You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed has roared back into spectacular volcanic action Lava gushes from the Mt Etna volcano near Catania Europe’s most active volcano came alive around 4 pm local time on Tuesday according to the Italian Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Smoke billows from the Mt Etna volcano near Catania Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption Mount Etna in Sicily has roared back into spectacular volcanic action The spectacular explosions of Mount Etna are continuing Sunday spewing out towering clouds of ash and lava stones Italy’s national geophysics and volcanology institute said the latest big explosion occurred hours before dawn on Sunday with the volcano exhibiting increasing tremors throughout the night Sicily (AP) — Residents and municipal teams worked Wednesday to clean up a Sicilian village near Mount Etna after Europe’s most active volcano spewed lava which featured spectacular displays of gushing lava forced the temporary closure of Sicily’s Catania Airport a frequent occurrence when Etna is in an active phase As Tuesday’s volcanic activity was largely expected areas surrounding the crater were secured and there were no reported injuries or deaths But nearby residents said the eruption was unusual in that big chunks of volcanic stones carpeted the area Something I never saw in my entire life,” Pedara resident Letizia Olivieri said Pedara Mayor Alfio Cristaudo said the village was in emergency mode from the extent of the eruption “The entire territory of Pedara and all the streets are covered in volcanic ashes and lapillus,” or volcanic stones bagging the ash and waiting for municipal collectors to take it away Driving motorbikes and scooters was forbidden and the speed limit for cars was reduced to limit the further spread of ash Pedara resident Massimiliano Formica said he was at home Tuesday afternoon when he heard what he thought was the beginning of a rainstorm has awed even seasoned volcanologists in recent days with spectacular spurts of lava lighting up the Sicilian sky each night The latest eruption overnight petered out by around 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology. The nearby Catania Airport closed temporarily and residents of the town of Pedara said it appeared one day last week as if it were raining rocks as a thick blanket of ash covered the town Volcanologist Boris Behncke of the national institute’s Etna observation center has followed the latest paroxysms with awe Writing on the institute’s website this week he said that after “gifting us moments of suspense” over the previous nights Etna finally erupted in a way “those of us who have worked in this for decades have rarely seen.” he tweeted Tuesday: “Did I call the 20-21 February paroxysm of #Etna ‘incredibly powerful' there have been no reports of damage or injuries The national volleyball teams (men and women) last week figured in a series of friendlies against two Italian clubs who were holding their training camps here who take part in the men's Serie B championship provided opposition for the Maltese at the Cottonera Sports Complex the men's team had three successful outings against Virtus Potenza Paul Vella (Aloysians Lipton) and Robert Balzan (Kerygma) were the side's stand-out performers Setters Patrick Bonett and Josef Pirotta also left their mark The combination schemes of Vella and Jonathan Chetcuti were also instrumental in helping the team gain in confidence during the matches All players in Hili's squad were given the opportunity to play a part in the friendlies thus gaining useful experience which will surely come in handy in future international matches the women's team were rather unlucky to lose all three matches against Planet Volley Pedara The first two fixtures produced identical 3-1 wins for the visitors but the third was much closer with the hosts losing 3-2 Good teamwork was the key to Pedara's victories Alison Borg Hayman (Paola Hibs Candy) and Belinda Milton (X-Sel) turned in impressive displays for the Maltese while in defence Lindsey Cordina (Flyers) showed her best when playing as libero were leading 2-1 with Milton scoring a number of valuable points but the more experienced Italians made a strong recovery the national leagues will resume next week after a 15-day Christmas break Paola Hibs Candy will face X-Sel and Playvolley Blues meet Flyers on January 6 Kerygma take on Aloysians Whites and Fleur-de-Lys square up to Aloysians Reds please register for free or log in to your account.