airports. Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the first to be closed on Sunday morning after ash from Anak Krakatau was detected in airspace near the airport. Transport minister Dudy Purwagandhi said so far 712 flights have been affected and asked airlines to consider diverting some flights to other airports. The volcano had started erupting late on Friday night, generating continuous seismic activity, lava fountains, and booming sounds across surrounding regions. Two more eruptions happened early on Sunday, authorities said. The transport ministry said the pause in operations mainly affected flights to and from Singapore, also other international routes including Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. Purwagandhi said the decision to temporarily close more airports was made after tests found that volcanic ash had spread towards West Java. He urged airlines to speed up processes for refunding tickets for passengers who have been affected by flight cancellations, and for airlines to provide timely information to those with upcoming flights to avoid overcrowding at airports. (BBC)