Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker - BBC News

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Two teenagers have been arrested in England as part of the investigation into a hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday.

British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, was shot dead after a standoff with police in Colleyville.

Details of the ages and genders of the pair arrested in south Manchester on Sunday evening were not revealed.

Greater Manchester Police said it was liaising with local communities and continuing to assist in the US inquiry.

The force said the two teenagers were arrested "as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack" and were being held in custody for questioning.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had offered "the full support" of the UK police and security services to her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, when they spoke on Monday.

She told MPs there were a range of measures being undertaken in the UK in response, "including protective security for the Jewish community".

• Texas synagogue hostage-taker was British

According to US police sources, Akram arrived in the country via New York's JFK International Airport two weeks ago and he is believed to have bought a handgun used in the incident after his arrival.

Akram's brother Gulbar confirmed his death in a statement carried on the Blackburn Muslim Community's Facebook page. He apologised to the victims and said his brother had been suffering from mental health issues.

The Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed counter-terrorism officers were in contact with US authorities and the FBI.

BBC News' Danny Savage said Akram's family had said the FBI was expected to arrive in the UK today to continue its investigation into him and added there would also be investigations in Pakistan - where it is understood Akram had been recently - to establish if he was acting alone or was supported by others.

The siege began at around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) when police were called to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the suburb of Dallas.

Neighbours told the BBC they heard a commotion as armed police sealed off the area, followed later by a loud bang which shook their house.

Suzanne Hughes said she was at home celebrating a birthday with her family when they saw police with guns drawn rush towards the synagogue.

"I was expecting the synagogue to have exploded - it had not, but it was very unnerving. We heard gunfire when we got to the backyard.

"It's sad. This is America. You're supposed to be able to be safe everywhere you go," she added.

EPA

Akram gained initial access to the synagogue during the service by claiming to be a homeless man, according to a police source quoted by CBS.

Among the hostages was the synagogue's rabbi. One was released after six hours with the other three being led to safety by police several hours later.

All of the hostages at the synagogue were freed unharmed.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told CBS the hostages were "terrified" and described how he threw a chair at the gunman as they made their escape "without even a shot being fired".

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US President Joe Biden called the hostage-taking an "act of terror", and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described it as an "act of terrorism and anti-Semitism".

This FBI-led investigation is likely to spread across three continents, focussing primarily on what is known about hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram here in the UK, as well as anyone who may have helped him, either in the UK or the US.

His reported demand for the release of convicted Pakistani neuroscientist Aafiya Siddiqui from a US jail has given this a further dimension which will undoubtedly lead to contact between the FBI and the authorities in Pakistan.

Akram's choice of a Jewish synagogue for the siege has already prompted a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, warning of the need to fight anti-Semitism.

But for now the immediate focus is on anyone Akram was in contact with in the area of north-west England where he came from.

That brings in MI5, the security service, Counter Terrorism Policing North West and Greater Manchester Police.

There has been no confirmation yet of whether Akram was already known to the UK authorities but he had no prior police record in the US.

The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan, law enforcement officials told local media.

Officials added Akram also asked to speak to Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year term in a prison in Forth Worth, Texas, about 20 miles away from the synagogue. Siddiqui has distanced herself from his actions, issuing a statement through a lawyer.

President Biden appeared to confirm the attacker had been seeking her release, saying the Texas attack was related to "someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years".

The president said while he did not have all the details it was believed Akram had "got the weapons on the street", saying he had "purchased them when he landed", but he added there were "no bombs that we know of".

He also said Akram was thought to have spent his first night in a homeless shelter.

Police sources said US federal courts did not show he had any criminal history.

Akram's brother said he had liaised "with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI etc" during the siege but "there was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender".

Gulbar added: "We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident.

"We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned."

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has expressed solidarity with the Jewish community following the hostage-taking, describing it as "completely unacceptable".

Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB said: "The act is all the more reprehensible since it was instigated at a place of worship where Jews were targeted.

"This was, quite simply, a hate crime and an act of anti-Semitism."

Do you have any information? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

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2022-01-17 16:36:55Z
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Pacific volcano: Science will explain event's ferocity - BBC News

Reuters

The explosive eruption of Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai sent a shockwave around the world.

The event literally touched every corner of the globe as a pressure wave spread out in all directions to complete a full circumnavigation.

Scientists, of course, are now asking themselves why the eruption was so powerful. They also want to understand how the tsunami was created.

The answers to both these questions feed into future hazard preparedness, although to be honest, right now, these finer details are much less important than the immediate needs of nearby islanders.

Their lives have been up-ended by catastrophic flooding and ash fall-out.

