LOS LLANOS DE ARIDANE, Canary Islands (AP) — European Union scientists say the surface of Spain’s La Palma island is continuing to expand as lava from a volcano flows into the Atlantic Ocean and hardens. The EU’s Earth observation program said Thursday that satellite imagery showed a D-shaped tongue of molten rock building up on the island’s western shore. The Copernicus program says the delta measured 835 acres by the end of Wednesday. Trade winds typical of Spain’s Canary Islands were helping dispel the plumes of water vapor and toxic gases that result when the hot lava meets the cooler ocea ..read more

BEIJING (AP) — Defense officials from China and the U.S. have held two days of talks in a small sign of progress amid a continuing sharp downturn in relations. The video conference held Tuesday and Wednesday was led by Maj. Gen. Huang Xueping, deputy direct of the People’s Liberation Army’s Office for International Military Cooperation, and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase. The Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson says they exchanged in-depth views on relations and issues of common concern. However, he blamed continuous provocation and containment of China by ..read more

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has expressed willingness to restore stalled communication lines with South Korea to promote peace in early October, while he shrugged off recent U.S. offers for dialogue. Kim’s statement is an apparent effort to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington as he wants South Korea to help him win relief from crippling U.S.-led economic sanctions and other concessions. Pyongyang has offered conditional talks with Seoul alongside its first missile firings in six months and stepped-up criticism of the United States. The U.N. Security Council ..read more

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The regional director of the International Federation of the Red Cross says if money isn’t restored to pay for wages and services the coming of winter could spell a “major humanitarian crisis” for Afghanistan. Alexander Matheou says Afghanistan is set to enter an “extremely difficult few months” as temperatures drop, compounding food shortages resulting from drought and poverty. Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Thursday, he said that cuts to health services put many vulnerable Afghans, particularly in rural areas, at risk. Meanwhile, a women’s protest was sw ..read more

The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures. The post Flash Flood Warning issued September 30 at 2:50AM MST until September 30 at 3:00AM MST by NWS Tucson AZ appeared first on KVOA ..read more

BERLIN (AP) — Officials in Germany are investigating why a huge wind turbine collapsed just hours before it was due to be officially inaugurated. The turbine toppled over late Wednesday in a forest near the western town of Haltern. German news agency dpa reported Thursday that police do not suspect sabotage. The wind turbine has rotor blades that reach a height of 239 meters, or 784 feet. It was connected to the grid six months ago but scheduled to be officially launched on Thursday.. Germany is trying to ramp up its use of renewable energy such as wind and solar as part of a transition away f ..read more

PARIS (AP) — French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted and sentenced to a year of house arrest for illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 reelection bid. The court said Thursday it will allow him to serve the sentence at home by wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Sarkozy has vigorously denied wrongdoing. He has the possibility to appeal the decision which would suspend the sentence. Sarkozy wasn’t present at the Paris court for the ruling. He was accused of having spent almost twice the maximum legal amount of 22.5 million euros ($27.5 million) on the reelecti ..read more

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Police in the Netherlands and Germany say they have have arrested nine suspected members of a gang responsible for a string of robberies targeting ATMs in Germany and for setting up a training center for blowing up cash machines. European Union police agency Europol says the makeshift training facility in the central Dutch city of Utrecht helped unmask the gang. Police in Germany said Thursday they became suspicious when a 29-year-old Dutch man ordered several ATMs, saying they were for an art project in the Netherlands. Instead, they were delivered to a warehouse ..read more

Issued by National Weather Service – Tucson, AZ Pima County …FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 3 AM MST EARLY THIS MORNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY… The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures. The post Flash Flood Warning until THU 3:00 AM MST appeared first on KVOA ..read more

This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in the Middle East, Afghanistan & Pakistan Region between Sept. 23-29, 2021. This week’s selection includes scenes from across the region, including Shiite pilgrims descending on the holy shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas for the Arbaeen Shiite festival in Karbala, Iraq. The holiday marks the end of the forty-day mourning period after the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, in the 7th century. In Beirut, mourners buried Ibrahim ..read more