But these were only masks worn by Pakatan supporters as they did their walkabout here. Sim Tze Tzin, who is contesting the Bayan Baru parliamentary seat on a PKR ticket, said the masks were made locally and cost about RM2 each.

“I made some for Pakatan supporters to wear in my constituency. We will do more if necessary,” he said.

He said since the Election Commission has banned pictures of Dr Mahathir and Anwar on billboards, this was another way to woo voters.

Also present were Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, who is contesting the Pantai Jerejak state seat, as well as Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain and A. Kumaresan who are contesting the Batu Maung and Batu Uban state seats respectively.

All these state seats are under the Bayan Baru parliamentary constituency.

Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, who is contesting the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat, was also seen.

US Geological Survey authorities of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory unit were both on the ground and headed into the air to assess the eruption, which followed dozens of earthquakes in recent days and began around 4:45 pm local time (0245 GMT), according to the agency.

Local news footage showed streams of lava snaking through a forest, while the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency reported “steam and lava emissions from a crack in Leilani Subdivision in the area of Mohala Street,” following the blast, mandating all residents to leave the affected area.

At 10:30 am a 5.0 magnitude earthquake south of the Puu Oo volcano cone triggered rockfalls and potential collapse into a crater on the volcano, according to USGS.

“A short-lived plume of ash produced by this event lofted skyward and is continuing to dissipate as it drifts southwest from Puu Oo,” an advisory from the agency said, warning that “anyone downwind may experience a dusting of ash.”

The giant pink-hued plume was seen rising above the zone, with authorities warning of subsequent “lava inundation,” fire, smoke, and additional earthquakes.

Hazards also included “potentially lethal concentrations of sulfur dioxide gas” in the zone as well as methane blasts that could propel large rocks and debris in adjacent areas.

‘New ground cracks’

Governor David Ige had activated the archipelago state’s National Guard troops, and told residents to pay heed to warnings from the Civil Defense Agency.

“Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe,” Ige wrote on Twitter.

A local community center was open to residents impacted by the threat, Hawaii’s emergency management agency said.

USGS had raised the volcano alert in the area from a watch to a warning, reporting that “new ground cracks” were discovered in the late afternoon.

“White, hot vapor and blue fume emanated from an area of cracking in the eastern part of the subdivision,” the agency wrote, saying spatters began just before 5:00 pm.

USGS emphasized that the early stages of fissure eruptions are “dynamic,” and “additional vents and new lava outbreaks may occur.”

“At this time it is not possible to say where new vents” could happen, it said.

The Leilani Estates area is part of the Big Island’s Eastern Rift Zone, in which the Hawaii Volcano Observatory had “identified magma movement” and warned residents that seismic activities and eruptions could take place without notice.

“All areas bordering East Rift Zone at high risk for eruption,” said Hawaii County’s mayor Harry Kim.

In breaking stories, exclusives, probing features and newer formats like photo and video news, the paper has continuously offered accurate and thought-provoking insights into the country and its people.

In celebration of the daily’s 20,000th edition, The Korea Herald looks back on its dynamic history to find inspiration on moving forward.

Looking ahead

On Friday, The Korea Herald publishes its 20,000th issue, marking a precious milestone in the nation’s English-language journalism. While we take immense pride in having served our valued readers at home and abroad without any interruption for nearly 65 years, we renew our commitment to continue to fulfill our mission of being a window between Korea and the world.

[Graphic News] The world’s leading newspapers of history

How many issues a newspaper has published reflects the print media’s history.

Global newspaper giant the New York Times boasts a long history and reputation.

But there are few newspapers in Korea that have reached the 30,000th issue because they need to publish for nearly 100 years to hit the number.

Congratulatory messages from political leaders and policymakers

President Moon Jae-in and National Assembly speaker Chung Sye-kyun as well as the charpersons of the political parties in Korea have sent congratulatory messages for The Korea Herald’s 20,000th edition

Congratulatory messages from business leaders and diplomats on The Korea Herald’s 20,000th edition

Business decision makers of South Korea and diplomats sent congratulatory messages for The Korea Herald’s 20,000th edition.

[Herald Interview] ‘Traditional media the only source of reliable information’

World-renowned French intellect and author Guy Sorman has been a longtime observer of Korea — and at times its sharp critic.

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea Herald holds unique value in promoting Korea to outside world’

Yun, 81, was at the forefront of when South Korea was building itself from the ashes of 1950-53 Korean War. Looking back on his three decades in journalism, Yun said that The Korea Herald holds a unique value as a window between the country and the outside world.

