
Dormant volcano erupts for first time in 450 years
The plume is estimated to have reached an altitude of 6,000 metres, Kamchatka's Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a post on Telegram. 'The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano towards the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities', the ministry said.
The volcano has been assigned an 'orange' aviation hazard code, the ministry added, meaning flights in the area may be disrupted. It came after Klyuchevskoy, another volcano in the region — the highest active in Europe and Asia — erupted on Wednesday. Eruptions of Klyuchevskoy are quite common, with at least 18 occurring since 2000, according to the Global Volcanism Program. — AFP
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Observer
03-08-2025
- Observer
Dormant volcano erupts for first time in 450 years
MOSCOW: A volcano erupted for the first time in 450 years in Russia's eastern Kamchatka region, the nation's emergency authority said on Sunday, days after one of the strongest earthquakes on record hit the region. Pictures released by Russian state media show a towering plume of ash spewing from the Krasheninnikov volcano, which last erupted in 1550, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. The plume is estimated to have reached an altitude of 6,000 metres, Kamchatka's Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a post on Telegram. 'The plume is spreading eastward from the volcano towards the Pacific Ocean. There are no populated areas along its path and no ashfall has been recorded in inhabited localities', the ministry said. The volcano has been assigned an 'orange' aviation hazard code, the ministry added, meaning flights in the area may be disrupted. It came after Klyuchevskoy, another volcano in the region — the highest active in Europe and Asia — erupted on Wednesday. Eruptions of Klyuchevskoy are quite common, with at least 18 occurring since 2000, according to the Global Volcanism Program. — AFP


Observer
23-06-2025
- Observer
Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations after US strikes in Iran
Airlines on Monday were weighing how long to suspend Middle East flights as a conflict which has already cut off major flight routes entered a new phase after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran vowed to defend itself. Cancellations in recent days to usually resilient aviation hubs like Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, and Qatar's Doha by international carriers show how aviation industry concerns about the region have escalated. The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean has been largely empty of commercial air traffic for 10 days since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13, as airlines divert, cancel and delay flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns. Leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as "fluid", moved to cancel flights to Dubai through to Tuesday, having previously cancelled only its Sunday service. IAG group member Iberia cancelled Sunday's and Monday's Doha flights after making its own assessment, a spokesperson said. It has not made a decision regarding later flights. Air France KLM cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, and Finnair cancelled flights from Doha until at least Tuesday. Kazakhstan's Air Astana cancelled flights to Dubai on Monday. However, some international airlines were expecting to resume services. Flightradar24 departure boards show British Airways, owned by IAG, was set to resume Dubai and Doha flights on Monday after cancelling routes to and from those airports on Sunday. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East had become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Added to increased fuel and crew costs from these long detours and cancellations, carriers also face a potential hike in jet fuel costs as oil prices rise following the U.S. attacks. Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group said it is getting a small number of customer requests to route journeys to Europe away from Middle Eastern hubs. "The most common transfer hubs that we're seeing requested are Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Johannesburg, or even direct between Perth and London," said Graham Turner, CEO of Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group. AIRSPACE RISKS Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines, as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic. Location spoofing and GPS interference around political hotspots, where ground-based GPS systems broadcast incorrect positions which can send commercial airliners off course, are also a growing issue for commercial aviation. Flightradar24 told Reuters it had seen a "dramatic increase" in jamming and spoofing in recent days over the Persian Gulf. SkAI, a Swiss company that runs a GPS disruption map, late on Sunday said it had observed more than 150 aircraft spoofed in 24 hours there. Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region. This could raise additional airspace risks in Gulf states like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said. In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines and Air Canada did the same with flights to Dubai. They have yet to resume. While international airlines are shying away from the region, local carriers in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are tentatively resuming some flights after widespread cancellations. Israel is ramping up flights to help people return home, and leave. The country's Airports Authority says that so-called rescue flights to the country would expand on Monday with 24 a day, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. From Monday, Israeli airlines will start to operate outbound flights, the authority said. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.


Muscat Daily
22-06-2025
- Muscat Daily
Neo-Russian art exhibition opens at National Museum
Muscat – The National Museum on Saturday inaugurated the Neo-Russian Style exhibition, presented in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, under the patronage of H E Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The exhibition is part of the wider cultural initiative 'The Russian Seasons' and will run until November 2, 2025. Showcasing a collection of artworks and historical pieces, the exhibition highlights the Neo-Russian style that developed during the reigns of Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can explore applied arts, portraits, court costumes and imperial gifts that reflect the grandeur of Imperial Russia. Among the highlights are a silver presentation dish given to Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna by oilmen of the Absheron Peninsula in 1888, and a silver saltcellar presented to Emperor Nicholas II after his Eastern journey in 1890–1891. Also on display are a lace fan once owned by Empress Maria Feodorovna, a portrait by Sofya Yunker-Kramskaya, and elaborate masquerade costumes worn by members of the Russian aristocracy, including a grand costume worn by Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna at the 1903 Winter Palace masquerade. Jamal Hassan al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, described the exhibition as a cornerstone of Oman-Russia cultural cooperation and part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with Russian institutions. He said the museum plans further collaborations, including musical seasons at Bayt Al Greiza, an exhibition on Omani fine art with the State Tretyakov Gallery, and Imperial Russia and the East in partnership with the Moscow Kremlin Museums. H E Oleg Vladimirovich Levin, Ambassador of Russia to Oman, called the exhibition a strong example of cultural diplomacy and a bridge between two nations that share an appreciation for heritage. Professor Dr Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the National Museum's Board of Trustees, noted the historical importance of the pieces on display in a video address, adding that future joint initiatives include a new exhibition at the Oman Hall in St Petersburg. The Neo-Russian Style exhibition follows other successful joint projects under the Russian Seasons banner. Earlier this year, the National Museum hosted Gifts of the Emirs of Bukhara and Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court. Meanwhile, the Oman Hall at the Hermitage has attracted strong interest, with its second major exhibition, 'The Omani Empire Between Asia and Africa', drawing more than 414,000 visitors between December 2023 and January 2025.