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Indonesia Volcano Triggers Tsunami Threat, US Blocks Palestinian State, S&P 500 Dives Again

Just reporting the facts.

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Centrist Chronicle
April 22, 2024

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Thousands of people were evacuated from the vicinity of Mount Ruang in northern Indonesia yesterday due to ongoing eruptions that began on Tuesday. In response to the volcanic activity, officials also issued a tsunami warning, prompted by concerns that a partial collapse of the 2,400-foot mountain into the sea could replicate a devastating event from 1871 that resulted in over 400 deaths on a neighboring island.

Mount Ruang, which last erupted in 2002, is situated in North Sulawesi province and is among the more than 120 active volcanoes scattered across Indonesia’s archipelago of 17,000 islands. The recent eruptions propelled ash clouds approximately 13 miles into the stratosphere and caused volcanic rocks to fall several miles away from the volcano. Video footage captured intense electrical discharges within the ash clouds, caused by the rapid movement and collision of particles, which generate a significant electrical charge akin to conventional thunderstorms.

As a precaution, authorities have established a four-square-mile exclusion zone around the volcano and closed the nearby Tagulandang airport.


On Thursday, the United States exercised its veto power in the United Nations Security Council, blocking a resolution that would have recognized a Palestinian state by recommending its full membership in the U.N. to the General Assembly. While the draft resolution gathered affirmative votes from 12 of the 15 council members, the U.S. veto prevented its passage. The United Kingdom and Switzerland chose to abstain from the vote.

Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Robert Wood, emphasized that the U.S. veto was not an expression of opposition to Palestinian statehood. Instead, he stated, "The United States continues to strongly support a two-state solution. This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties."


The S&P 500 experienced a fifth consecutive day of declines on Thursday, marking its longest stretch of losses since October of last year.

The index fell by 0.22% to 5,011.12, while the Nasdaq Composite decreased by 0.52% to 15,601.50. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slightly rose by 22.07 points, or 0.06%, ending at 37,775.38, barely maintaining its year-to-date level.

Throughout the week, the S&P 500 demonstrated moments of recovery, turning green during the trading sessions, only to lose those gains by the closing bell each day.