The Korea Herald expands presence on YouTube

The Korea Herald’s videos range from major domestic and international events such as the recent historic summit between the leaders of South and the North Korea, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and press conferences from the latest K-pop releases to new TV shows and movies here.

Stay updated on news with The Korea Herald’s social media platforms

To keep up with the fast-paced news cycle, The Korea Herald provides the latest news and multimedia content via social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Korea Herald goes beyond breaking the language barrier

http://apis.piclick.me/v1/publish/banner/iframe?api_key=6eef36a4c5a50e84b9815a972e207f6d&skin=block12_200

To me, as an avid reader that has become a reporter of The Korea Herald, each paper delivered is more than just foreign language material. It goes without saying that the English-language articles are proofread in a multilayered process before being published. The Korea Herald’s editorial team comprises staff who are bilingual and strive to deliver the nuances of Korean and English. But more importantly, The Korea Herald is a local media outlet with a history of following journalism principles.

Longtime reader recommends The Korea Herald for both youth and retirees

Upon reaching the 20,000th issue of The Korea Herald, one of our faithful readers shared why he has been reading the paper and offered personal tips on effective reading.

MOST POPULAR

• Korea to change passport design from 2020May 3, 2018
• Hagwon chief booked for having sex with studentMay 2, 2018
• [Newsmaker] Ex-President Chun faces another trial over Gwangju uprising after 23 yearsMay 3, 2018
• S. Korea military seeks to cut service period to 18 monthsMay 3, 2018
• USFK to stay even after peace treaty with NK: President MoonMay 2, 2018

Winds of more than 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour ravaged parts of northern Uttar Pradesh and western Rajasthan states late Wednesday.

People walking under heavy rainfall in the northern hill town of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh state. Dust storms tore across northern India killing at least 77 people and injuring 143 as trees and walls were flattened by powerful winds, officials said May 3. // AFP PHOTO

“We can confirm at least 65 deaths from around 40 of the state’s 75 districts,” T.P. Gupta of the Uttar Pradesh relief commissioner’s office told AFP.

Rajasthan’s disaster management chief said 33 people were confirmed dead as the region braces for more high-speed winds.

 Indian residents (lower R) looking out from their home next to a fallen electricity line following a major storm in Agra in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. Dust storms tore across northern India killing at least 77 people and injuring 143 as trees and walls were flattened by powerful winds, officials said May 3. // AFP PHOTO

A man is carried from the debris of his damaged home following a major dust storm in Etmadpur, in Agra district in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, on May 3, 2018. Dust storms tore across northern India killing at least 77 people and injuring 143 as trees and walls were flattened by powerful winds, officials said May 3. // AFP PHOTO

A fallen tree hit by high winds during a major storm in Agra in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. Dust storms that tore across northern India killed at least 77 people and left 143 injured as trees and walls were brought down by powerful winds, officials said May 3. // AFP PHOTO 

The report, published by communications firm Burson-Marsteller, puts Hun Sen behind Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jordan’s Queen Rania, and United States President Donald Trump. His is the fifth-most followed political page, up from eighth place last year, with the page of the Office of the Prime Minister of India also outranking him. According to the report, Hun Sen in midMarch reached 9.6 million page likes, about 2.5 million more than the total number of Facebook users in Cambodia. The figure represents a 48 per cent jump since the beginning of 2017.

An analysis by The Post in March of 2016 revealed that a surge in likes for Hun Sen had mostly originated overseas, in countries known for harbouring “click farms”, through which users can pay for likes. Analytics through the site Socialbakers showed that just 20 per cent of new followers that month were from Cambodia.

“Samdech Hun Sen often shares family pictures of himself with his wife and grandchildren, pictures of himself playing golf as well as the occasional selfie,” the report said, adding that his page has become the “goto” for live events in Cambodia like football matches.

Hun Sen’s page has racked up 32 million views via more than 1,000 Facebook Live broadcasts, only 8 million views fewer than the White House, though it has many more broadcasts.

Former Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Sam Rainsy has long accused Hun Sen of buying likes, an allegation that saw him convicted of defamation.

On Wednesday, he and his USbased legal team welcomed a California court’s indication that Facebook will be obliged to provide information related to various ongoing court cases the self-exiled opposition figure is facing in Cambodia.

