Tonga sits at the junction of two major tectonic plates, the Pacific and Indo-Australian.
The Pacific Plate is pushed west and sinks back into the mantle along a 'subduction zone’ as it reaches the Indo-Australian Plate and the smaller Tonga Plate reut.rs/3fEu9SU
An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Jan. 15, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in Japan and causing large waves in several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media showed waves crashing into coastal homes
Satellite images from Planet Labs on Jan. 7 showed volcanic gas escaping through the vent. On Jan. 15, about two hours before it erupted, the vent was predominantly underwater.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai lies about 65 km (40 miles) north of Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga
Scientists said the volcano had been puffing away for about a month before rising magma, superheated to around 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 Fahrenheit), met with 20 degree (68 Fahrenheit) seawater on Saturday, causing an instantaneous and massive explosion
The eruption was so powerful that space satellites captured not only huge clouds of ash but also an atmospheric shockwave that radiated out from the volcano at close to the speed of sound reut.rs/3qInrkQ
The Red Cross said its teams in Tonga confirmed that salt water from the tsunami and volcanic ash were polluting the drinking water of thousands.
New Zealand navy vessels will arrive on the Pacific island nation on Friday carrying critical water supplies reut.rs/3qIcvEc
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Israel intensified its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza's south and over a dozen members of one family were killed in an air strike, residents said, as the ruined Palestinian enclave's health ministry announced 29,313 deaths in the war so far 1/6 reut.rs/3wrVZgR
In Jerusalem, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz cited 'promising early signs of progress' on a new deal to release hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza amid talks conducted by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to secure a pause in the war 2/6
The Israeli army said it had stepped up operations in Khan Younis, a city just north of Rafah. It made no mention of attacks on Rafah itself in its daily summary of events in Gaza and did not immediately respond to a request for comment 3/6
View of Buckingham Palace following King Charles' cancer diagnosis reut.rs/486lbGw
King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will postpone public engagements to undergo treatment, Buckingham Palace said, but added he remained ‘wholly positive’ about the scare less than 18 months into his reign
Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians in Khan Younis in a southern coastal area of the Gaza Strip packed with people who had fled attacks in other parts of the enclave, Gaza health ministry officials said 1/8 reut.rs/48luYtg
The dead included nine children, an official told @Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack although it had separately reported fighting and air strikes against Hamas militants in the Khan Younis area 2/8
Gaza residents also said Israeli planes and tanks bombarded three refugee camps in the center of the shattered enclave in heavier attacks than in previous days 3/8
After a school shooting in Tennessee, they recorded the frustrations of parents and state legislators whose cries for gun control were silenced 1/8 reut.rs/41DFBFj
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Elon Musk threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and those who attacked his social media platform X, following moves by several large US companies to halt advertising on the site after being promoted alongside antisemitic content 1/5 reut.rs/40JDEqD
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Liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America said earlier this week that it found ads from IBM, Apple and others were placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party 3/5
Muslim Americans and some Democratic Party activists say they will work to mobilize millions of Muslim voters to withhold donations and votes towards President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection unless he takes immediate steps to secure a Gaza ceasefire 1/5 reut.rs/3tOrTTc
The National Muslim Democratic Council, which includes Democratic Party leaders from hotly contested states likely to decide the election, such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, called on Biden to use his influence with Israel to broker a ceasefire by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) 2/5
In an open letter entitled '2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,' the Muslim leaders pledged to mobilize Muslim voters to 'withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people' 3/5