7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Caribbean, some islands urge residents to leave coastlines
Mexico City (AP): A magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook the Caribbean Sea southwest of the Cayman Islands on Saturday, according to the US Geological Survey, and some islands and countries urged people near the coastline to move inland in case of a tsunami.
The quake struck at 6:23 pm local time in the middle of the sea and had a depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said. Its epicenter was located 130 miles (209 kilometers) south-southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands.
The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami alert for the U.S. mainland but issued a tsunami advisory for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which was later cancelled.
The sounding of alarms in Puerto Rico's northwest region caused people to leave coastal areas and caused heavy traffic, according to local media.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands urged residents near the coast to move inland and to higher ground. It said wave heights of 0.3 to 1 meter are expected.
Puerto Rico Gov Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon said in a statement she is in contact with emergency agencies after the tsunami advisory, but did not recommend anyone leave the coast.
The Dominican government also issued a tsunami alert and recommended residents on the coast move to high areas “of more than 20 meters of altitude and 2 kilometers inland.” But it later cancelled the alert.
The Cuban government requested people to leave beachfront areas. The Bahamas Department of Meteorology also issued a tsunami advisory, but urged its residents only to be “vigilant.”
Honduran authorities said there are no immediate reports of damages, but urged its residents to stay away from beaches.
Later, the US government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said “tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible along some coasts of Cuba.”
“Actual amplitudes at the coast may vary from forecast amplitudes due to uncertainties in the forecast and local features,” the NOAA said in a report.
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FM Sitharaman launches 'VijAIpatha' labs in govt schools in Karnataka
Hampi (PTI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday launched Cyient AI Labs (CyAILS) -- 'VijAIpatha', aimed at democratising access to Artificial Intelligence, STEM and Robotics education in government schools here.
In a series of posts on 'X', the minister's office shared pictures of the initiative launched at a girl's government school in Hosapete taluk and said that under the pilot phase, five world-class AI, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Robotics laboratories are being established in government schools.
Each lab will be equipped with high-performance computers, AI-ready software, robotics kits, IoT devices, sensors and secure broadband connectivity.
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"Aligned with NEP 2020, Digital India and Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi's mission of Viksit Bharat 2047, the programme integrates CBSE's AI curriculum and strengthens technology-enabled learning in public education," it said.
Focusing on rural and semi-urban India, the initiative introduces future technologies at the school level, helping build early digital fluency, computational thinking and innovation capacity among students, the minister's office said.
"Benefiting over 2,000 students and training more than 200 teachers, 'VijAIpatha' is a scalable CSR model fostering innovation, career readiness and grassroots digital empowerment," it added.
According to the office, the initiative has been designed as a scalable, replicable and sustainable model that can be adopted across districts and states in collaboration with government education departments, positioning it as a benchmark CSR model for a national AI education rollout.
