LIMA: Eight men suffocated in an unauthorized gold mine in Peru, local media reported.

The incident occurred when a tunnel they dug began spewing noxious fumes.

The only survivor, Cesar Rondo, said that the group became dizzy and suffered headaches in the tunnel. He, however, managed to drag himself out.

He said he lost his brother and colleagues inside.

Reports said it was not clear who owned the mine — located in the northern town of Huamachuco.

Peru is home to a number of informal mines. (Agencies)

LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May said she would hold a cabinet meeting after lawmakers again failed to agree on proposals for the next steps in the Brexit process.

Lawmakers voted on four alternatives to PM May’s withdrawal deal, but none gained a majority.

The UK is due to leave the EU on 12 April. (Agencies)

BEIJING: As many as 30 firefighters have died in the course of containing a blaze high in the rugged forested mountains of western China, one of the worst disasters for the emergency services in recent years.

Open flames had been extinguished and only a few areas continued to emit smoke with no further threat of the fire spreading, state media said.

The bodies of the dead firefighters were brought to the town of Xichang in Sichuan province, while three helicopters had brought in reinforcements to extinguish the blaze.

Changing winds Sunday apparently trapped the 27 firefighters and three helpers who were battling the blaze in a remote area at an altitude of 3,800 meters (12,500 feet), according to the Ministry of Emergency Management. Despite attempts at a rescue, all 30 were confirmed dead on Monday afternoon.

China has been battling forest fires in recent weeks in various parts of the vast country, including on the outskirts of Beijing, fed by dry weather and high winds across many northern areas.

(Agencies)

WASHINGTON:  American hackers reportedly helped the United Arab Emirates (UAE) spy on a BBC host, the chairman of Al Jazeera among others  during a confrontation between UAE and Qatar in 2017.

A Reuters investigation said the American operatives worked for Project Raven, a secret Emirati intelligence program that spied on dissidents, militants and political opponents of the UAE monarchy.

The Raven operatives — who included at least nine former employees of the U.S. National Security Agency and the U.S. military — found themselves thrust into the thick of a high-stakes dispute among America’s Gulf allies.

The Americans’ role in the UAE-Qatar imbroglio highlights how former U.S. intelligence officials have become key players in the cyber wars of other nations, with little oversight from Washington.

The crisis erupted in the spring of 2017, when the UAE and its allies — including Saudi Arabia and Egypt — accused Qatar of sowing unrest in the Middle East through its support of media outlets and political groups.

(Agencies)

Japan has unveiled a new name “Reiwa” for the imperial era that begins on May 1.

Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne on that day.

“Reiwa” will be the name for the new era when Crown Prince Naruhito succeeds his father, Emperor Akihito.

Emperor Akihito’s abdication will end the 31-year Heisei era on April 30.

The imperial era name — “gengo” — is used on documents, calendars, newspapers, and coins. This is the way Japanese count years.

Gengo

Japan imported the imperial calendar system some 1,300 years ago from China.

Likewise, starting with the Meiji era — 1868-1912 — it adopted the practice of “one emperor, one era name.”

In Japan, there have been four era names: Meiji, Taisho (1912-1926), Showa (1926-1989) and the Heisei.

Selection

The era name, under the modern guidelines, should be appropriate to the ideals of the nation. They consist of two Chinese characters, and should be easy to read and write. It should not have been used in a previous combination.

Japan’s emperor does not choose the “gengo”. The cabinet will decide from a list of names suggested by bureaucrats and scholars.

Earlier, the characters were selected from ancient Chinese texts. However, this time, they were extracted from a collection of Japanese poetry called Manyoshu.

The first character is understood to mean “order” or “command”. However, it can also mean “good” and “beautiful”. The second character is understood as “peace” or “harmony”.

Fading

The use of the imperial era name is gradually declining as Japan adopts global economy.

A recent poll carried out by Mainichi newspaper showed 34 percent of people used mainly gengo in daily life. Likewise, 34 percent used both gengo and the Western calendar, while a quarter used mostly the Western system.

Meanwhile, 82 percent used mainly gengo in 1975, while 13 percent used both and only 4 percent mainly the Western system.

Similarly, government agencies and offices mostly use the imperial era in their paperwork or computer systems. However, several companies generally use the Western calendar. (Agencies)

BEIJING: At least 26 firefighters have been killed while tackling a forest fire in south-western China, media reports said.

Fire fighters had been battling the blaze in the forest of Sichuan province on Sunday when a sudden change in wind direction caused a fireball, trapping them, officials said.

Twenty-six have been confirmed dead and a search is continuing for the other four firefighters, said.

Around 700 firefighters are battling the blaze in a remote area of Muli County. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition Congress party president Rahul Gandhi is contesting the general election from two seats.

The party announced Gandhi will contest the general election from two seats, from Wayanad in the southern state of Kerala, apart from his traditional constituency of Amethi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Indian media said.

The decision has been made to convey the message to the southern states that they are deeply valued and respected, the party said. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister of New Delhi Arvind Kejriwal said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi refused to forge an alliance with the AAP for the Lok Sabha polls in New Delhi.

Kejriwal told reporters that he had met Rahul Gandhi recently. “The Congress leader refused to forge an alliance with the AAP,” he said.

He, however, said he did not approach Sheila Dikshit, Congress unit president of New Delhi, for an alliance, local media said.

Reports have said that Kejriwal has been urging the Congress to forge an alliance in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections. (Agencies)

ANKARA: – Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan suffered a setback as his ruling AK Party lost control of Ankara in a local election.

Erdogan, who ruled his country with an ever tighter grip, campaigned relentlessly for two months ahead of Sunday’s vote, media reports said.

He had earlier described the elections as a “matter of survival” for Turkey.

However, the president’s rallies and supportive media coverage failed to win over the country’s capital.

Media reports said the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas won a clear victory in Ankara. (Agencies)

RABAT: Pope Francis told a small Catholic community in predominantly Muslim Morocco on Sunday that their mission should not be covert their neighbors.

The Pope suggested them to live in brotherhood with other faiths, report said.

Pope Francis used his trip to stress inter-faith dialogue. He also backed Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s efforts to spread a form of Islam, which promotes inter-religious dialogue.

Morocco has some 23,000 Roman Catholics – most of them French and other European expatriates and migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. They make up less than one percent of the population of 35 million. (Agencies)