Scientists say another vent has opened up on Cumbre Vieja, the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma that has been erupting for a week, exposing tens of thousands of islanders to new dangers.
The airport was shut down on Saturday because of a cloud of ash spewing out of it.
The intensity of the eruption that began on September 19 has increased in recent days, prompting the evacuation of three more villages on the island, part of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa.
Rivers of lava have been sliding down the mountainside towards the southwestern coast of the island, destroying everything in their path, including hundreds of homes.
Emergency crews pulled back from the volcano Friday as explosions sent molten rock and ash over a wide area.
Nearly 7,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.
The recent volcanic eruption is the first since 1971 on La Palma, which has a population of 85,000.
We had president George W Bush and prime minister Tony Blair; Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Bombs in London and a hurricane battering New Orleans. Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France yet again, despite those rumours; London winning the right to host the Olympic Games in 2012.
And in Germany, a political earthquake. A politician called Angela Merkel, largely unheralded outside her own country, took over as chancellor from Gerhard Schroder, and became the first woman to hold the role.
Image:Angela Merkel pictured campaigning in 2005 before she was elected as Germany's chancellor
The most powerful woman in Germany became the most powerful woman in Europe and, before long, the most powerful woman in the world. But now, after nearly 16 years in the job, Germany is voting for her successor.
For the first time in Germany's post-war history, an incumbent chancellor isn't running for re-election. That has created a curious blend of uncertainty and caution - how, after all, do you campaign in a post-Merkel world? What works? None of the parties seem very sure of the answer.
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Germany's election: What is at stake?
For many in Germany, this isn't just a political occasion, but also a cultural moment. Mrs Merkel, an apparently unflappable presence on the global stage, has been a constant presence for so long that it takes a leap of faith to think of life without her. Her nickname - Mutti, which best translates as "Mummy" - reflects that sense of soothing dependability and reliance.
One in seven of the electorate is aged between 18 and 29 - plenty of them can barely remember a world where Mrs Merkel wasn't in charge. But today they will be forced to select between a range of candidates to take over the top job.
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There are six parties in the running, ranging across the width of the political spectrum. Mrs Merkel's role as candidate for the CDU party has been taken by Armin Laschet, the president of the North Rhine-Westphalia region. The social democrat Olaf Scholz, vice chancellor in the present coalition government, is the candidate for the SPD party. Annalena Baerbock is there for the Greens. Then there is the pro-business FDP, the socialist Die Linke and the anti-immigration AfD.
In a country with more than 60 million voters, each party has its pockets of support and opposition. It's clear that more people have applied for postal ballots than ever before, with some regions reporting that the majority of voters have applied. But, then again, German regulations also allow you to use your postal ballot to vote on the day.
As with much else around this election, it's tough to draw conclusions.
It's not even obvious what the main theme has been. A lot of time and effort has been put into discussing climate change, but few doubt that the economy remains uppermost in the minds of many Germans.
Then there's the perennial debate around how this rich, influential country can use its leadership position on the global stage. Again, the shadow of Mrs Merkel hangs over this election - so much of Germany's foreign policy over the past decade and a half has been shaped by the cumulative effect of decisions she has made. The abiding question facing many electors may be about the balance between wanting change or a sense of continuity.
Oh, and a warning: for those hoping for a clear-cut answer later today about the political face of Germany - you may have to wait. All four of Mrs Merkel's victories were followed by negotiations over a coalition government, and that's just about certain to happen again, whoever wins the popular vote. And the tighter the vote, the longer we may have to wait.
The fight to succeed popular, long-serving chancellor Angela Merkel could barely be tighter as Germans go to the polls in parliamentary elections.
The streets of Berlin are hosting the annual marathon, but the biggest race is taking place across the country.
In a final push for votes, the outgoing chancellor joined conservative candidate Armin Laschet at a rally on Saturday in his hometown of Aachen.
Final opinion polls suggest an unlikely victory could be within their grasp.
At stake is the leadership of Europe's most powerful economy, and more than 60 million Germans over 18 are eligible to vote.
A clear indication will come when voting comes to an end at 18:00 (16:00 GMT) on Sunday.
This unpredictable election looked over until Mrs Merkel entered the fray, her career at the top of German politics now weeks from coming to an end.
"It really matters who's in power," she warned voters repeatedly in the 48 hours before the vote. Her message was that Germany needed stability and its youth needed a future - and Armin Laschet was the man to provide it.
All bets are off
There are plenty of uncertainties about this election. In the run-up, more than a third of voters were still unsure who to vote for, although a record number have already posted their votes in.
For months the opinion polls have swayed this way and that. The conservative CDU and its Bavarian sister party led initially, and at one point the Greens went in front, but then came a surge for the Social Democrats under Olaf Scholz.
Of the three candidates competing for the role of chancellor it is Mr Scholz who has galvanised voters most. As Mrs Merkel's deputy it has been easier for him than for his conservative rival to be seen as the continuity candidate.
But even if he wins he will most likely need the support of two other parties to form a coalition.
"The most important coalition for me is with the voters, because the stronger they make the SPD, the easier it will be for me to form a government," he says.