Judge Sallie Kim said in a hearing Monday that she would “likely” instruct the social media giant to hand over pertinent data, specifically in relation to Rainsy’s domestic legal woes.

Rainsy’s head lawyer, Noah Hagey, submitted English translations of four Cambodian court documents relating to four separate convictions on Tuesday, all in relation to statements made by Rainsy on Facebook.

On top of the complaint about accusations of Hun Sen buying Facebook likes, the other cases relate to allegations by Rainsy that the Cambodian government was behind the murder of government critic Kem Ley and that Hun Sen bribed social media activist Thy Sovantha to attack the opposition. The fourth complaint was filed in response to a video posted on Facebook of Rainsy urging soldiers not to obey orders to hurt protesting civilians.

The submissions were made after Judge Kim on Monday said she was inclined to honour Rainsy’s request for information from Facebook, but noted that the initial request was overly broad.

“I am grateful to the Court’s careful review of the application, and to its indication that discovery of Facebook will be permitted,” Rainsy said in an email Wednesday.

He reiterated claims that Hun Sen and his “agents” have abused the platform to “defraud ordinary Cambodians during this critical time in our country”.

Both Hagey and Rainsy suggested that the information received could “exonerate” Rainsy in Cambodia.

“We are deeply concerned about the safety of our colleague,” said Daniel O’Malley, ICRC’s deputy Somalia head.

“She is a nurse who was working every day to save lives and improve the health of some of Somalia’s most vulnerable people.”

The Red Cross said the attack happened around 8.00 pm local time (1700 GMT) when unidentified armed men entered its compound in Mogadishu, adding it is “in contact with various authorities to try and secure her release”.

People working for the Red Cross in Somalia told AFP the gunmen appeared to have evaded the compound’s security guards and snuck the nurse out through a back entrance into a waiting vehicle.

A government security officer said investigations were underway. “We have received information indicating a female western staff member was kidnapped from the ICRC office in Mogadishu,” said Abdirahman Mohamed.

The abduction is the second attack on ICRC employees in Somalia in just over a week.

Abdulhafid Yusuf Ibrahim, a Somali national who had worked for the group for only five months, died on March 25 after an improvised bomb exploded beneath his car as he left the ICRC office.

 – Bombings, assassinations, abductions –

Unlike many other international aid agencies working in Somalia, the ICRC does not base itself within the well-defended perimeter of Mogadishu’s airport, which is protected by African Union soldiers.

The airport acts as the city’s “Green Zone” housing foreign embassies and the United Nations which coordinates the humanitarian and political responses to Somalia’s crises.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who is visiting Ethiopia and Tanzania this week, told journalists in Addis Ababa he would not comment “on any hostage cases”.

“I have deep respect for all people, especially people from Germany, working abroad in order to help others,” Maas added.

Somalia, which collapsed into civil war in 1991 and has been the site of an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgency since 2006, is one of the most dangerous countries for aid workers, but abductions remain relatively unusual.

In the past, foreigners, including journalists and aid workers, have been kidnapped by armed gangs or Shabaab militants and held for ransom, sometimes for years at a time.

Terrorist bombings and assassinations are common and frequently claimed by the Shabaab which is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Mogadishu.

International aid agencies, including the independent Switzerland-based ICRC, provide health care and other basic services in the war-torn country and are regarded as supporters of the government by the Shabaab and as a ready source of income by other militants and armed gangs.

On Tuesday a local employee of the World Health Organization (WHO) was shot in Mogadishu.

The WHO said in a statement Wednesday it was “shocked and saddened” by the killing of Mariam Abdullahi Mohamed, “a dedicated frontline worker”.

Between 2008-12 piracy off the coast of Somalia became a big business with crew members and their ships held for million-dollar ransoms, but in recent years attacks have become rare.

Gradually improving stability in Somalia allowed the holding of limited elections in 2016, but insecurity remains widespread.

In October, Somalia suffered its deadliest-ever bombing, with over 500 people killed in an attack blamed on the Shabaab.

The Malaysia Airlines plane disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people, mostly from China, on board while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the jet was found in the area during the largest search in aviation history, which was suspended in January last year — but the Australian-led hunt did come across two wrecks, the deepest at 3,900 metres (13,000 feet).

The MH370 search was restarted in January in an area north of the original zone, with a private research vessel scouring the seabed commissioned by Malaysia on a “no find, no fee” basis. So far it has found nothing.

The Western Australian Museum analysed sonar and video data from the first search to determine what had been found.

