World news in brief
Fears Russian volcano could burst into ‘powerful eruption’
Russia’s Shiveluch volcano is under extremely high activity and a powerful explosion could occur at any time, the Kamchatka volcanic eruption response team has warned. The country’s most active volcano and one of the largest in the Russian far east recorded a volcanic ash plume rising up to around 13,000ft on Saturday, according to the observatory. “A growth of the lava dome continues, a strong fumarole activity, an incandescence of
the lava dome, explosions, and hot avalanches accompanies this process,” the observatory said yesterday. “Ash explosions up to 10-15kms (9.32 miles) ... could occur at any time. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.”
The dome of the volcano has become very hot and glows at night, Alexei Ozerov, the director of the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Russian state media RIA, adding: “At night, the dome glows almost over its entire surface. Hot avalanches with a temperature of 1,000C roll down the slopes, [and] pyroclastic flows descend. This state of the dome is observed, as a rule, before a powerful paroxysmal eruption.” The most powerful eruption that previously took place on Shiveluch was recorded in 2009, according to Nasa. The summit of what is one of Kamchatka’s largest volcanoes reaches 3,283m (10,771ft). It is also one of the peninsula’s most active, with an estimated 60 large eruptions in the past 10,000 years. It erupted in October 2010, spewing ash 10km above sea level.
Ticketmaster apologises to Swift fans for presale crashes
Ticketmaster has apologised to Taylor Swift and her fans after sales for her Eras tour descended into chaos. The events giant issued a statement after Swift shared her frustration with fans struggling to get tickets for the tour as the website repeatedly crashed. “We want to apologise to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets. Next, we feel we owe it to everyone to share some information to help explain what happened,” Ticketmaster wrote in a statement. It went on to outline the massive demand for tour tickets, saying that its technical infrastructure was not prepared to handle such a surge.
The statement came after the US Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster’s parent company that will look into whether Live Nation Entertainment has abused its power in the live music industry. According to a new report by The New York Times, the investigation predates the Swift
problems. In recent months, members of the Justice Department’s antitrust division have spoken with music venues and industry workers, under the request of anonymity, about Live Nation’s practices. The Independent contacted Live Nation and the Justice Department for comment. Posting on Instagram on Friday, Swift said: “It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.”
Nineteen sentenced to lashes for ‘crimes’ in Afghanistan
Nineteen people in Afghanistan have received lashes for adultery, theft and running away from home, the country’s Supreme Court said. The Taliban, when they took control in August last year, had promised to be more moderate and show leniency toward women and minority rights. However, a Supreme Court official, Abdul Rahim Rashid, said yesterday that 10 men and nine women were lashed 39 times each in Taloqan city in northeastern Takhar province on 11 November. The lashes for their “crimes” took place at the city’s main mosque in the presence of elders, clerics and residents, the Associated Press reported.
On 17 November, a Taliban spokesperson had said that they would stick to their strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia. Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhunzada, met with Taliban judges a few days earlier and instructed them to implement Sharia law in their rulings. On social media, several photos and videos have appeared on and off since August last year showing the Taliban punishing people. But the Supreme Court’s statement has confirmed fears that the Taliban are serious about Sharia in Afghanistan. When they were in power during the 1990s, the group sparked worldwide condemnation for resorting to public executions and lashings for those accused of adultery and theft.
Martial arts star ‘may have died from drinking too much water’
A new study claims to shed light on the death of celebrated film star and martial artist Bruce Lee. The Enter the Dragon actor died in July 1973 at the age of just 32 after suffering a cerebral oedema – swelling of the brain. The swelling was thought to be a reaction to the tranquilliser meprobamate, which made up part of a painkiller Lee was given called equagesic. However, a team of researchers has now suggested that the oedema was caused by hyponatraemia. “In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee,” the scientists wrote in the paper published in the Clinical Kidney Journal.
Several factors suggest that Lee may have been consuming unusually high quantities of liquid at the time due to his diet, which consisted of a lot of juices and protein drinks, and the use of cannabis, which causes increased thirst. “In summary, Lee had multiple risk factors predisposing to hyponatraemia resulting from interference with water homeostasis mechanisms that regulate both water intake and water excretion,” the researchers wrote. “We hypothesise that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis.” They concluded: “Ironically, Lee made famous the quote ‘Be water my friend’, but excess water appears to have ultimately killed him.”
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