Latest news with #Flores
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Minnesota Vikings first-round pick 'must bounce back' from poor 2024 season
Dallas Turner didn't have the most impactful rookie season in 2024, leading some to question the Minnesota Vikings' decision to trade up and select him. That makes his 2025 season vital to his future. The Vikings already have two Pro Bowl edge defenders, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. That made it hard to get Turner on the field as much as fans expected heading into last season. But Brian Flores and the Vikings are expecting big things from the second-year defender. This week, Matt Holder from PFF listed Turner among six 2024 first-round picks who need to have a bounce-back season to avoid the "bust" label. Holder acknowledges the obstacles Turner faced as a rookie, but says it's time for him to make a regular impact. But it was a little shocking to see him only take 28 percent of the Minnesota Vikings' defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference, and he could receive a similar workload this fall. . .Both starting edge defenders from last season return for the Vikings: Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard. . .Turner has an uphill battle to crack the starting lineup and could have a tough time seeing the field again. Last week, Flores told the media that he doesn't view Turner as a backup, and instead views him as an equal to Van Ginkel and Greenard. Flores isn't one to hype a player up in front of the media, so maybe it's a sign that Turner is coming along. But we still need to see Turner actually do it when the games count this season. Perhaps Flores is scheming ways to get him on the field without taking Van Ginkel and Greenard off. No matter how it happens, the Vikings paid a hefty price to land Turner. That means they need to see results sooner rather than later.
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
Volcano Erupts In Eastern Indonesia Disrupting Air Travel
The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the Indonesian island of Flores prompted authorities to close three regional airports and cancel dozens of international flights. Over 14,000 passengers are stranded on Flores, Bali and Lombok. The eruption spewed a colossal ash column over 10,000 meters into the atmosphere, posing a danger to commercial airplanes flying at altitudes around 30,000 to 42,000 feet (9.000 to 12.800 meters). Authorities raised alert levels to the highest of a four-tiered system, evacuating over 4,000 people from a 7-kilometer-wide area around the volcano. According to authorities, lahars— a mix of hot water and volcanic debris— pose the greatest danger. During an eruption in November 2024, nine people were killed. Lewotobi is a twin volcano with two summit craters: the Lewotobi Laki-laki (husband Lewotobi) and Lewotobi Perempuan (wife Lewotobi). Lewotobi's twin peaks are classic stratovolcanoes, formed by successive layers of lava, ash, and volcanic debris. Volcanic activity is documented since the 17th century, with most eruptions limited to the smaller Lewotobi Laki-laki. Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies near the intersection of several tectonic plates, including the Pacific Plate, the Eurasian Plate, the Australian Plate and the Philippine Plate. As parts of the colliding plates and seafloor are pushed into Earth's mantle, blobs of molten rock rise upwards and come into contact with water and gases, resulting in highly-explosive mix on the surface. Over 106 volcanoes are dotting the Indonesian archipelago; at least 60 have been active in the past 400 years. Some of the largest eruptions in recorded history, like the Tambora in 1815 and Krakatoa in 1883, happened here.
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Australians in Bali during 2017 volcano eruption warn others to take out travel insurance
Brisbane woman Teresa was excited about her girls' trip to Bali in 2017. Her group even extended their trip to enjoy the Indonesian holiday island a little longer. But when the time came to fly home, Bali's Mount Agung threw their plans into chaos. The volcano erupted in November of that year, causing some 150,000 residents to evacuate from their homes nearby. Bali's busy Denpasar airport was also closed due to ash fall from the mountain. "The whole thing was a debacle," said Teresa, who is again in Bali for a holiday. She told the ABC she was "experiencing deja vu". Bali airport has reopened following this week's eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the nearby island of Flores, but holiday-makers are warned that disruptions may continue. But Teresa, who only wants to be identified by her first name, said this time she didn't make the same mistake as in 2017 — not taking out travel insurance. During the previous trip, only one of Teresa's friends had travel insurance. "She was able to get a Singapore Airlines flight out quickly, about three days after the eruption," she said. "One friend was flown to Sydney where the airport was closed at the time and there was no accommodation available. It was a similar story for another one of her friends, who was flying home to Perth but had to stay overnight in Darwin. "The airport there was closed at night. She sat on her suitcase until the next morning," she said. For Teresa, it took just over a week to leave Bali — and even then it wasn't a direct trip home. "I had to fly to Melbourne first, then I got put into a run-down motel the airline had booked for the passengers," she said. Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. They said despite the airport returning to normal operations, a backlog of passengers was expected to take some time to clear. A number of flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Tuesday evening. Others slated for Wednesday evening were delayed for hours. Indonesian authorities raised the volcanic alert to the highest level and two villages were evacuated. Denpasar airport operators said in a statement on Wednesday that 87 flights were affected by the eruption — 66 international and 21 domestic. The international flights affected included legs to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. Andrew was in the Indonesian city of Bandung during Mount Agung's eruption in 2017. He said unlike Teresa's experience, having travel insurance covered the cost of his cancelled flight and accommodation. "My flight from Bandung to Bali was cancelled, so I had to stay a few extra days until a flight was available," he told the ABC. Andrew managed to get a flight to Lombok, where he stayed overnight. The next morning, he caught a boat to Bali, where he now lives. "My travel insurance covered everything," he said. These experiences reiterate how travel insurance is "essential protection" for holidays, said CHOICE insurance expert Jodi Bird. "The volcano affecting travel to Bali is a perfect example. If you bought your travel insurance in time, it will help you with the cost of cancelling or rescheduling your holiday," Mr Bird told the ABC. Mr Bird said in order to be covered for natural disasters, you need to buy travel insurance before the incident becomes "a known event". Otherwise, it could be too late. An event becomes "known" when it is publicised in the media, or official government websites, like the government's Smartraveller. "For a major event, like the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, many insurers will publish advice on their website about when you needed to buy the policy to be covered," Mr Bird said. However, he said some insurers have cut off cover in the last few days: "The trick is to know your destination and buy travel insurance when you book your trip." Travel insurance can be purchased from a direct insurance company, or through travel agencies like Webjet and Flight Centre. In other cases, some credit card providers offer complimentary travel insurance as a perk. When choosing a policy, it is important to understand the coverage and exclusions.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Bali flight update for Aussie travellers
Bali's airport has reopened following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki but travellers have been warned to expect further disruptions. Video showed a thick cloud of orange smoke rising on Tuesday evening from the 1585 metre volcano on the island of Flores. The volcano erupted again on Wednesday morning sending an ash cloud 11km into the air that could be seen as far away as 90km and even 150km away from mountainous areas of East Nusa Tenggara. Currently, no casualties have been reported, but volcanic ash can damage and disable aircraft engines and with ash cloud also affecting airspace, several flights in and out of Australia and New Zealand were cancelled. The volcano erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to flee. Virgin Australia Virgin Australia cancelled 10 flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Denpasar, home of Bali's main airport – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. A spokesperson told that currently, today's Bali services are unimpacted. The airline was working to reaccommodate all guests on the next available flight following the cancelled services. 'Our team is working hard to ensure all passengers booked on our services get to their destination safely and as soon as possible, and we encourage guests travelling to or from Bali to check the latest updates on their flight status via the Virgin Australia website or app,' the spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. It was working with the Denpasar airport to schedule additional services for today (June 19). understands Virgin Australia has a Guest Compensation Policy which sets out what customers are entitled to when their flights are disrupted, including other flight options, a credit or refund for the value of the booking, and how they can make claims for reasonable costs incurred in connection with the disruption. Jetstar Jetstar cancelled four early morning flights between Australia and Bali on Wednesday. 'Impacted customers have been notified directly and provided a range of options,' Jetstar said in a statement. With conditions expected to remain clear, the airline will resume flights between the two destinations today. 'We continue to recommend customers check their flight status on before coming to the airport,' the airline said in a statement on Thursday. 'Safety is always our number one priority, and we thank our customers who were impacted by Wednesday's disruptions for their patience and understanding. 'Customers who still require support are asked to contact us here, and click 'Start Live Chat' where one of our customer service representatives will assist you.' Air New Zealand Air New Zealand's flight NZ290 from Auckland to Bali today will operate as scheduled. 'We continue to closely monitor the conditions,' chief operating officer Alex Marren said. Qantas On Wednesday, Qantas had two flights to Denpasar scheduled (departing from Sydney and Melbourne) that were delayed by between one and two hours. understands Qantas' Bali flights are currently scheduled to operate as normal today (Thursday).
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Air NZ's bali flights resume after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruption
Photo: STR/AFP Air New Zealand says its flight to Bali today will operate as planned. The airline cancelled two flights on Wednesday because of an ash cloud from the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. Indonesian authorities said ash was fired up to 11km into the atmosphere. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties. Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption Air New Zealand said flight NZ290 from Auckland to Bali will operate as scheduled, but the airline is continuing to closely monitor the conditions. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1584-metre-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, is one of Indonesia's most active volcanos, and last had a major eruption in November. That eruption killed nine people and also caused flight cancellations.