Nonetheless, scientific insights will emerge; they're already being assembled.

• Satellites key to understanding Pacific volcano
• Anxious wait for news after tsunami cuts off Tonga

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The name Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HT-HH) refers to the two island structures that stood about 100m above the Pacific Ocean surface, roughly 45km north of Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa.

What wasn't apparent to the casual observer was the hidden edifice below-water - a volcanic mountain rising some 1,800m above the seafloor.

The HT-HH islands represented just the upper-most part of the rim of a caldera - the opening to the volcano - that was 6km across. It was in this submerged caldera that gas-rich magma came into contact with cold seawater to devastating effect.

For Prof Shane Cronin, from the University of Auckland, who's made a detailed study of this volcano, the water depth was critical.

"The caldera summit is about 150-200m below sea-level. That's just about the right depth for there to be quite strong, explosive interactions between the magma and the seawater," he told BBC News.

"Once you get much, much deeper, then what tends to happen is there's too much seawater, and it suppresses that explosive activity."

Prof Cronin said a big event had been due. The last major eruption was in the year AD 1100, and prior to that there was a major episode 1,800 years ago. On that basis the repeat cycle was roughly 900 years. That's now.

The tsunami that followed could have been created in several ways. In the near-field, where waves over one metre high were recorded at the Nuku'alofa tide gauge, some component would have resulted from rock and ash initially thrown high into the sky then descending back down into the ocean to displace its waters.

What scientists can't rule out at this stage is whether the extreme energy in the event didn't also cause some kind of submarine flank failure on the volcano. Something similar occurred at Anak Krakatau in Indonesia in 2018, although that involved a large amount of material above water then becoming submerged.

For far-field effects, there is a lot of discussion around whether that shockwave could have contributed to the run-ups recorded in New Zealand, Australia, and at beaches and inlets along both North and South America and in Japan.

The idea is that the sudden change in air pressure punches down on the surface of the ocean.

"This can change the elevation in the ocean by millimetres to centimetres, and when this gets closer to land, if the conditions are right, it can generate tsunami. We know this happened for example in the great eruption of Krakatau in 1883," said Prof Dave Tappin from the British Geological Survey.

"We're working on it right now. Fortunately, over the past 20 years, we've developed the mathematics to numerically model these events to better understand them."

Reuters

What was so remarkable about that pressure wave is just how far it travelled.

The impact on the atmosphere from the explosive eruption was obvious in the earliest satellite imagery as an expanding ring of disturbance moving out in all directions.

Meteorologists, both professional and amateur, immediately recognised that they might be able to detect the signal even on the other side of the world.

In the UK - which is about as far away as you can get from Tonga - the barometers wiggled at the expected moment.

"These things travel at the speed of sound, so on Saturday night quite a lot of people lined up expecting something. And that's what happened - a slight increase in pressure (about 1.5 millibars) followed by a decrease lasting about half an hour," explained Prof Giles Harrison from the University of Reading.

"The distance from Tonga to the UK is about 16,500km, and with an interval of about 14 hours - that gives you the sort of speed you would expect, at roughly 300m per second."

The Reading barometer had recorded a total three pulses by 7am UK time on Monday.

Again, Prof Harrison said there were parallels with the 1883 Krakatoa event. Victorian meteorologists reported similar signals.

In the coming weeks and months, as activity subsides at Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai, researchers will be able to get in close to examine the remnants of the two islands. Most of their above-water bulk has gone, not unsurprisingly given the ferocity of the blast.

But the bigger concern is getting assistance to the affected islands in the Tongan archipelago. Satellite imagery returned in just the past day reveals considerable damage.

"And there are longer-term problems that come from all that ash. It's going to impact on agriculture and water quality," said Prof Tappin.

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2022-01-17 16:08:21Z
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Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker - BBC News

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Two teenagers have been arrested in England as part of the investigation into a hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday.

British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, was shot dead after a standoff with police in Colleyville.

Details of the ages or genders of the pair arrested in south Manchester on Sunday evening were not revealed.

Greater Manchester Police said it was liaising with local communities and continuing to assist in the US inquiry.

The force said the two teenagers were arrested "as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack" and were being held in custody for questioning.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had offered "the full support" of the UK police and security services in the investigation when she spoke to her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, on Monday.

• Texas synagogue hostage-taker was British

According to US police sources, Akram arrived in the country via New York's JFK International Airport two weeks ago and he is believed to have bought a handgun used in the incident after his arrival.

Akram's brother Gulbar confirmed his death in a statement carried on the Blackburn Muslim Community's Facebook page. He apologised to the victims and said his brother had been suffering from mental health issues.

The Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed counter-terrorism officers were in contact with US authorities and the FBI.

