Indonesia: Volcano erupts
JAKARTA — A volcano in western Indonesia spewed hot lava and sand high into the sky in its first eruption in 400 years.
The eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province sent sand and ash up to a mile high, but lava only moved near the crater. The rumbling started a few days ago, and the minor eruption early Sunday morning had mostly stopped, causing no major damage.
China: Kim Jong II visits
CHANGCHUN — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il visited China's northeastern city of Harbin on Sunday while on a secretive trip reportedly aimed at drumming up support for a succession plan involving his youngest son, a news report said.
Reporters have followed a 35-vehicle motorcade — apparently used by the reclusive Kim — around several cities in northeast China. Kim, 68, rarely leaves North Korea and travels by special train when he does.
Algeria: Al-Qaida deaths
ALGIERS — Algerian forces have killed eight al-Qaida insurgents in an attack in a mountainous area considered a bastion for the terror network's North African branch.
A leader of the Patriots, armed civilians working with the army, says one soldier died during the clashes in the Berrekmouche valley, 75 miles east of Algiers.
The area in the mountainous Kabyle region is considered a haven for al-Qaida.
Pakistan: $1B pledged
ISLAMABAD — Muslim countries, organizations and individuals have pledged nearly $1 billion in cash and relief supplies to help Pakistan respond to the worst floods in the nation's history, the head of a group of Islamic states said Sunday.
Foreign countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to help Pakistan cope with the floods, which first hit the country about a month ago after extremely heavy monsoon rains. But some officials had criticized the Muslim world for not contributing enough.
Russia: Skinheads attack
MOSCOW — Scores of bare-chested skinheads attacked a crowd of about 3,000 people at a rock concert in central Russia on Sunday, beating them with clubs, media reports said.
Dozens of people were left bloodied and dazed in the attack, television and news agencies reported, and state news channel Rossiya-24 said a 14-year-old girl was killed at the concert in Miass, 900 miles east of Moscow.
Ecuador: Crash kills 36
QUITO — A bus ran off a highway and overturned on Sunday, killing at least 36 people, Ecuadorean officials said. At least 12 others were badly hurt.
The bus was on a straight, well-paved strip of highway about 55 miles south of its destination, Quito, when the accident occurred.
"It seems like the driver fell asleep," said transit police spokesman Juan Zapata, though the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Australia: 'Spidey' nabbed
SYDNEY — A French skyscraper climber nicknamed Spiderman was arrested early Monday after scaling a 57-story building in Sydney with his bare hands.
Alain Robert, known for climbing some of the world's tallest and best-known buildings without ropes or other equipment, was arrested at the top of the Lumiere building downtown.
He climbed the building in about 20 minutes, as dozens of people watched from below.
"I'm sad he's been arrested, but hopefully he'll get out soon and we can have some champagne," said his agent, Max Markson.
He has not yet been charged. Last year, Robert was fined 750 Australian dollars ($676) for climbing the 41-story Royal Bank of Scotland building in Sydney.
Many of his past climbs have resulted in arrests and fines.
The 48-year-old has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers around the world, including the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, according to his website.