A 57-year-old Tongan said he swam around 27 hours after getting swept out to sea during Saturday’s devastating tsunami. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano killed at least three people reut.rs/357yRGK 1/5
The volcanic eruption sent waves rolling across the archipelago, damaging villages, resorts and many buildings and knocked out communications for the nation of about 105,000 people 2/5
Lisala Folau, who lived on the small, isolated island of Atata which has a population of about 60 people, was swept out to sea when the waves hit land at about 7 p.m. on Saturday, he said in a radio interview to Tongan media agency Broadcom Broadcasting 3/5
Folau said he was painting his home when he was alerted about the tsunami, soon the waves had gone through his lounge.
He climbed on a tree to escape but when he got down another big wave swept him away, he said. The 57-year-old said he is disabled and cannot walk properly 4/5
'I just floated, bashed around by the big waves that kept coming,' he told the radio station.
Folau said he slowly managed to swim 7.5 km (4.7 miles) to the main island of Tongatapu, reaching the shore 27 hours later at about 10 p.m. on Sunday reut.rs/357yRGK 5/5
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Four decades ago, the United States deployed cruise and Pershing II nuclear missiles in Europe to counter Soviet SS-20s - a move that stoked Cold War tensions but led within years to a historic disarmament deal 1/10 reut.rs/3W97ZNj
'We can be proud of planting this sapling, which may one day grow into a mighty tree of peace,' Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev told US President Ronald Reagan in December 1987 as they agreed to dismantle the rival systems under a new treaty 2/10
The treaty scrapped all ground-based shorter-range and intermediate-range (INF) nuclear and conventional weapons - those with ranges between 500 km and 5,500 km 3/10
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
In one photo, it’s almost possible to hear Representative Justin Pearson’s measured tones as he stands in prayer with one hand raised at the Capitol following a legislative session that failed to change any gun laws 2/8
In March, a former student at the Covenant School in Nashville killed three children and three staff members. Pearson and fellow Representative Justin Jones, both Black Democrats, were briefly expelled for leading a gun control protest on the House of Representatives floor 3/8
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
Musk and X have been under a microscope all week for antisemitic and racist content that has proliferated on the site since he purchased it in 2022 2/5
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