“Both wrecks were in fact 19th-century merchant sailing ships — one wooden and one iron — both carrying coal,” said Ross Anderson, the museum’s curator of maritime archaeology.

Cargo ships of that era likely carried crews of between 15 and 30 men, although sometimes captains travelled with their wives and children. Both vessels may also have carried additional passengers.

It was difficult to determine exactly which ships they were, but the possibilities have been narrowed based on information from predominantly British shipping sources, Anderson said.

The wooden ship could be the W. Gordon, which vanished while travelling from Glasgow in Scotland to Adelaide in 1876, or the Magdala, voyaging from Penarth in Wales to Ternate in Indonesia.

“For the iron ship the barques Kooringa (1894), Lake Ontario (1897) and West Ridge (1883) are possible, with the West Ridge best fitting the evidence,” he added.

The hull structure of the wooden ship and other timbers appeared to have totally degraded, leaving only the remains of its coal cargo and metal objects such as fastenings, anchors and fittings.

“The evidence points to the ship sinking as a result of a catastrophic event such as explosion, which was common in the transport of coal cargoes,” Anderson said.

One of the most interesting finds was a large rectangular metal object, six metres in length, which initially generated excitement as a possible treasure chest. But it was found to be the ship’s iron water tank.

The second wreck was more intact, lying upright on the seabed, with at least two decks and visible portholes at the stern.//AFP

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid the sum as part of a “hush agreement.”

“They funneled it through a law firm and the president repaid it,” Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“That was money that was paid by his lawyer, the way I would do, out of his law firm funds or whatever funds, it doesn’t matter. The president reimbursed that over a period of several months,” Giuliani said.

He added that the payment did not represent a campaign financing violation because it was “not campaign money.”

Trump had previously denied all knowledge of the payment to Daniels, before admitting last week that Cohen struck a “deal” with the porn star on his behalf.

Her lawyer Michael Avenatti reacted swiftly to the revelation, calling out the US president over his “lies.”

“We predicted months ago that it would be proven that the American people had been lied to as to the $130k payment and what Mr. Trump knew, when he knew it and what he did in connection with it,” he wrote.

“Every American, regardless of their politics, should be outraged by what we have now learned.”

Daniels filed a lawsuit against the president on Monday for defamation after he trashed her claim that she had been threatened by a man representing Trump in 2011.

Cohen, meanwhile, has legal troubles of his own.

The FBI raided his home and office in early April and seized documents and other material in connection with a criminal investigation.

The nature of the alleged criminal wrongdoing by Trump’s personal attorney has not been revealed.

Veteran ex-leader Mahathir, 92, is seeking to oust his former protege, Prime Minister Najib Razak, in the general election next Wednesday at the head of an opposition alliance.

As campaigning got underway at the weekend, Mahathir claimed that there had been an attempt to sabotage a plane he had chartered to prevent him heading to the island of Langkawi to formally register his candidacy for the election.

He still made it to the island by taking another plane. Malaysia’s civil aviation authority and the charter company said there was a technical issue with the plane but rejected the allegations of sabotage.

Kuala Lumpur police said a report had been lodged accusing Mahathir of spreading “fake news” under a controversial new law, which critics say is aimed at cracking down on dissent before the poll.

“We have opened an investigation (into Mahathir) under the anti-fake news law,” the capital’s police chief Mazlan Lazim told AFP.

“We will conduct the normal process of investigation.”

The law aimed at combating fake news was pushed through parliament last month despite an outcry by the opposition and media watchdogs.

It punishes dissemination of any news deemed “wholly or partly fake” with up to six years in jail or a hefty fine.

Critics say it is aimed at silencing criticism of Najib, and in particular the scandal surrounding sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Najib is battling allegations that billions of dollars were looted from the fund — which he set up — in a campaign of fraud and money-laundering. The leader and 1MDB deny any wrongdoing.

A Danish man was handed a one-week jail term this week for spreading fake news, the first person to be punished under the legislation, after accusing police in a YouTube video of responding slowly when a Palestinian Hamas member was shot dead last month.

Mahathir led Malaysia for 22 years and was spurred out of retirement to take on Najib due to 1MDB, and is the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate.

Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition has led Malaysia for 61 years, since independence from Britain, and is expected to win at the poll.

The cyclists are lobbying for improved bike lanes.

// EPA-EFE PHOTO

// EPA-EFE PHOTO

// EPA-EFE PHOTO

// EPA-EFE PHOTO