For the Greens this is their biggest moment yet. Climate change is currently the biggest issue for German voters and the party has only once polled more than 10% in a federal election.
EPA
But their candidate for the top job, Annalena Baerbock, has lost support over the summer, despite catastrophic floods that left at least 190 people dead and left a trail of destruction in two of the most populous states.
Judging from a random sample of people in Berlin's sprawling Alexanderplatz on Saturday, even though climate change is their highest priority, they think the other parties are quite capable of addressing it too.
Conservative Armin Laschet told voters on Saturday it was time to speed up the move to renewable energy: "We're too slow in Germany."
The liberal FDP may disagree with the Greens on plenty, but on climate change they are drawing in young voters too. Both parties have a good chance of being in government and both could be kingmakers.
"The next government is the last that can still have an active influence on the climate crisis," Annalena Baerbock warned Germans during one of the final TV debates, so the Greens had to be part of it, she said.
But liberal leader Christian Lindner does not believe Germany needs to go the same way as the Greens.
Reuters
No-one will follow us as world champions of morality. But as world champions in technology, we can show people a perspective and create new growth
Not over till it's over
Even if a clear winner emerges on Sunday evening, Germans will not know the make-up of their government for some time.
The victorious party still needs to form a coalition and there seems little chance of a repeat of the two-party grand coalition currently in charge.
That is why Germans are talking about traffic-light, Jamaica or Kenya coalitions, reflecting the different colour schemes of the parties potentially involved.
If it's the centre-left then look for the red, yellow and green; if it's the conservatives, it could be black, yellow and green.
Until that is all sorted Angela Merkel won't be going anywhere.
They're already putting Angela Merkel out to pasture at the Tussauds waxworks in Berlin, decking her out in clothes to go hiking, which the chancellor says she wants to do more of when she's retired.
Madam Tussaud's studio assistant Karen Fries says it will be strange when she is gone.
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Germany election: What's at stake?
"It's going to be weird, yes, because it's now 16 years and we are not used to getting along without her, but we'll see."
The same sentiments are around the corner at the Brandenburg Gate.
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Another race was under way ahead of the election: rollerbladers gathering to speed around the route of the marathon that is run this weekend.
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"Both of us, we are 23," two young bladers told us. "We just know Angela Merkel. So I think an era comes to an end."
Another man told us none of the candidates can replace her: "No, they are too weak."
Is this just another country's election or one we should all be interested in?
Image:Madam Tussaud's studio assistant Karen Fries says it will be strange when Angela Merkel is gone
Angela Merkel was called the leader of the free world, a moniker she herself thought was absurd. But it gives a sense of the void she may leave in these uncertain times.
Mrs Merkel has been credited with steering Germany through numerous crises but critics say she did not do enough to see them coming or warn Germans about others on their way.
Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico's chief Europe correspondent, says: "The problem is that Merkel has shielded the population for a very long time from the realities of what's going on in the world."
Image:A wax figure of Angela Merkel is going on display in Germany
Mrs Merkel was more of an administrator than a leader, he says, and has left one key question unanswered for her successors to address.
The way they do could have ramifications far beyond Germany.
"What's at stake, really, is what role Germany is going to play in the world," he says.
"Does Germany want to be a real player on the world stage, or does it want to act more like a giant Switzerland in the middle of Europe, trying to be all things to all people?"
Image:Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico's chief Europe correspondent, says Mrs Merkel was more of an administrator than a leader
Germany after Mrs Merkel will be under pressure from America to take on Russia more and be a more useful partner within the EU.
For Europe's largest country and richest economy, it has not punched at its weight in the minds of many in Washington and elsewhere.
Others agree that Mrs Merkel cossetted Germans and protected them from global realities too much.
Green MEP Sergei Lagodinski, who helped write his party's foreign policy, told Sky News: "I do hope very much that after this very comfortable sleep that we had with a very comforting leader who actually drove us and directed us quite good through a couple of crises, we need now to wake up not only to survive crisis and get back to the business as usual, but try to reimagine both Germany and Europe in this new age."
Image:Green MEP Sergei Lagodinski says Germany needs to be reimagined
The world and Germany are very different now than 16 years ago when Merkel first came to power.
Climate change, populism and artificial intelligence are all challenges that need proactive leadership, arguably not a strength of Mrs Merkel's.
"I think it's tremendously important, not just for Germany but for Europe," Mr Lagodinski says.
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German voters take to the polls
"We have a situation where we have a change in terms of who's going to lead Germany but also we have a totally changed global situation."
There is the sense of an era coming to an end on the eve of this important election.
In the dusky light of a warm September evening, the voters we spoke to seemed relaxed about the future but conflicted too.
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Germany's election: The end of Merkel
They want change but also continuity.
There is a yearning for stability with such a familiar figure bowing out and in such unpredictable times. But 16 years is a long long time to have one leader, we have been told repeatedly.
Germany and the world have new challenges to take on and new demons to fight, and voters want fresh leadership even if many seem unconvinced by the line-up they have to choose from.
Authorities have closed La Palma's airport as a new vent opened in an erupting volcano, spreading more ash across the island.
