require significant investment.

​“This work will help us assess what options are available and consider proposals that are practical and financially viable.”

Police rushed to the streets after shots were fired from a handgun in broad daylight

Panicked pedestrians ran into a busy street in screams after a gunman opened fire in Merseyside. Police descended on Stanley Road just before 5pm following reports of a man riding an e-bike had let off shots from a handgun on Monday (September 7).

There have been no reports of any injuries, while a damaged was caused to a property. Huge cordon is in place around Stanley Street, with further blockades at its junctions with Merton Road and Balliol Road.

A forensics team arrived at the scene which has been secured by several police vehicles and officers throughout the evening.

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CSI officers were seen working around the area of a bus stop on the busy street.

One witness who was driving along Stanley Road at the time told the ECHO they heard what sounded like two gunshots. They said they noticed a car around 20 metres ahead suddenly stop before reversing back towards them.

The witness said: “At that point, I didn’t know what was going on so I just waited behind for a second. What sounded like two gunshots were then fired. It was really loud; two bangs.

“Two people, I don’t know whether they were male or female, on big black bikes like e-bikes, whizzed off around the corner.

“About 20 seconds later, a guy came out of Swift’s pub holding a brick, with two other girls. He looked like he was looking for somebody.

“He and the girls were shouting. By this point, everyone had come out of the shops.

“People were everywhere, screaming on the street. I didn’t really know what was going on.”

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Armed officers remain in the area and detectives are carrying out CCTV and witness enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Saidi-Bidokhti said: “We are in the very early stages of an investigation and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed what happened or has any information which could help us with our enquiries to come forward.

“I would also like to appeal to anyone who lives in the area, who has CCTV footage or Ring doorbell, that may have captured the incident to get in touch.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of such offenders who carry dangerous weapons in our community and urge anyone who has any information to contact us so we can find those responsible.”

If you have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage or information about this incident, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also report information via the force’s website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call with log number 745 of 7 September.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.

All 89 remaining restaurants will serve their last customers on Monday, September 7, as owner Whitbread brings the Brewers Fayre brand to an end.

For diners across the area, one of the nearest restaurants affected is Wheatlea Park on Warrington Road in Wigan.

The restaurant, next to the Premier Inn Wigan West, will close after its final dinner service tonight.

Other North West Brewers Fayre restaurants shutting for good include Stable Gate on Alphagate Drive in Denton and Oakenhurst Farm, off Eccleshill Road in Lower Darwen.

Cottams Field on Caton Road in Lancaster is also closing.

Brewers Fayre has been a familiar name across the UK for decades, with its restaurants known for family dining and often found alongside Premier Inn hotels.

But Whitbread announced earlier this year that it would get rid of all its separately branded restaurants in a major overhaul of the business.

The move affects around 200 restaurants and is expected to result in approximately 3,800 job losses across the UK and Ireland.

Brewers Fayre is not the only well-known restaurant name disappearing as a result.

Bar + Block, Table Table and Cookhouse + Pub sites had their final trading day on September 3.

Beefeater will be next, with 106 restaurants due to close after service on Thursday, September 10.

Whitbread instead plans to operate restaurants within its Premier Inn hotels, a model it says is more efficient and “highly popular with hotel guests”.

The changes form part of a five-year strategy aimed at making £250 million in cost savings.

The company still plans to grow its Premier Inn business, increasing its number of hotel rooms from around 86,600 to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.

Chief executive Dominic Paul said when the overhaul was announced: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.”

He added: “This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green closed schools and government offices on the westernmost islands of Kauai and Niihau for Tuesday as Hurricane Lowell was expected to pass nearby, bringing damaging winds, mudslides, possible tornadoes, dangerous rip currents and as much as 16 inches (about 40 centimeters) of rain to some areas.

The closures, which include community colleges and state and county offices, were put into effect for Kauai County, which was under a hurricane warning issued by the National Hurricane Center. The county includes the major islands of Kauai, which has a population of over 73,000, and Niihau, where there are fewer than 100 residents.

A portion of the vast Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was also included in the warning.

Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said the core of the storm was expected to pass over or just west of Niihau late Monday and early Tuesday. While the winds — which were strong enough to make Lowell a Category 2 hurricane as of Monday afternoon — were expected to weaken, the storm was expected to remain a hurricane at its closest approach to the islands

“Closing offices, schools and courts will help keep people off the roads during dangerous conditions and allow emergency crews to focus on protecting our communities,” Green said in a news release. “I urge everyone in Kaua’i County to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary travel and follow all official emergency instructions.”

He also urged residents to stay away from shorelines, avoid driving through floodwaters, prepare for power outages and monitor for updates.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Oahu, which has close to 1 million residents.

Isolated rainfall totals of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) were expected in Oahu and Maui, and 12 inches (30 centimeters) was expected in portions of the Big Island of Hawaii, the farthest east of the state’s major islands.

Last month, the state had a brush with Tropical Storm Lala. While it did not make landfall, it hit Hawaii — and especially the Big Island — hard, leaving behind landslides, washing away about 100 homes and causing widespread power outages.

An Illinois woman charged with killing her 2-year-old son had been closely following the murder trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy and was texting friends about the case just hours before her son was found dead, prosecutors said.

Corie Walsh, 40, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after her son, Barrett, was found dead in the basement of the family’s suburban Chicago home on Sept. 1, according to court records obtained by NBC Chicago.

Prosecutors said Walsh had become “very invested” in Clancy’s nationally watched trial and was discussing it with friends until about 12:30 p.m. that day. A neighbor found Barrett less than four hours later.

Walsh was found elsewhere in the home with injuries authorities said were self-inflicted. Prosecutors said she later told investigators that she killed her son because she believed he was the “devil” and the “anti-Christ.” Her attorney, Andrea Lyon, told reporters Walsh was experiencing a psychotic episode and called the boy’s death a tragedy for the entire family.

Police were called to Walsh’s home in Frankfort, about 35 miles (56.33 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, shortly before 4 p.m. after a neighbor discovered Barrett in the basement, according to prosecutors’ petition seeking to keep Walsh jailed before trial.

The neighbor found the boy and began CPR while calling 911, prosecutors said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined that he died from asphyxia caused by ligature compression of the neck.

Police searching the house found Walsh fully dressed in a bathtub containing bloody water, prosecutors said. She had cuts to her wrists and thighs and was taken to a hospital with injuries authorities described as not life-threatening.

The disclosure that Walsh had been following Clancy’s trial came days after a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in that case when jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, was accused of killing her three young children in 2023. Her lawyers argued that she was legally insane and suffering from postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors maintained that Clancy understood what she was doing and knew it was wrong.

Authorities in Illinois have not alleged that Clancy’s trial played a role in the killing of Walsh’s son, and no evidence made public so far establishes a connection beyond her discussion of the case.

Frankfort Police and prosecutors in Will County did not respond to calls for comment on Monday.

Erik and Lyle Menendez will have an opportunity to fight for parole earlier than expected.

The brothers, who were once sentenced to spend the rest of their lives behind bars for killing their parents, have been granted an early parole suitability hearing – tentatively scheduled for March 2027, TMZ reports.

They had previously only been able to apply for another hearing in August 2028, after the California Board of Parole denied their requests for early release last year.

But the parole board has since found they qualified for an earlier parole hearing under a provision to Proposition 9, a 2008 law that amended the California state Constitution and was meant to provide certain rights to crime victims, according to the Orange County Register. 

Provisions to the law allow a person’s next parole hearing date to be moved up if there was a change in circumstances or new information indicating the person may be suitable for parole.

It remains unclear whether the parole board uncovered new information indicating the Menendez brothers may be suitable for parole, but their family members have argued that Lyle, 58, and Erik, 55, have been model prisoners.

‘For almost 40 years, Erik and Lyle have worked to take responsibility for their actions, confront and heal from the unimaginable abuse and trauma they endured, grow as individuals and dedicate themselves to serving others,’ a family spokesperson said in a statement.

‘Through efforts such as helping to establish a hospice program and creating Green Space, they have sought to build an environment that reminds people serving life sentences that their lives still have meaning and that, regardless of their circumstances, they can choose each day to grow, heal, accept accountability and contribute something of value to the world around them.

The brothers were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty, inside their Beverly Hills mansion

‘Erik and Lyle were once sentenced to life without the possibility of parole,’ the family noted. ‘We will always be profoundly grateful that they have been resentenced and that our family can now imagine a future in which they are once again part of our everyday lives.’

The family then went on to say that the California Board of Parole’s decision to move up their hearing ‘is especially meaningful and brings us immeasurable joy as we move one step closer to a future with them that once seemed impossible.’ 

The brothers have been in jail ever since they were arrested for the shooting deaths of their parents, Kitty and Jose, as they watched a movie at their Beverly Hills mansion on August 20, 1989.

The duo were 18 and 21 at the time they killed their parents. 

Their trial prompted worldwide headlines. Prosecutors said their motive was greed, as they stood to inherit $14 million from their parents and had spent large sums of cash following the murders.

Erik had purchased a Jeep and retained a private tennis instructor with hopes of becoming a professional, while his brother bought a Porsche and a restaurant. The two were also infamously seen sitting courtside at an NBA game in between the murders and their arrest. 

The brothers insisted they acted against a father who sexually abused them for years and a mother who turned a blind eye to the abuse.

An initial trial ended with a hung jury. But at a second trial in 1996, where the judge refused to allow any evidence about the brothers being molested by their father, they were convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. 

The brothers had been sentenced to serve life in prison behind bars without the possibility of parole, but last year a judge decided to reduce the brothers’ sentences to 50 years to life, making them eligible for release

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But nearly 30 years later, a judge decided to reduce the brothers’ sentences to 50 years to life, making them eligible for release.

Still, the California Board of Parole ruled last year that the brothers would be denied parole for three years, noting that they have both violated prison rules.

‘Contrary to your supporters’ beliefs, you have not been a model prisoner and frankly we find that a little disturbing,’ the board told Erik at his hearing, according to reporter Brian Entin. 

That decision came after a full-day hearing during which commissioners on the board questioned Erik about why he committed the crime and why he violated prison rules.

He had claimed at the hearing that he bought firearms ‘to protect myself in case my father or my mother came at me to kill me, or my father came in the room to rape me.’

When he was then asked why he did not just run away or report the abuse to the police, Erik said he felt ‘leaving meant death’ and he had an ‘absolute belief that I could not get away.’

Erik was denied parole by the California Board of Parole at a hearing last August

Lyle was also denied parole at a separate hearing days later 

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Another commissioner then asked why he decided to also kill his mother. Evidence at the trial showed she had crawled on the floor, wounded, before the brothers reloaded the shotguns they had bought with someone else’s ID and fired a final shot.

‘When Mom told me… that she had known all of those years, it was the most devastating moment in my entire life,’ Erik said, becoming visibly emotional. ‘It changed everything for me. I had been protecting her by not telling her.’

‘On that night, I saw them as one person,’ he continued. ‘Had she not been in the room, maybe it would have been different.’ 

Erik also admitted at the hearing that his and his brother’s spending spree was an ‘incredibly callous act.

‘I was torn between hatred of myself over what I did and wishing that I could undo it and trying to live out my life, making teenager decisions,’ he explained.

Erik also used the hearing last year as a chance to apologize to his family.

‘I just want my family to understand that I am so unimaginably sorry for what I have put them through,’ he said.

‘I know they have been here for me and they’re here for me today, but I want them to know, that this should be about them. It’s about them, and if I ever get the chance at freedom, I want the healing to be about them.’

Then, at Lyle’s parole hearing days later, Parole Commissioner Julie Garland cited Lyle’s ‘deception, minimization and rule breaking’ despite his volunteer work and education while behind bars for the board’s decision to deny him parole.

Still, she told the elder brother that his denial ‘wasn’t the end,’ and added: ‘It’s a way for you to spend some time to demonstrate, to practice what you preach about who you are, who you want to be. Don’t be somebody different behind closed doors.’