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Residents of Eputobi village watch the eruption of Mount Lewotobi on 8 November. Photo: BAYU ISMOYO and ARNOLD WELIANTO / AFP Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted at least three times on Saturday, spewing an ash column 9km high, as authorities plan to widen the restricted area, officials say. A big eruption on 3 November by the volcano in East Nusa Tenggara province killed nine. Since then, authorities have been scrambling to evacuate 16,000 people from villages nearest the crater as eruptions continue. "The eruption accompanied by the ejection of hot lava and hot clouds to the west and northwest of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki is still occurring," said Muhammad Wafid, head of the volcanology agency. The agency plans to expand to 9 km from 8 km the zone southwest to northwest of...

By Stephanie Kelly for Reuters Robert F Kennedy Jr at an election night event for Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: JOHN MOORE / Getty Images via AFP Robert F Kennedy Jr, the former independent presidential candidate, is reviewing candidate resumes for the top jobs at the US government's health agencies in Donald Trump's incoming administration, a former Kennedy aide and a source says. Kennedy, of the famed political family, has been asked to recommend appointees for all regulatory health agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration, said Del Bigtree, who was director of communications for Kennedy's campaign and remains close to the former candidate. A source familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified...

Contrary to its serene appearance, the clouded globe of Venus is a world of intense heat, crushing atmospheric pressure and clouds of corrosive acid. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech To 1950s stargazers, the planet Venus looked like "a forest world where it's always raining", says rock star physicist Dr Brian Cox. We now know that this cloudy-looking neighbour is covered in thousands of volcanoes and hellishly hot. "It's well over 400 degrees Celsius on the surface so lead would melt into molten lead. The pressure is 90 times the atmospheric pressure on Earth. "The clouds are not beautiful clouds of water but they rain sulphuric acid - concentrated battery acid - so it's about as close to hell as you can get." A digital image of Earth's home solar system which is home to eight planets and fi...

By Lisa Richwine, Reuters Photo: CNN Superstar singer Beyonce has topped the list of Grammy Award contenders unveiled, earning 11 nods including an album of the year nomination for her venture into country music, 'Cowboy Carter'. Behind Beyonce, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone tied with seven nominations each. Pop phenomenon Taylor Swift and newcomers Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter scored six each. Beyonce's nominations brought her career total to 99, more than any other artist. She had been tied for the lead with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, who has 88. Women dominated the album of the year category, the top Grammy honour. Beyonce, despite her lifetime lead in nominations, has never taken home the album trophy. Jay-Z called out that fact at the last Gra...