Flights to and from the Spanish island have been cancelled as a result of the volcanic eruption that has lasted nearly a week.
Rivers of lava poured down the slopes of the volcano and flew high into the air as the eruption entered its most explosive stage after a new vent opened on Saturday.
Image:Lava and smoke rise from an erupting volcano in the Cumbre Vieja national park
La Palma Airport operator Aena said on Twitter that plane traffic was suspended "due to the accumulation of ash" in the air.
Other airports in the Canary Islands are still operational, the company added.
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Image:Almost 7,000 people have had to leave their homes.
Workers wearing PPE cleared up the ash as travellers attempted to change their tickets to get on the next available flights.
Other passengers opted to travel by ferry to another island in the Canaries where they could catch flights.
The intensity of the eruptions has increased in recent days, prompting the evacuation of three additional villages on the island. Almost 7,000 people have had to leave their homes.
Image:Staff at La Palma airport have been clearing the ash. Pic: AENA
"Volcanic surveillance measurements carried out since the beginning of the eruption recorded the highest-energy activity so far during Friday afternoon," emergency services said.
Lava flows have destroyed hundreds of buildings on the island's western side.
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La Palma volcano: residents stranded
Residents there were initially told to stay indoors but emergency services said they decided to take more serious precautions due to increased volcanic activity.
On a visit to La Palma on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a package of measures to help get the island back on its feet and "rebuild lives".
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What's next for La Palma?
The Spanish government will provide aid for rebuilding homes and public infrastructure, such as roads, irrigation networks and schools, as well as relaunching the island's tourism industry, Mr Sanchez said.
He did not say how much money would be made available but said a cabinet meeting next week would provide more details.
No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported amid the volcano's eruption, but about 15% of the island's economically crucial banana crop could be at risk of destruction.
A Chinese tech executive released after being detained in Canada for nearly three years has returned home.
Huawei's Meng Wanzhou flew to Shenzhen on Saturday evening, hours after two Canadians freed by China had gone back.
In 2018 China accused Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig of espionage, denying detaining them was in retaliation for Ms Meng's arrest.
The apparent swap brings to an end a damaging diplomatic row between Beijing and the West.
Mr Spavor and Mr Kovrig arrived in the western city of Calgary just before 06:00 local time (12:00 GMT) and were met by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Ms Meng touched down in Shenzhen, China, a couple of hours later, greeted by crowds shouting: "Welcome home Wanzhou!"
She was wanted on charges in the US but was released after a deal between Canada and US prosecutors.
AFP
Critics have accused China of using the two Canadians as political bargaining chips.
The pair had maintained their innocence throughout. At a news conference on Friday, Mr Trudeau said they had been through "an unbelievably difficult ordeal".
"It is good news for all of us that they are on their way home to their families," he added. "For the past 1,000 days, they have shown strength, perseverance, resilience and grace."
The two men were accompanied on their return by Dominic Barton, Canada's ambassador to China.
Before her release, Ms Meng - the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei - admitted misleading US investigators about Huawei's business dealings in Iran.
She spent three years under house arrest in Canada while fighting extradition to the United States.
Deal or domino effect?
Meng Wenzhou is on her way back here full of praise and thanks for what she called "the motherland" and China's ruling Communist Party - a party that her employer Huawei has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to distance itself from.
As soon as her freedom was assured, China released the two Canadians it's held since days after her arrest.
Whether it's a deal or a domino effect is not clear, but only weeks ago the Chinese government insisted yet again the two cases were not linked. "Different in nature," it said.
The decision to release and send home Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig almost instantly after Meng Wenzhou was free to go appears to show that pretence has been abandoned.
Mr Kovrig is a former diplomat employed by International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank.
Mr Spavor is a founding member of an organisation that facilitates international business and cultural ties with North Korea.
In August this year a Chinese court sentenced Mr Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage. There had been no decision in Mr Kovrig's case.
On Friday, a Canadian judge ordered the release of Ms Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, after she reached a deal with US prosecutors over fraud charges against her.
Huawei released a statement, in which it said it looked forward to seeing Ms Meng reunited with her family and saying it would continue to defend itself in court.
Before her arrest, US prosecutors accused Ms Meng of fraud, alleging that she misled banks into processing transactions for Huawei that broke US sanctions against Iran.
As part of a deferred prosecution agreement, Ms Meng admitted to misleading HSBC about Huawei's relationship with Skycom, a Hong-Kong based company that operated in Iran.
The US justice department said in a statement that it was continuing to prepare for trial against Huawei, which is still on a trade blacklist.
Ms Meng is the elder daughter of Mr Zhengfei, who set up Huawei in 1987. He also served in the Chinese army for nine years, until 1983, and is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
Huawei itself is now the largest telecom equipment maker in the world. It has faced accusations that Chinese authorities could use its equipment for espionage - allegations it denies.
In 2019, the US imposed sanctions on Huawei and placed it on an export blacklist, cutting it off from key technologies.
The UK, Sweden, Australia and Japan have also banned Huawei, while other countries including France and India have adopted measures stopping short of an outright ban.
