Oil prices rallied and equities sank Friday as reports said explosions had been heard in Iran and Syria, fuelling fears of an escalation of the Middle East crisis after last weekend's missile attack on Israel by Tehran.

Global warming has played a key role in gradually thinning the glaciers atop Puncak Jaya, Papua, Indonesia, some of the few remaining tropical glaciers in the world, according to Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics.

Indonesian rescuers raced to evacuate thousands of people Thursday after a volcano erupted five times, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport and issue a warning about falling debris that could cause a tsunami.

The remains of more than 500 horses have been found at a property in rural Australia, officials said Wednesday, prompting a wide-ranging investigation by police, environmental protection and health authorities.

The China-Laos Railway handled 700,000 passenger trips last year, further boosting tourism development, China State Railway Group said.

The Philippines has seized 1.8 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine, President Ferdinand Marcos said Tuesday, describing the bust as a record and the "right approach" to the drug war.