Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

One of Japan’s most active volcanoes is due for a major eruption within the next 30 years, say scientists who have studied a build-up of magma there, the BBC reports.

The Sakurajima volcano on Japan’s Kyushu island poses a “growing threat”, researchers at the University of Bristol say.

The volcano, located 49km (30 miles) from the Sendai nuclear plant, is also close to Kagoshima, a city of 600,000.

Sakurajima’s last deadly eruption was in 1914, when 58 people died.

The Japanese archipelago, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of fire”, has more than 100 volcanoes. Sakurajima regularly spews ash and there are many small explosions there each year, with the latest eruption being in February.

Photo: AFP

 

At least 33 tourists who spent a cold Thursday night trapped in several cable cars high above the French Alps have been rescued, officials say, the BBC reports.

The tourists were suspended above the glaciers of Mont Blanc at an altitude of about 3,800m (12,468ft) after wires carrying the cars became tangled.

They were among 110 people initially trapped when the cable cars ground to a halt on Thursday afternoon.

The cars are believed to have stopped after cables tangled in high winds.

Those trapped overnight were freed on Friday after rescuers managed to restart the cars by relaxing the tension of tangled cables.

Photo: AP

 

A man named Vladimir Putin – who is not the Russian president – has been arrested in a Florida supermarket on trespassing charges.

The 48-year-old man, who shares the same name as the Russian leader, was arrested on charges of trespassing and resisting an officer without violence at a Publix supermarket in downtown West Palm Beach last week.

Police said Mr Putin was screaming at employees and refused to leave the supermarket. He then left and returned again to scream some more.

Mr Putin was asked to leave the property again but sat outside on its patio instead, 

A police report said Mr Putin initially refused to give officers his name.

Mr Putin appeared in court on Monday morning and was released with another court date set for September.

The death toll in the Italian earthquake has risen to at least 247 as thousands of rescuers continue efforts to find survivors, the BBC reports.

Dozens are believed trapped in ruined Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto, in mountainous central Italy.

The search went on through the night, and there was a strong aftershock which rocked already damaged buildings.

More than 4,300 rescuers are using heavy lifting equipment and their bare hands.

Many of the victims were children, the health minister said, and there were warnings the toll could rise further.

Photo: NASA

 

The American space agency’s new Juno mission to Jupiter has returned its first imagery since going into orbit around the gas giant last week, the BBC reports.

The picture shows a sunlit portion of the planet, together with three of its big moons – Io, Europa and Ganymede.

The fourth major satellite – Callisto – is out of view.

Juno is currently moving away from Jupiter on a large arc, but will sweep back in during August, enabling its “JunoCam” to take even better images.

At the moment, scientists are just relieved to know that the equipment is in good health after its encounter with Jupiter’s harsh radiation environment during the spacecraft’s orbit insertion manoeuvre on 5 July (GMT).

The mission team is now turning on all the probe’s instruments to check their status.

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed condolences to the relatives and friends of the Armenian family found killed in Javakhk.

Ofelya Kachotyan and her three children aged 5, 16 and 18 were found dead in the village of Vachian in Akhalkalak region, Javakheti News reports.

Investigation into the circumstance of the case is still under way, but the fact of a brutal murder is obvious.

Villagers say Ofelya’s husband was in Russia, the family lived a modest life with average revenues.

Vachian is an Armenian-populated village 6 km away from Akhalkalak.

Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Yuri Vardanyan has talked to the governor of Samtskhe-Javakhk region Akaki Machutatde and chief of Police Teymuraz Kalandasze.

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that the suspect has been arrested.

The Armenian Embassy keeps in touch with the law-enforcement bodies of Georgia and closely follows the developments.

The reconstruction of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway may take 2-3 weeks, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielyan said at the government sitting today. The issue is in the spotlight of the Prime Minister and the government, he said.

The road is currently impassable because of flooding of Terek River. The land transportation of cargos is impossible. The Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations keeps in touch with the relevant authorities in Georgia and Russia, the Minister said.

At the request of the Armenian PM the Russian government has provided a plane to transport citizens stuck at Upper Lars border checkpoint. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has already flown 96 citizens to Yerevan, another 120 will be transported today, Vache Gabrielyan said.

Manchester United are set to pay €42.5 million for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to multiple reports in Germany, reports.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed on Tuesday that United had “significantly improved their offer” and , and all report that the Premier League side have nearly doubled their initial €24m (£19.9m) bid to €42.5m (£35.2m).

The reports said Dortmund are set to accept the offer — which would be the biggest transfer fee ever paid for a player entering the final year of his contract in Europe — and the deal will be completed in the coming days.

Kicker said that minor details in the contract are yet to be negotiated and Dortmund want the approval of all bodies of the club before accepting, while Mkhitaryan will have to pass a medical, but a deal appears imminent.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund until the end of his existing contract amid interest from Manchester United and Arsenal, the club’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has confirmed,  reports.

ESPN FC sources say that Arsenal have made Mkhitaryan their number one target, but the Armenia international — who is under contract until 2017 — will not be allowed a transfer, despite there also being a reported €24 million offer from Manchester United.

Mkhitaryan, 27, has turned down Dortmund’s contract offer and has his heart set on a move to the Premier League, but the Bundesliga have decided not to sell the midfielder and will force him to see out his contract, .

“We’ve been negotiating a new deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months,” . “We now know he won’t sign an extension. There was never a promise that he can leave us prematurely.”

Watzke’s comments came after Mino Raiola, Mkhitaryan’s agent, that the club had promised the Armenian and his representative to be allowed a transfer in the summer.

“Those in charge at BVB promised Micki months ago that he can leave the club in the summer,” Raiola said. “Dortmund have an official offer, but the BVB bosses now fear their fans. All of a sudden they say that he has to leave on a free next summer. That’s very bad management.”

According to Bild, Manchester United have made a €24m offer for Mkhitaryan — who set up 32 goals and scored a further 23 in all competitions for the club last term — and the agent wants his player to link up with Jose Mourinho as soon as possible.

“Manchester United are a unique opportunity,” Raiola said. “Micki wants to join them now by any means.”

However, Dortmund, who have already sold key players Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan to Bayern Munich and Manchester City, have decided to not sell the Armenian.

“We have intensely discussed the question of an early transfer in all club bodies and came to the conclusion that Mkhitaryan will stay in Dortmund next season,” Watzke said.

Turkey has criticized plans by Germany’s parliament to recognize the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide, the Associated Press reports.

Germany’s parliament is to hold a vote on a motion describing the deaths as genocide this week.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that Germany — home to a large Turkish community — should “act with caution.”

He said parliaments should not decide on history and that all countries should make documents available to historians so they can shed light on the killings.