Indonesia volcano erupts, Olympic diplomatic boycotts, ousted Myanmar leader imprisoned

Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita gives a world view report as Indonesia erupts into violence, Olympic diplomatic boycotts, and an ousted Myanmar leader is imprisoned.

Video transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: In our worldview today, the death toll in Indonesia has climbed to 22 people after a volcano erupted on the island of Java. Mount Semeru spewed a huge plume of ash on Saturday, sending local residents scrambling. It's remained active since, drowning nearby communities in a pile of debris. Officials say nearly 30 people are still missing, with dozens of others injured. Residents living with a six-mile radius of the volcano have been urged to evacuate. And local scientists say seismic activity is expected to continue on the island.

Well, the Winter Olympics in Beijing may be just months away, but don't expect any US officials to make the trip to China. The Biden administration is reportedly set to announce a diplomatic boycott this week, barring any government officials from attending. US athletes will still be allowed to compete.

China's foreign ministry threatened to take countermeasures against US action today, saying a boycott would be, in their words, a serious stain on the spirit of the games and a serious offense to the Chinese people. US lawmakers have pressured President Biden to send a message during the games to take a stand against China's human rights abuses. Canada, Australia, and the UK have said they're considering similar moves.

And ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to four years in prison. The court charged the Nobel Peace Prize winner with incitement and for breaching coronavirus restrictions in a closed trial that has drawn international outrage. Suu Kyi has been detained since Myanmar's military removed her from power in a coup in February.

That prompted nationwide pro-democracy protests, leading to a violent military crackdown earlier this year. Myanmar's former President Win Myint was also sentenced to four years in prison. Suu Kyi still faces additional charges that carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison. Roughly 1,300 people have been killed since the military seized power in the country in February.