Philippine volcanologists raised on Thursday the alert status of a volcano near the capital Manila, after it spewed a 1 km high plume of gases and steam.
The alert for the Taal volcano, about 70 km (45 miles) south of central Manila, was raised to level 3 from level 2 which "means that there is magmatic intrusion at the main crater that may further drive succeeding eruptions," the seismology and volcanology agency said.
Water in Taal's crater boiled before and after its eruption.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of residents in the lakeside towns of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas province due to possible eruption hazards including a potential for a volcanic tsunami.
Taal is one of the world's smallest active volcanoes. Despite standing at only 311 metres (1,020-foot), it can be deadly, as an eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people.
It spewed clouds of ash in January last year, prompting the evacuation of more than 100,000 people.
Residents have previously been banned from living in the vicinity of Taal, which sits in the middle of a lake about 70 km (45 miles) from Manila.
A grand jury has charged 18 people with allegedly participating in an Arizona fake elector scheme to re-elect then-US President Donald Trump in 2020, the state's attorney general said on Wednesday.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.