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
Cuban Supreme Court Confirms Successful Completion of Prisoner Release
The People’s Supreme Court of Cuba announced on Monday that it has successfully completed the release of 553 prisoners, a process first announced on January 14. Among those freed were political prisoners, including opposition figures José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro.
The announcement came shortly after Washington, in the final days of the Biden administration, decided to remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
While Havana has insisted that the releases were a unilateral and sovereign decision, the United States maintains that the measure was part of an agreement mediated by the Vatican. According to U.S. sources, many of those released were participants in the July 11, 2021, anti-government protests, the largest demonstrations Cuba has seen in decades.
Cuban authorities have not provided a list of the released prisoners or a timeline for the implementation of the measure, despite multiple requests for information from EFE.
Internacionales
Russia calls Zelensky’s Washington visit a “complete failure” after altercation with Trump
Russia stated on Saturday that Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington was a “complete failure” following the altercation with Donald Trump, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being “obsessed with continuing the war” with Moscow.
The visit “was a complete political and diplomatic failure of the Kiev regime,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a statement. Zakharova accused Zelensky of being “incapable of demonstrating a sense of responsibility,” of “rejecting peace,” and of using “lies and manipulations to justify the continuation of hostilities and the reception of military and financial aid from the West.”
Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Friday turned into a verbal brawl before cameras worldwide, when his counterpart, Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful for U.S. aid and rejecting peace talks. Zelensky was prematurely escorted out of the White House without signing the agreement he had gone to Washington for, which involved giving up the exploitation of Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for security guarantees.
“With his excessively rude behavior during his visit to Washington, Zelensky confirmed that he is the most dangerous threat to the international community as an irresponsible warmonger,” Zakharova stated.
She also accused European leaders of “political weakness” and “baseness” for backing Zelensky after the “moral lesson” he received in Washington.
Internacionales
Lula criticizes Trump-Zelensky meeting: “Grotesque and disrespectful”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Saturday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was humiliated during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, calling the scenes broadcast live by the media “grotesque.”
“I’m not a diplomat, but since diplomacy was created, there has never been such a grotesque and disrespectful scene as the one that took place in the Oval Office of the White House,” Lula told reporters in Montevideo, where he was attending the inauguration of Uruguay’s president-elect, Yamandú Orsi.
“Honestly, I believe that part of society thrives on disrespecting others, and it is impossible to talk about democracy without respecting other human beings. I think Zelensky was humiliated, and I believe that in Trump’s mind, Zelensky deserved it,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Lula met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier for a bilateral discussion. During their meeting, Lula stated that Europe would likely bear the responsibility for rebuilding Ukraine and maintaining NATO.
“It is very likely that Europe will be blamed for the disaster happening now, when in reality, it is not the fault of any specific country. It is a matter of irresponsible leaders who refuse to discuss peace and instead prefer to talk about war,” he argued.
Lula also reiterated Brazil and China’s proposal for a negotiated peace process, which would bring Ukraine and Russia to the table with other countries acting as mediators.
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