Papua New Guinea volcano erupts and Japan says it's assessing a possible tsunami risk to its islands

TOKYO (AP): A volcano in Papua New Guinea erupted on Monday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency said it was assessing a possible risk of a tsunami for Japanese coasts.

Mount Ulawun on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea erupted at around 3:30 p.m. (0630 GMT) Monday, spewing volcanic smoke as high as 15,000 meters (50,000 feet), the agency said, quoting the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, Australia.