Internacionales
Indonesia warns of a potential tsunami following the eruptions of the Ruang volcano
Indonesia warned on Thursday about a potential tsunami affecting the central region of the Asian archipelago as a result of the continued eruptions of the Ruang volcano, in the Cebel Islands, while continuing with the evacuation tasks of its inhabitants.
“Residents of the island of Tagulandand, especially those who live near the coast, should be cautious about the potential expulsion of incandescent rocks, smoke columns and a possible tsunami caused by the collapse of parts of the volcano into the sea,” says the Department of Vulcanology of Indonesia in a statement published on its portal.
Authorities seek to prevent a scenario similar to that caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, located in the Sonda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, which on December 22, 2018 caused a landslide and a subsequent tsunami that caused at least 426 deaths.
The Ruang volcano, 725 meters high and located on a small homonymous island about 5 kilometers wide, has recorded great activity in recent days, including four strong eruptions detected in the early hours of this Thursday.
Emergency teams have evacuated at least 1,600 people, including the entire population of the island-volcano and some residents on the coast of the neighboring island of Tagulandang, located about 4 kilometers north of the Ruang crater and inhabited by about 22,000 people.
“People who live in the Tagulandang island area and are within a radius of 6 kilometers (from the crater) must be evacuated immediately to a safe place,” the Indonesian Disaster Management Agency said in a statement.
The volcanology agency raised the volcano’s alert last night to the maximum level of IV, after the Ruang launched ash clouds up to 3,000 meters high and caused small earthquakes.
According to the Zoom Earth portal, which follows the development of meteorological phenomena, one of the eruptions recorded in the last few hours was so large that it could be captured by satellite images and created a large cloud that affected the neighboring islands.
Images captured this Thursday show the foothills of the volcano covered by a gray mantle of ash.
For its part, the Meteorological Agency of Japan is studying whether a potential tsunami could impact the west coast of the country, almost 4,000 kilometers away from the volcano.
However, he has not observed “significant changes in the tide level” after last night’s eruptions.
In Australia, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center pointed out in its latest statement that the material expelled by the Ruang can reach 16,700 meters in height.
The expulsion of ashes has forced the closure of the international airport of the city of Manado, capital of the province of Northern Celebes and located about 70 kilometers southwest of the volcano, affecting at least a dozen flights, most of them domestic.
“All arrival and departure flights have been canceled until 23:59 (local time, 15:59 GMT),” a spokesman for Sam Ratulangi airport, which operates international flights to Singapore and the Philippine city of Davao, told EFE by phone.
Indonesia is home to more than 400 volcanoes, of which at least 129 are still active and 65 are classified as dangerous.
Internacionales
Rubén Gallego says U.S. policy may push for Cuba regime change under Trump administration
Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego said on Friday in Madrid that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has an “obsession” with Cuba and suggested that the administration of President Donald Trump is determined to change the Cuban government by any means necessary.
Speaking in Spanish during a meeting with journalists at the Elcano Royal Institute for International and Strategic Studies, Gallego said he believes there could be an attempt to alter the Cuban government, potentially through military or other non-democratic means.
“I think there will be an attempt to change the government of Cuba, it could be through the military or in another way,” said Gallego, who is of Mexican-Colombian origin.
The Arizona senator argued that Cuba does not represent a threat to the United States, describing it as “a very poor island of nine million people.” However, he acknowledged the significant political influence of Cuban-Americans and of Secretary of State Marco Rubio within the current Trump administration.
Gallego also expressed opposition to U.S. military interventions aimed at overthrowing foreign governments, stating that such actions are unacceptable, particularly when their objective is regime change.
He noted that “almost 99% of Democrats” oppose any military intervention in Cuba.
The senator also referred to the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, stating that although Maduro is “a horrible and very corrupt man,” this does not justify overthrowing governments through force.
“If we start arguing that a president is a criminal, what prevents China from saying the same about Taiwan or other nations?” he warned.
Gallego further described the political transition process in Venezuela as a “failure,” arguing that little has changed in terms of governance outcomes.
“We went from one dictator to another, so from a geopolitical and strategic point of view it has been a failure, until we see whether Venezuela achieves a real democratic transition,” he said, referring to Maduro’s replacement by Delcy Rodríguez.
Internacionales
Ecuador extends state of emergency amid escalating violence and crime crackdown
Since taking office in November 2023, Ecuador’s president Daniel Noboa has repeatedly declared states of emergency as part of his campaign against organized crime groups, which have turned Ecuador into one of the most violent nations in Latin America, with a homicide rate of 54 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025, according to official data.
In response to rising insecurity, Noboa declared an “internal armed conflict” in 2024, allowing the military to be deployed on the streets. The move has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, which have raised concerns over alleged abuses by security forces.
Through a decree issued on Thursday, the president extended the state of emergency in several coastal provinces — Guayas, Manabí, Esmeraldas, Santa Elena, and El Oro — key transit routes along the Pacific where around 70% of cocaine shipments from Colombia and Peru pass through.
The measure also applies to nine provinces in total, including Pichincha, home to the capital Quito, as well as four additional areas where violence remains concentrated.
Under the decree, the government has suspended certain constitutional rights, including the inviolability of the home and private correspondence.
Earlier this week, a nighttime curfew imposed in Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro came to an end. The curfew had been part of a broader offensive against organized crime, supported by United States.
Internacionales
Major winter storm threatens “catastrophic” ice and snow across much of the U.S.
A major winter storm is threatening to blanket large portions of the United States with a dangerous mix of freezing rain and heavy snowfall, potentially creating “catastrophic” conditions across areas home to nearly 160 million people.
Several U.S. states have declared a state of emergency as the Arctic blast advances from the California coast across much of the continental United States, affecting central regions, including the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, according to forecasts.
The National Weather Service warned the storm could cause a “catastrophic accumulation of ice,” leading to prolonged power outages, widespread tree damage, and extremely dangerous or impassable travel conditions.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue cautioned that “the next 10 days of winter will be the worst in 40 years in the United States.”
“Think about where you can go, what you can do, and who may need even more help to survive the coming week. This is not an exaggeration or a joke,” Maue said.
He urged residents to prepare for temperatures dropping below -18°C (0°F).
More than 1,500 weekend flights had already been canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware, including numerous flights in Texas.
In the southern state, many residents still recall the devastation caused by a similar storm in February 2021, which resulted in more than 200 deaths linked to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, and traffic accidents.
Texas authorities have assured the public that the power grid, which suffered widespread failures during that storm and left millions without electricity, is better prepared to withstand the extreme weather this time.
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