Mount Lokon volcano in Indonesia eruptsFebruary 10, 2012 - 15:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Mount Lokon volcano on Indonesia's Sulawesi island erupted early Friday, February 10 with a loud explosion and spewing ash 2 kilometres up in the sky, state news agency Antara reported. The 1,578-metre volcano erupted at 8:20 am local time (0020 GMT), but no casualties were reported. "Volcanic activity had been increasing since yesterday before it erupted this morning" Warno, a volcano observation staff, was quoted as saying. "The height of the ash-smoke plume is estimated to be about 2,000 metres," said Warno, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. Residents to the east of the crater within a 3.5-kilometre radius have been advised to vacate their homes, the Centre of Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said on its website. The Indonesian archipelago is spreading along the seismically active Ring of Fire in the western Pacific, and has the world’s highest density of volcanoes. Of its 500 volcanoes, 128 are active and 65 are listed as dangerous. Mount Lokon erupted several times last year, most recently in December, but there were no casualties, according to The Nation. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |