News Watch

Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano, 85 miles southeast of Quito, erupted on Feb. 3 and weeks later was still spewing ash, though the eruptions were much smaller and fewer in number. With rains expected in early spring, the surrounding area is at risk of mudslides of loose volcanic ash.

A “freak” or “rogue” wave struck the cruise ship Marco Polo on Feb. 14 as it headed through the English Channel toward London. One passenger died, another was injured and airlifted ashore for medical assistance and 14 other passengers suffered minor injuries. 

The minor damage to the Waldorf Restaurant was repaired, and British authorities cleared the ship to depart on its next scheduled cruise on Feb. 16.

“Rogue” waves usually form during severe storms and can be as high as an...

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As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 34 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. 

For details, call the...

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The United Nations Mission to South Sudan reported on Jan. 15 that, in the month since intense fighting broke out between rival government factions in South Sudan on Dec. 15, as many as 10,000 people may have been killed and more than 230,000 displaced. 

Allegations of atrocities, including executions, torture, sexual violence and ethnically targeted killings, have been made against antigovernment forces. Although a cease-fire was signed on Jan. 30, tensions remain high, and the...

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The US Department of State warns of the risks of traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo-Kinshasa, or DRC).

Armed groups, bandits and elements of the Congolese military remain security concerns in DRC, primarily in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu and in the southern province of Katanga.

While government troops were fighting in the east, additional fighting between armed groups and rebel militias seeking regional independence broke out in Katanga in...

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In Egypt, on the third anniversary of the Jan. 25, 2011, start of the uprising that forced the previous president, Hosni Mubarak, from office, thousands gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to support the current military-led government and cheer the announcement of General Sisi’s bid for the presidency. 

However, at demonstrations being held elsewhere in Cairo and Alexandria, 29 protesters were killed by security forces. The antigovernment protesters comprise those who want civilian...

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In the worst bloodshed in Iraq since 2008, renewed fighting and bombing put the number of deaths in the first month of 2014 at over 800. 

Militants took open control in Fallujah and Ramadi, and government forces began shelling neighborhoods. Car bombs and other bombs targeted both Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, Mosul and towns near Baqubah, and a major bridge out of Baghdad was damaged. 

The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 140,000 people have recently...

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The Department of State warns of the risks of travel to the southern Philippines region, particularly the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao island.

Due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travelers and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there, extreme caution should be taken on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, where, in 2013, separatist and terrorist groups increased the tempo and scale of bombings, attacks on civilians and political leaders, and...

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