In brief: IS advances on historic Palmyra

BEIRUT – Islamic State fighters have pushed into the Syrian town of Palmyra, home to famed 2,000-year-old ruins, and are clashing with government troops in residential areas.

The militants entered from the north and have not reached the UNESCO world heritage site, which is southwest of Palmyra in the central Homs province.

The IS is notorious for destroying archaeological sites in neighboring Iraq.

Palmyra is one of the most famous world heritage sites in the Middle East, and thousands of tourists have come to see its Roman-era colonnades.

Quakes shake Kilauea slopes

HONOLULU – A series of earthquakes and shifting ground on the slopes of Kilauea have scientists wondering what will happen next at one of the world’s most active volcanos.

A lake of lava near the summit of Kilauea on Hawaii’s Big Island had risen to a record-high level after a recent explosion. But in the past few days, the pool of molten rock began sinking, and its surface fell nearly 500 feet.

Meanwhile, a rash of earthquakes rattled the volcano with as many as 20 to 25 quakes per hour.

One possibility is that a new lava eruption could break through the surface of the mountain, said Steven Brantley, a scientist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.