The siege began at around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) when police were called to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the suburb of Dallas.

Neighbours told the BBC they heard a commotion when armed police were sealing off the area, followed later by a loud bang, which shook their house.

Suzanne Hughes said she was at home celebrating a birthday with her family when they saw police with guns drawn rush towards the synagogue.

"I was expecting the synagogue to have exploded - it had not, but it was very unnerving. We heard gunfire when we got to the backyard.

"It's sad. This is America. You're supposed to be able to be safe everywhere you go," she added.

EPA

Akram gained initial access to the synagogue during the service by claiming to be a homeless man, according to a police source quoted by CBS.

Among the hostages was the synagogue's rabbi. One was released after six hours with the other three being led to safety by police several hours later.

All of the hostages at the synagogue were freed unharmed.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told CBS the hostages were "terrified" and described how he threw a chair at the gunman as they made their escape "without even a shot being fired".

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

US President Joe Biden called the hostage-taking an "act of terror", and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described it as an "act of terrorism and anti-Semitism".

Ms Truss said in a tweet: "We stand with US in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate."

This FBI-led investigation is likely to spread across three continents, focussing primarily on what is known about hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram here in the UK, as well as anyone who may have helped him, either in the UK or the US.

His reported demand for the release of convicted Pakistani neuroscientist Aafiya Siddiqui from a US jail has given this a further dimension which will undoubtedly lead to contact between the FBI and the authorities in Pakistan.

Akram's choice of a Jewish synagogue for the siege has already prompted a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, warning of the need to fight anti-Semitism.

But for now the immediate focus is on anyone Akram was in contact with in the area of north-west England where he came from.

That brings in MI5, the security service, Counter Terrorism Policing North West and Greater Manchester Police.

There has been no confirmation yet of whether Akram was already known to the UK authorities but he had no prior police record in the US.

The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan, law enforcement officials told local media.

Officials added Akram also asked to speak to Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year term in a prison in Forth Worth, Texas, about 20 miles away from the synagogue. Siddiqui has distanced herself from his actions, issuing a statement through a lawyer.

President Biden appeared to confirm the attacker had been seeking her release, saying the Texas attack was related to "someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years".

The president said while he did not have all the details it was believed Akram had "got the weapons on the street", saying he had "purchased them when he landed", but he added there were "no bombs that we know of".

He also said Akram was thought to have spent his first night in a homeless shelter.

Police sources said US federal courts did not show he had any criminal history.

Akram's brother said he had liaised "with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI etc" during the siege but "there was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender".

Gulbar added: "We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident.

"We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned."

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has expressed solidarity with the Jewish community following the hostage-taking, describing it as "completely unacceptable".

Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB said: "The act is all the more reprehensible since it was instigated at a place of worship where Jews were targeted.

"This was, quite simply, a hate crime and an act of anti-Semitism. We are thankful that the hostages are unharmed."

Do you have any information? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Upload pictures or video
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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2022-01-17 13:30:46Z
1256652022

Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker - BBC News

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Two teenagers have been arrested in England as part of the investigation into a hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday.

British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, was shot dead after a standoff with police in Colleyville.

Details of the ages or genders of the pair arrested in south Manchester on Sunday evening were not revealed.

Greater Manchester Police said it was liaising with local communities and continuing to assist in the US inquiry.

The force said the two teenagers were arrested "as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack" and were being held in custody for questioning.

• Texas synagogue hostage-taker was British

According to US police sources, Akram arrived in the country via New York's JFK International Airport two weeks ago.

Akram's brother Gulbar confirmed his death in a statement carried on the Blackburn Muslim Community's Facebook page. He apologised to the victims and said his brother had been suffering from mental health issues.

The Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed counter-terror officers were in contact with US authorities and the FBI.

The siege began at around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) when police were called to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the suburb of Dallas.

Neighbours told the BBC they heard a commotion when armed police were sealing off the area, followed later by a loud bang, which shook their house.

Suzanne Hughes said she was at home celebrating a birthday with her family when they saw police with guns drawn rush toward the synagogue.

"I was expecting the synagogue to have exploded - it had not, but it was very unnerving. We heard gunfire when we got to the backyard.

"It's sad. This is America. You're supposed to be able to be safe everywhere you go," she added.

EPA

Akram gained initial access to the synagogue during the service by claiming to be a homeless man, according to a police source quoted by CBS.

Among the hostages was the synagogue's rabbi. One was released after six hours with the other three being led to safety by police several hours later.

All of the hostages at the synagogue were freed unharmed.

US President Joe Biden called the hostage-taking an "act of terror" and the UK condemned the attack.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described it as an "act of terrorism and anti-Semitism".

