Satellite images show collapse of Indonesian island volcano

This combination of synthetic aperture radar images taken by JAXA's ALOS-2 satellite and analyzed by Geospatial Information Authority of Japan shows Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano, center in images, before and after the Dec. 22, 2018, eruption. (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan/AP)
Updated 27 December 2018
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Satellite images show collapse of Indonesian island volcano

  • JASA’s post-eruption image shows concentric waves radiating from the island, which experts say is caused by ongoing eruptions
  • Anak Krakatau first rose above sea level in 1929, according to Indonesia’s volcanology agency, and has been increasing its land mass since then

JAKARTA, Indonesia: Radar data from satellites, converted into images, shows Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau island volcano is dramatically smaller following a weekend eruption that triggered a deadly tsunami.
Satellite photos aren’t available because of cloud cover but radar images from a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite taken before and after the eruption show the volcano’s southwestern flank has disappeared.
Dave Petley, head of research and innovation at Sheffield University who analyzed similar images from a European Space Agency satellite, said they support the theory that a landslide, most of it undersea, caused the tsunami that killed at least 430 people on Saturday evening.
“The challenge now is to interpret what might be happening on the volcano, and what might happen next,” he wrote in a blog.
Indonesian authorities are warning people to stay away a kilometer (less than a mile) from the Sunda Strait coastline because of the risk of another tsunami.
JASA’s post-eruption image shows concentric waves radiating from the island, which experts say is caused by ongoing eruptions.
Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, is the offspring of the infamous Krakatau volcano that affected global climate with a massive eruption in 1883.
Anak Krakatau first rose above sea level in 1929, according to Indonesia’s volcanology agency, and has been increasing its land mass since then.


First lady Melania Trump to preview new film at private White House screening

Updated 24 January 2026
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First lady Melania Trump to preview new film at private White House screening

  • Film offers rare behind-the-scenes access to Melania Trump
  • First lady to ring NYSE opening bell to promote ​film

WASHINGTON: First lady Melania Trump will host a private White House screening on Saturday of a new film documenting her life in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, an adviser said.
The movie, “Melania,” is set for a global release on January 30. Saturday’s showing will be the first ‌time the ‌president, her family and close friends see ‌the ⁠film ​in ‌full, said Marc Beckman, the first lady’s outside adviser and agent.
The film offers rare behind-the-scenes access to the first lady, who has kept a low public profile during her husband’s second term. The trailer opens on Inauguration Day in January 2025, showing her donning a navy wide-brimmed hat for the ceremony at ⁠the US Capitol. It also depicts her role as an adviser to the ‌president, including a moment in which ‍she encourages him to emphasize “peacemaker ‍and unifier” in his inaugural address.
Beckman, who produced the film, ‍oversaw the $40 million movie deal with Amazon’s MGM Studios, plus a follow-up documentary series set for release later this year focusing on some of Melania Trump’s priorities, including children in foster care.
“This is not ​a political film at all,” Beckman said in an interview, adding that the first lady spearheaded ⁠the film’s creative direction.
The movie highlights her fashion choices, diplomatic engagements and the operations surrounding her Secret Service protection. Beckman said viewers also will see moments that capture the president’s sense of humor.
Ahead of the public theatrical release of the film next week, the president and first lady will attend a premiere on Thursday at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors.
The first lady is also scheduled to ring the opening ‌bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday to promote the film, Beckman added.