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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 14 January 2020
Lava gushes from volcano near Manila; tens of thousands flee

By JOEAL CALUPITAN and more dangerous eruption
JIM GOMEZ could still happen, he said.
Associated Press The government volcano-
TAGAYTAY, Philippines (AP) monitoring agency raised
— Red-hot lava spewed the danger level around
from a volcano near the Taal three notches on Sun-
Philippine capital of Ma- day to Level 4, indicating a
nila on Monday as tens of hazardous eruption within
thousands of people fled hours to days was pos-
through heavy ash and sible. Level 5, the highest,
frightening tremors, and means such an eruption is
authorities made plans underway. Irene de Claro,
to evacuate hundreds of a mother of four, worried
thousands more for fear of about her father, who
a bigger eruption. stayed behind in their vil-
Clouds of ash from the Taal lage in Agoncillo while the
volcano reached Manila, rest of the family fled.
65 kilometers (40 miles) to "My father is missing. We
the north, on Sunday, forc- don't know, too, what hap-
ing the shutdown of the pened to our house be-
country's main airport, with cause the ash was up to our
more than 500 flights can- knees, it was very dark and
celed. The airport partially the ground was constantly
reopened Monday after A family rides their motorcycle through clouds of ash as they evacuate to safer grounds as Taal shaking when we left," de
the ashfall eased. volcano in Tagaytay, Cavite province, southern Philippines on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Castro said at a school in
There were no immedi- Associated Press the town of Lemery. "Most
ate reports of any deaths blanketed villages be- pealed for troops and the sky, according to the likely there's nothing for us
or major damage directly cause of a lack of trans- more police to stop people Philippine Institute of Vol- to return to. We're back to
blamed on the eruption. A portation and poor visibil- from sneaking back to their canology and Seismology. zero."
truck, however, skidded out ity. Others refused to leave villages. On Monday, the ash and The small island where the
of control on an ash-blan- their homes and farms. After a cleanup and a shift steam column reached volcano lies has long been
keted road, killing the driver "We have a problem — our of ash-laden winds away a height of 2 kilometers designated a "permanent
and injuring three compan- people are panicking due from Manila, officials par- (about a mile), with lava danger zone," though fish-
ions in Laguna province in to the volcano because tially reopened the main fountains spurting less than ing villages have existed
an accident police said they want to save their airport and allowed planes half of that height before there for years. Those resi-
may have been linked to livelihood, their pigs and to take off. President Ro- falling into the lake waters dents were all evacuated,
slippery conditions. herds of cows," Mayor Wil- drigo Duterte's aircraft was surrounding the main cra- volcanology officials said,
The government's disaster- son Maralit of the town of able to land in Manila on ter. Lava also spurted from adding that there should
response agency and oth- Balete told DZMM radio. Monday from his home- another vent north of the be a total evacuation, too,
er officials reported more "We're trying to stop them town of Davao, his spokes- main crater, said Renato of endangered communi-
than 30,000 villagers fled from returning and warning man said, adding he saw Solidum, who heads the in- ties within a 14-kilometer
their homes in the hard-hit that the volcano can ex- the extent of the disaster stitute. (8.7-mile) radius of Taal,
province of Batangas and plode again any time and from the plane. Frequent tremors and a Government work was
nearby Cavite province. hit them." Taal suddenly rumbled buildup of pressure of the suspended and schools
Officials expected the Maralit, whose town lies back to life on Sunday, 1,020-foot (311-meter) vol- closed in a wide swath of
number to swell. along the shoreline of Taal blasting steam, ash and cano, one of the world's towns and cities, includ-
Some residents could not Lake, which surrounds the pebbles up to 10 to 15 ki- smallest, however, indi- ing Manila, because of the
immediately flee their ash- erupting volcano, ap- lometers (6 to 9 miles) into cated a major and much health risks from the ash.q

Germany's Siemens to fulfill

Australia coal mine contract

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's duciary duties." "given the importance of
Siemens has decided to Siemens on Dec. 10 signed legitimate environmental
stand by a contract linked the contract to supply sig- concerns, we have se-
to a coal mine in Australia naling systems for a rail link cured the right to pull out of
that climate activists had between the Carmichael the contract if our custom-
called for it to drop. coal mine and a port. The er violates the very stringent
The German industrial con- vast mine is owned by In- environmental obligations."
glomerate's CEO, Joe Kae- dian company Adani, and The group Fridays for Fu-
ser, had promised to review the contract is worth about ture, which has held weekly
Siemens' involvement in the 18 million euros ($20 million) protests demanding action
project in light of climate to Siemens. against climate change
activists' opposition. But in Kaeser wrote that there for over a year, wanted Joe Kaeser, CEO of Siemens, addresses the media during a
a statement late Sunday, were competitors — "thus, Siemens to quit the mine statement in Berlin, Germany, Friday. Jan. 10, 2020.
Kaeser said that "there is whether or not Siemens project because emis- Associated Press
practically no legally and provides the signaling, the sions from coal-fired power Friday. "disastrous" and said the
economically responsible project will still go ahead." plants contribute to global Leading Fridays for Future group planned new dem-
way to unwind the con- But he added after a man- warming. Kaeser met the activist Luisa Neubauer onstrations in front of Sie-
tract without neglecting fi- aging board meeting that, group's representatives on called Kaeser's decision mens offices Monday.q