Floods Hit Indian State of Kerala

^{PHOTO: LANDSLIDE, SWOLLEN CANAL, DAMAGED HOUSES, SOUNDBITES FROM RESIDENT AND DISTRICT MAGISTRATE}

INTERNATIONAL: At least 25 people have died in landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains in southwestern India. Rescuers spent Sunday scouring for survivors in muddy debris. The military flew in emergency supplies. Water overflowing the Pampa River in Kerala entered homes, while in Kochi, fields, shops and homes were all flooded. It’s been barely three years since Kerala was last hit by floods. On 16 August 2018, the worst flooding in nearly a century was reported. Over 483 people died, and 200,000 were forced from their homes. Annual rainfall is essential in India with the monsoon supporting two-thirds of its 1.3 billion population who rely on farming, however, excessive rainfall often brings floods, landslides and water-borne diseases.

Protests Mount in El Salvador

^{PHOTO: PEOPLE MARCHING AGAINST PRESIDENT NAYIB BUKELE, SOUNDBITES FROM PROTESTERS}

Thousands of people took to the streets of San Salvador on Sunday to air a range of grievances against President Nayib Bukele. Crowds are unhappy with him adopting bitcoin as legal tender and his firing of Supreme Court judges, which has been viewed by his critics as a power grab. At least 4,000 people marched through capital San Salvador with banners and signs rejecting bitcoin, which officially became legal tender in the Central American country in September. Near the capital's main square, protesters set fire to an effigy of the 40-year-old president. Last month, he proclaimed himself "dictator" of El Salvador in an apparent joke amid concerns about his increasing concentration of power. In May, a Congress dominated for the first time by Bukele's New Ideas party voted to fire judges on the constitutional panel of the Supreme Court, among the most senior jurists in the country. Replacements seen as friendly to Bukele were then swiftly sworn in, which generated harsh criticism from the United States as well as top international rights groups. Bukele is a seasoned and often provocative user of social media, dismissing Sunday's protests on Twitter as a failure.

Eruption Forces Closure of La Palma Airport

^{PHOTO: CLOUDS OF SMOKE BILLOWING FROM CUMBRE VIEJA VOLCANO, DUST SEEN AT LA PALMA AIRPORT AND STAFF CLEANING ASH FROM AIRPLANE TRACKS, COMMENTS FROM AFFECTED TRAVELLERS}

And, volcanic dust has caused disruption at La Palma airport as the Cumbre Vieja volcano keeps spewing lava and huge clouds of smoke and ash, some four weeks since the eruption began. It has now forced the closure of the airport on La Palma for the forseeable future. The eruption has forced 7,000 people to evacuate their homes. Its lava has destroyed 420 buildings and covered an area of 190 hectares. On Saturday, La Palma airport says it was closing due to the accumulation of volcanic ash near the facility. That decision comes after seven flights to and from the island were cancelled on Friday. Spain’s airport company says other airports in the Canary Islands are still operational. There's no immediate end in sight to the volcanic eruption which experts say could go on until the end of the year.