Philippines' Taal Volcano Erupts

View of a forest fire with Cotopaxi volcano in the background in Latacunga, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Galo Paguay / AFP)
View of a forest fire with Cotopaxi volcano in the background in Latacunga, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Galo Paguay / AFP)
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Philippines' Taal Volcano Erupts

View of a forest fire with Cotopaxi volcano in the background in Latacunga, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Galo Paguay / AFP)
View of a forest fire with Cotopaxi volcano in the background in Latacunga, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, on September 27, 2024. (Photo by Galo Paguay / AFP)

The Philippines' Taal Volcano near the capital region has erupted, the country's seismology agency said on Wednesday.
The agency did not immediately provide details on the extent of the eruption but said the alert level remained at the lowest on the scale.
Taal, located about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila, is one of the world's smallest active volcanoes and some of its previous eruptions have impacted the capital and air travel.
Despite standing at only 311 m (1,020-feet), it can be deadly and an eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people, Reuters reported.
In January 2021, thousands of people were evacuated after it spewed a 1 km (0.62 mile) high plume of gas and steam.
A year earlier, the Taal volcano shot a column of ash and steam as high as 15 km into the sky, forcing more than 100,000 people to abandon their homes and triggered widespread disruption in the



Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Japan’s Beloved Panda Couple Return Home after Heartfelt Farewell

19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)
19-year-old giant panda Shin Shin is seen on the last public viewing day for the pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri (not pictured) before they return to China to be treated for high blood pressure, at the Ueno Zoological Garden in Tokyo, Japan September 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Japan's beloved elderly giant pandas Shin Shin and Ri Ri were safely returned to China on Sunday, Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Garden reported on its website.

The two pandas arrived at the Ueno zoo in 2011, bringing a little lightness to the country just months after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11 of that year, and continued to draw fans of all ages over the years.

When it was announced a month ago that the elderly pandas would soon be returned to China to be treated for high blood pressure, visitors flocked to see the pair before they left.

Hiyori Sakurai, an artist in her 30s, said she has been visiting the zoo every Sunday and even some weekdays when she could take time off from work.

"Whenever I go through a hard time, I would go see Ri Ri and Shin Shin, and they always cheered me up," she said.

Etsuko Tokuda, a self-employed woman in her 60s, has been going to the zoo almost everyday since the return announcement.

"Each day was important to me. I wanted to see them even if they were sleeping."

Native to China, pandas have through the years become "envoys of friendship" and China's offer of pandas to other countries has been dubbed panda diplomacy.

Saturday was the last chance to see Shin Shin and Ri Ri at the Ueno zoo, but their twins, born in June 2021, will remain.

While sad to see the panda couple go, retiree Harumi Iteguchi took some comfort.

"Knowing that Ri Ri and Shin Shin will go back together as a couple to their home country cheered me up a bit."