A volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma erupted on Sunday, spewing lava, smoke, and ash, and prompting the evacuation of thousands of residents.

This is the first time the Cumbre Vieja volcano, located on the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, has erupted since 1971.

Spain’s Civil Guard police force said they are evacuating between 5,000 to 10,000 residents from the affected area.

So far, the smoke and lava have already affected four major highways.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday that he was postponing his upcoming trip to New York, where he was set to attend the UN General Assembly, and would instead travel to La Palma.

The eruption was predicted by Spanish scientists who began to note elevated seismic activity in the area. Over the past eight days, around 25,000 small earthquakes were detected.

Several Spanish scientists have told local media that the eruption could last weeks, with the lava eventually flowing into the ocean.

Although rare, it appears to be a normal eruption and has not impacted the small island’s airport.

Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said on Sunday that no deaths or injuries have been reported./aa

Turkey cannot welcome more migrants and a new migration flow could be "inevitable" if the EU does not deliver on its promises, Turkey's parliament speaker said on Sunday.

Mustafa Sentop's remarks came during an interview with Spanish news agency EFE just before he left Turkey for an official three-day visit to Spain.

Regarding suggestions of some European politicians saying a future wave of Afghan refugees should stay in Turkey, Sentop called those suggestions "irresponsible, against reason and justice".

"As long as the EU does not deliver on its promises and take the necessary humanitarian initiatives, the wave of migration cannot be avoided," he said. "Turkey cannot take in more migrants. Everyone has to shoulder their share of responsibility."

He urged the EU to understand that the migration problem "cannot be solved with financial aid alone," and the bloc "should accept a sufficient number of migrants with an integration program."

"But it does not even meet its financial obligations," he criticized.

Turkey already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, amid signs that a new wave of Afghan refugees might head towards Turkey and the EU.

Turkey-Spain relations

On relations between Spain and Turkey, Sentop said he believed that the two nations should deepen their bilateral relations as "they have many things in common."

Underlining that the two nations have long-lasting ties, he recalled the first Spanish-Ottoman friendship treaty from 1873 and the creation of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative in 2005.

In trade, the "main objective should be to raise the bilateral trade volume, which was $12,000 million before the pandemic, to 20,000 million."

He suggested that two countries rise cooperation in the army industry with Turkish drones in the future.

Sentop also said Ankara is counting on Madrid in its efforts to join the EU, assuring that "Spanish support is very important in the face of countries that are prejudiced against Turkey."/agencies

The possible refugee influx due to the situation in Afghanistan is an issue that passes beyond the borders of Turkey and concerns Europe and the West, according to an Italian expert.

Fabio L. Grassi, a history professor at Sapienza University, told Anadolu Agency that there may be a mass refugee influx due to the situation in Afghanistan.

“This is an issue that goes beyond Turkey’s borders and concerns Europe and the West a lot. Once again, Turkey has a very sensitive role and a duty in its magnificent and troubled geography,” Grassi said.

He said Europe should take more responsibility at this point.

Regarding the US invasion in Afghanistan, the professor said: “The results of this occupation are clear: There was a great failure, a great disaster. For this, of course, the US, Europe and the West should bear responsibility."

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in mid-August, and have announced a 33-member interim government.

Noting that Anatolia is like a pool that embraces all kinds of people, Grassi said: "This is the destiny of Anatolia. For this reason, it became the cradle of civilizations."

Sadullah Gulten, a history professor at Turkey’s Ordu University, said that people see Turkey strong enough to embrace them all. Gulten urged historians and sociologists to focus more on the migration issue.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Turkey already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, and is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a fresh influx./aa

Jimmy Greaves, the legendary striker of England and Tottenham Hotspur, has died at the age of 81.

Tottenham on Sunday announced the death of the club's former player at his home.

With 266 goals in 379 appearances from 1961 to 1970, Greaves is the London club's record goal-scorer.

Greaves also netted 44 goals in 57 matches for England and he was also part of his nation’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad./agencies

Official figures show that 45 million Iranians are using the messaging Telegram application despite being blocked by the Iranian authorities.

The Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) said Sunday that 65% of Iranians over the age of 15 have accounts on the main social media platforms, crossing 55 million out of the country’s 85 million population.

Iranians are sending 15 billion messages everyday through the blocked Telegram application and that 88.5% of Iranians use Whatsapp and 68% use Instagram, SCI said.

According to official figures, Iranian memberships on the social media applications increased 22% in recent years.

Iranian authorities blocked the use of Facebook and Twitter during the protests that erupted in the northwestern Mashhad province in December 2017 over the country’s poor economic conditions./agencies

Excessive use of technological gadgets not only detaches a person from the world around them but can also hasten aging, according to a Turkish expert.

"Long hours spent in front of the phone and the light emanating from its screen causes aging," social media specialist Deniz Unay told Anadolu Agency.

Unay, an Istanbul-based author and speaker on science and technology, also claimed that people who are addicted to technology tend to consume fast food, which in turn disrupts their eating patterns, leading to obesity.

Maintaining that the human body is an enormous system that works in sync, Unay said: "Trouble that takes place in one part of this system will spread to the whole system and damage the structure of vital organs especially and make them age.”

On the various lights emanating from phones, tablets, and computers, the tech expert said research has shown that blue light at least is not innocent at all.

He said light not only allows people to see but also “synchronizes the human biological clock, the 24-hour cycle.”

"Blue light is an agent (in the cycle) because the short waves that come with the light manipulate the circadian system, which keeps the biological and psychological rhythms of the person in sync," he explained.

Underlining that circadian rhythm is highly important for the functioning of organisms, Unay said that this system causes both sleep and waking interruptions and thus also psychiatric and neurodegenerative ailments.

Blue light causes the blues

Citing an article published by Joerg Liebmann and Matthias Born in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Unay said: "Research shows that blue light, especially from electronic devices, causes changes in your skin cells, including cell shrinkage and death.”

"We think that blue light not only affects our condition during the day but also triggers aging with its effect on the skin," Unay said.

Yet blue light emitted from technological devices has both harmful and beneficial effects depending on the intensity and degree of exposure, he added.

"Actinic keratosis, which is the scaly swelling that appears on the face and around, on the hands, can turn into cancer, although it isn’t very common,” he explained.

“Here, blue light is also used as a treatment element, especially as it has been observed to help reduce the number of precancerous spots.”

Limit usage

Unay reiterated that excessive use of tech tools affects people both psychologically and physiologically.

To reduce the risks stemming from tech addiction, he suggested removing apps from phones that people do not use and turning off notifications from games and apps.

When people turn off apps, there is a big drop in their daily phone usage, he said.

“If we have difficulty controlling ourselves, we can also install apps that limit the usage time of apps on our phones,” he suggested./aa