Ms Truss said in a tweet: "We stand with US in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate."

This FBI-led investigation is likely to spread across three continents, focussing primarily on what is known about hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram here in the UK, as well as anyone who may have helped him, either in the UK or the US.

His reported demand for the release of convicted Pakistani neuroscientist Aafiya Siddiqui from a US jail has given this a further dimension which will undoubtedly lead to contact between the FBI and the authorities in Pakistan.

Akram's choice of a Jewish synagogue for the siege has already prompted a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, warning of the need to fight anti-Semitism.

But for now the immediate focus is on anyone Akram was in contact with in the area of north-west England where he came from.

That brings in MI5, the security service, Counter Terrorism Policing North West and Greater Manchester Police.

There has been no confirmation yet of whether Akram was already known to the UK authorities but he had no prior police record in the US.

The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan, law enforcement officials told local media.

Officials added Akram also asked to speak to Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year term in a prison in Forth Worth, Texas, about 20 miles away from the synagogue.

President Biden appeared to confirm the attacker had been seeking her release, saying the Texas attack was related to "someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years".

The president said the attacker had apparently bought weapons after he landed in the US.

Police sources say that no explosive material was found on Akram and US federal courts do not show he had any criminal history.

Akram's brother said he had liaised "with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI etc" during the siege but "there was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender".

Gulbar added: "We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologize wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident.

"We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned."

Do you have any information? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Upload pictures or video
• Please read our terms & conditions and privacy policy

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

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2022-01-17 12:12:15Z
1256652022

Abu Dhabi oil tanker explosions: Three killed and six injured in suspected drone attack, as Houthis claim responsibility - Sky News

Three people have been killed and six are injured in suspected drone attacks in Abu Dhabi, according to reports.

Three fuel trucks exploded and a fire broke out near Abu Dhabi airport on Monday in what Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said was an attack deep inside the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Quoting police, a UAE state-run news agency reported that three people were killed in the tanker truck explosions - two Indian nationals and one Pakistani national.

World news live: Abu Dhabi 'drone attack' latest - as North Korea tests two 'ballistic missiles' in airport test

Image: Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed the attack on the UAE. File pic

UAE police earlier said that drones may have caused an explosion on three oil tankers and a minor fire at an airport extension in Abu Dhabi.

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Yemen's Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Abu Dhabi police said three fuel tankers had exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNO.

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They said a fire had also broken out at a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport - but added it was "minor" and took place at an extension of the main airport which is still under construction.

Initial investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in two areas and possibly caused the explosion and fire, officers said, adding there was no significant damage from the incidents.

UAE part of Saudi-led coalition

Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE, saying in a tweet that there will be an announcement about details of the attack against the UAE "in the coming hours".

The UAE has been at war in Yemen since early 2015 and was significant in the Saudi-led coalition that launched attacks against the Houthi rebels after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally-backed government.

Not first time Houthis have targeted UAE

The Iranian-backed Yemini Houthi militant group has claimed responsibility for a series of small drone attacks that have started two fires around the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

Police in the Emirate told a state news agency that three fuel trucks exploded in an industrial area, and another fire broke out on a construction site at the international airport.

"Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire," the police said in a statement on state news agency WAM.

The Houthis said they had launched the attack "deep into the UAE" and would reveal more details "in the coming hours".

It would not be the first time the group has targeted the UAE with drones, but the attacks often go unclaimed or they're downplayed by the Emiratis.

The UAE has been involved in the Yemen conflict for a number of years, on the side of pro-government forces, although it downscaled its presence in the country back in 2019.

The Houthis have claimed attacks on Abu Dhabi's airport in the past, along with the emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant - which Emirati officials have previously denied.

Booby-trapped boats

They have also used bomb-laden drones for crude and imprecise attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and have launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as used booby-trapped boats for attacks in key shipping routes.

Abu Dhabi is the UAE's seat of government and steers the country's foreign policy.

Image: South Korean President Moon Jae-in on his visit in the UAE

Monday's attacks come as South Korea's President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE.

The two countries are said to have reached a preliminary deal valued at around $3.5bn (£2.5bn) over the selling of mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE.

The deal was reportedly made during the president's meeting with Emirati prime minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday.

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2022-01-17 11:33:35Z
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Tsunami threat recedes; volcanic ash hinders Tonga response - Al Jazeera English

The tsunami threat around the Pacific from a huge undersea volcanic eruption receded on Sunday, but a massive ash cloud covering the tiny island nation of Tonga prevented surveillance flights from New Zealand from assessing the extent of damage.

