JAPAN - A volcano spewed plumes of lava and clouds of ash more than 16,000 feet into the sky as it carried out its most powerful eruptions in years. Sakurajima, a stratovolcano located in the Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan, started erupting on February 14 and continued its explosive activity throughout February 15. Incredible videos depicting the eruption show a large column of thick dark smoke rising above the crater of the volcano, and fiery plumes of lava exploding out of the summit of Sakurajima. Lightning can also be seen sparking through the clouds emerging from the volcano. The eruption was so violent that some large boulders fell nearly a mile from the crater after being shot up into the air.

JAPAN - The volcano, previously labelled the world's most dangerous, has been tipped to erupt this year in what would be a devastating event for the nearby regions. The 'world's deadliest volcano' with a growing magma chamber facing 'large eruption'. Japan's scarred and mountainous landscape betrays its highly active volcanic nature. It sits on the so-called Ring of Fire, and more than 100 of the world's 1,350 volcanoes are scattered across the country, many of which are active and ready to blow. Iwo Jima is one of them, a dome created thousands of years ago which has reared its head in recent years. Perhaps the most notable eruption came last year when so much volcanic ash and rock built up on the shallow seabed that an entirely new island was created. Now, some scientists are warning that Iwo Jima risks erupting at an even greater rate this year.

ICELAND - An eruption at one of Iceland's "most feared" volcanoes could see acid rain and other deadly mixtures released into the atmosphere. While the volcano near the Icelandic town of Grindavík has stopped erupting, the ground beneath it could entirely collapse. A "crack collapse" may occur in areas with weak and unstable ground, seeing fissures open up and swallow houses and roads. It is like something out of a nightmare, and according to the experts, further hellish scenarios could materialise should nearby volcanoes similarly erupt. One, Katla, is described as Iceland's "most feared" volcano and doubles up as the country's largest.

INDONESIA - There are around 1,350 potentially active volcanoes around the world, many of which have only recently left dormancy after hundreds of years. Mount Sinabung is one such a volcano, a huge protrusion around 25 miles from the Lake Toba supervolcano in Indonesia. Before 2010, Sinabung's last known eruption occurred 1,200 years ago, between 740 and 880 CE. Educational channel GeologyHub predicts that another "highly explosive" eruption could occur at the site again this year. Sinabung is believed to share some form of "deep connection" with the Toba supervolcano's magma chamber. On August 29, 2010, Sinabung erupted for the first time in 400 years. It was a momentous event and one that confirmed what geologists and volcanologists believed to be the case: that Sinabung was waking up again.

EUROPE - Camp Flegrei stands less than 1,000 miles from the UK yet risks blowing its lid in what would be a devastating volcanic eruption for Europe and the world. Camp Felgrei, or the Phlegraean Fields, is one of Europe's largest volcanic calderas, a vast Italian arc which includes the volatile Mount Vesuvius. It has seen civilisations come and go, and in a handful of cases, contributed to their demise. One extreme eruption may well have wiped out the Neanderthals, and another destroyed the ancient famed city of Pompeii. Now, tremors all across the volcanic system have raised alarm bells, with a cluster of Italian towns on yellow alert. Scientists are now warning that there is a "realistic possibility" of the volcano erupting again, something that would throw Europe into disarray. The crust around Camp Flegrei is now becoming weaker and "moving closer to rupture", the study, carried out by UCL and Italy’s National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, concluded in June.

USA - One of the world's most dangerous, the Long Valley Caldera could be at risk of exploding after a range of tremors and "clues" hint at the volcano's activity. Geologists wonder if it's 'waking up'. Long Valley Caldera sits at the heart of California and is powerful enough to bury Los Angeles in more than 3,000 feet of ash. It is one of the world's largest calderas, measuring a staggering 20 miles long and 11 miles wide. Rob Nelson, a scientist who appeared in the documentary, noted: "There are alarming signs of possible volcanic activity. And there are clues pointing towards an imminent eruption scattered throughout this valley — the site of the second largest explosive volcanic eruption in North America."

