इंडोनेशिया के बाली में ज्वालामुखी विस्फोट के बाद हवाईअड्डा बंद

इंडोनेशिया में माउंट आगुंग ज्वालामुखी में विस्फोट के कारण निकले राख के चलते रिसॉर्ट द्वीप बाली स्थित अंतरराष्ट्रीय हवाईअड्डा को शुक्रवार को बंद कर दिया गया।
पिछले साल के अंत से खामोश माउंट अागुंग ज्वालामुखी फिर से सक्रिय हो गया है।
आपदा राहत एजेंसी ने एक वक्तव्य में कहा कि हवाईअड्डा शुक्रवार को स्थानीय समयानुसार शाम सात बजे तक बंद रहेगा। इसके कारण 38 अंतरराष्ट्रीय उड़ानें और 10 घरेलू उड़ानों सहित कुल 48 उड़ानें रद्द कर दी गयी हैं जिससे 8,334 यात्री प्रभावित होंगे। एजेंसी के प्रवक्ता सुतोपो पुर्वाे नुग्रोहो ने कहा कि ज्वालामुखी में विस्फोट के कारण हवा में 2,500 मीटर (8,200 फीट) राख का गुब्बारा (कॉलम) उठा और माउंट अागुंग के मुहाने पर लाल लौ दिखाई दे रही थी।
बाली के उत्तर पूर्व में स्थित माउंट अागुंग में पिछले साल के अंत से विभिन्न तीव्रताओं के साथ विस्फोट हुआ है और दिसंबर में भी हवाईअड्डे को एक अवधि के लिए बंद कर दिया गया था और ज्वालामुखी के करीब रहने वाले हजारों लोगों को निकाल कर सुरक्षित स्थानों पर भेजा गया था।

Bali airport closed as Agung volcano gushes column of ash

The Indonesian tourist island of Bali closed its international airport Friday, stranding thousands of travelers, as the Mount Agung volcano gushed a 2,500-meter (8,200-feet) column of ash and smoke.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said nearly 450 flights were canceled, affecting some 75,000 people.

The regional Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, Australia, said winds would carry the ash southwest toward Java, Indonesia’s most densely populated island. Volcanic ash is a potentially deadly threat to aircraft that can cause engines to “flame out.”

Iconic New Delhi movie theater shuts down after 85 years

From Bollywood superstars to political heavyweights, the Regal theater hosted some of India's biggest names over more than eight decades.

But with nostalgic theater-goers singing their way to the exits after a final showing of a Bollywood classic, the iconic New Delhi theater has closed its doors to make way for a multiplex.

"It's the end of an era. It's very sad," said Nanak, who had worked at the theater since 1979. Nanak, whose grandfather and father were part of the Regal's management team in the 1950s and '60s, uses one name.

APNewsBreak: Ringling Bros. circus to close after 146 years

After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on "The Greatest Show on Earth." The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.

The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.

New Delhi zoo closed temporarily after birds die of bird flu

New Delhi's zoo has been closed temporarily after nine birds died from suspected bird flu last week, a zoo official said Wednesday.

Autopsies conducted on the birds confirmed that at least two of them died from H5N1 avian influenza, said Riaz Ahmed Khan, the National Zoological Park's curator.

"We decided to close the zoo for a few days as a precautionary measure," Khan said, adding that the zoo would reopen next week.