Satellite images showed the spectacular eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano that took place on Saturday with a plume of ash, steam and gas rising like a mushroom above the blue Pacific waters. A sonic boom could be heard as far away as Alaska.

In Tonga, it sent tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.

The eruption cut the internet to Tonga, leaving friends and family members around the world anxiously trying to get in touch to figure out if there were any injuries. Even government websites and other official sources remained without updates on Sunday afternoon.

This satellite image taken by Himawari 8, a Japanese weather satellite, shows an undersea volcano eruption at Tonga [NICT via AP]

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there had not yet been any official reports of injuries or deaths in Tonga, but cautioned that authorities had not yet made contact with some coastal areas and smaller islands.

“Communication with Tonga remains very limited. And I know that is causing a huge amount of anxiety for the Tongan community here,” Ardern said.

She said there had been significant damage to boats and shops along the Tongan coastline.

The capital, Nuku’alofa, about 64km (40 miles) south of the volcano, was covered in a thick film of volcanic dust, Ardern said, contaminating water supplies and making freshwater a vital need.

Aid agencies said thick ash and smoke had prompted authorities to ask people to wear masks and drink bottled water.

Ardern said New Zealand was unable to send a surveillance flight over Tonga on Sunday because the ash cloud was 19km (63,000 feet) high. But efforts will continue on Monday, followed by supply planes and navy ships.

One complicating factor in any international aid effort is that Tonga has so far managed to avoid any outbreaks of COVID-19. Ardern said New Zealand’s military staff were all fully vaccinated and willing to follow any protocols established by Tonga.

Dave Snider, the tsunami warning coordinator for the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, said it was extremely unusual for a volcanic eruption to affect an entire ocean basin, and the spectacle was both “humbling and scary”.

Robin George Andrews, a science journalist, a volcanologist and author of Super Volcanoes, told Al Jazeera from London that “it was the most energetic [volcanic] explosions in the entire 21st century”.

“Unfortunately there was this giant explosion which scientists think is a one in a 1,000-year event for this sort of volcano. It takes about 1,000 years to fully recharge,” he said.

“So it just happened to be around that point where it unleashed a vast amount of magma in a very explosive way. That’s what created the explosion where it pushed the atmosphere out of the way … The shockwave has gone around the entire world.”

A couple look at a damaged boat in a marina at Tutukaka, New Zealand [Tanya White/Northern Advcate/NZME via AP]

The tsunami waves caused damage to boats as far away as New Zealand and Santa Cruz, California, but did not appear to cause any widespread damage. Snider said he anticipated the tsunami situation in the United States and elsewhere to continue improving.

Tsunami advisories were earlier issued for Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and the US Pacific coast.

The US Geological Survey estimated the eruption caused the equivalent of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake. Scientists said tsunamis generated by volcanoes rather than earthquakes are relatively rare.

Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau, who chairs the New Zealand Tonga Business Council, said she hoped the relatively low level of the tsunami waves would have allowed most people to get to safety, although she worried about those living on islands closest to the volcano.

She said she had not yet been able to contact her friends and family in Tonga. “We are praying that the damage is just to infrastructure and people were able to get to higher land.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter: “Deeply concerned for the people of Tonga as they recover from the aftermath of a volcanic eruption and tsunami. The United States stands prepared to provide support to our Pacific neighbours.”

Tonga gets its internet via an undersea cable from Suva, Fiji. All internet connectivity with Tonga was lost at about 6:40pm local time on Saturday, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis for the network intelligence firm Kentik.

On Tonga, which is home to about 105,000 people, video posted to social media showed large waves washing ashore in coastal areas and swirling around homes, a church and other buildings.

A Twitter user called Dr Faka’iloatonga Taumoefolau posted a video showing waves crashing ashore.

“Can literally hear the volcano eruption, sounds pretty violent,” he wrote, adding in a later post: “Raining ash and tiny pebbles, darkness blanketing the sky.”

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2022-01-16 12:46:11Z
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British girl, five, dies after being struck by skier in French Alps, according to reports - Sky News

A five-year-old British girl has died after being struck by a skier in the French Alps, according to reports.

The girl was taking part in a ski lesson with four other children in Flaine, Haute Savoie, on Saturday morning when she was "violently struck by a skier going at high speed who tried in vain to avoid her", the prosecutor for Bonneville said.

She was waiting in a queue for the "Les Serpentines" blue slope and was about to make a right turn when the incident happened, they added.

The young girl, who is believed to live with her parents in Geneva, Switzerland, was airlifted to hospital, but pronounced dead on the way.

A 40-year-old man from the Haute Savoie region was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and is being questioned in custody, the prosecutor said.

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2022-01-16 13:07:43Z
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