An eruption at Yellowstone would bring the world "to its knees" and cause what is known as a "nuclear winter", a volcanologist has warned. Supervolcanoes are among the most sinister natural creations Earth has to offer. They go one step further than their regular volcanic neighbours in the intensity with which they explode, coming in at a magnitude of eight on the Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI). It means that at some point in history, more than 1,000 cubic kilometres (240 cubic miles) of material blew out of their lids.

USA - Why was 2013 so important? It was the first time a majority of Americans had a smartphone, and the first time the iPhone became available on all cell phone providers’ plans. It was the first time a supermajority of Americans were on social media. And it was the year that the media began their Great Awokening, whereby all news centered around race and racism. All these technological and social advances fed into one another to further drive Americans apart. There’s now a wide body of scientific literature showing that smartphones, combined with social media, are linked to anxiety, depression, and social contagions among teenagers, especially teen girls.

UKRAINE - Expensive American M1 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine are increasingly falling prey to Russian drones that cost only a fraction as much, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Even “one of the most powerful symbols of American military might” is not invulnerable to the attacks, it said. At least five US-supplied tanks out of the 31 provided by Washington have already been destroyed by Russia, the media outlet said, adding that three others were “moderately damaged.” In most cases, the tanks have been destroyed by first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions. These drones are capable of maneuvering before hitting their targets.

NORTH KOREA - North Korea has successfully tested a “super-large warhead” for a cruise missile and a new type of anti-aircraft munition, state-run KCNA news agency has reported. The “test of power” of the warhead for the Hwasal-1Ra-3 strategic cruise missile and launch of the Pyoltsi-1-2 anti-aircraft missile took place on Friday in the Yellow Sea, the agency said on Saturday. “The tests achieved purposes concerned,” it noted. KCNA said the “tests are parts of normal works of national defense research institutions… and have nothing to do with [the] situation” on the Korean Peninsula.

UK - The West needs a Reagan-Thatcher style leadership pairing to confront Tehran because the current policy of appeasement has failed, Iran’s exiled crown prince told The Telegraph. Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late last Shah of Iran, is the founder and former leader of the National Council of Iran, an exiled opposition group he left in 2017, and a prominent critic of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Islamic regime. He said there had been a “weak approach” by Western leaders “on both sides of the Atlantic” towards the Islamic Republic and called for a “reset” of Europe’s relationship with Tehran, starting with proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror organisation.

UK - Lethal synthetic opioids linked to more than two deaths a week in the UK have been advertised for sale in thousands of posts on social media, an investigation has found. Suppliers boasted to undercover BBC reporters posing as dealers about how easy it was to use social media to promote nitazenes, an illegal group of drugs several times more powerful than heroin. The investigation found almost 3,000 posts on the music sharing site SoundCloud giving audio clips advertising the drugs, with contact details of suppliers shown in track titles. It also found adverts for the drugs in 700 posts on X, including some that had been on the site for 18 months.

USA - The US government could be losing between $233 billion and $521 billion to fraud each year, according to a report on a recent five-year period by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO). Issued this week, the study – the first of its kind – looked into the federal budget between fiscal years 2018 and 2022, spanning parts of the Trump and Biden administrations, and the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw scammers target historic aid handouts.

RUSSIA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has given a wide-ranging 90-minute interview to Sputnik, Moscow Speaks, and Komsomolskaya Pravda. The conversation centered on the Ukraine conflict, talks with Kiev in the spring of 2022, and tensions between Iran and Israel. Here's a synopsis of what Russia's top diplomat had to say. He stressed that while Moscow is ready to negotiate, it will not allow the situation of spring 2022 to be repeated, when both sides appeared to make progress during talks in Istanbul, with Russian forces withdrawing from the outskirts of Kiev as a goodwill gesture.

UNITED NATIONS - The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have paved the way for Palestine to become a member of the world body. Palestine is currently a “permanent observer state” at the UN that participates in meetings but does not have voting rights. The draft resolution debated on Thursday contained a recommendation to the UN General Assembly to hold a vote on updating Palestine’s status within the organization. The document was rejected with 12 votes in favor, one against, and two abstentions. Washington continues to support for the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Wood stressed.