Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island Rocked by 7.5 Magnitude Earthquake, Tsunami Warning Called Off
Jakarta: Indonesia was struck by a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
The country's national disaster agency briefly issued a tsunami warning before cancelling it.
The strong quake hit central Sulawesi island at a shallow depth of some 10 kilometres (six miles), just hours after a smaller quake killed at least one person in the same part of the country.
The latest quake was a higher magnitude than those that killed hundreds on the island of Lombok earlier this year.
Friday's tremor was centred 78 kilometres north of the city of Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, but was felt some 900 kilometres south in the island's largest city Makassar.
Lisa Soba Palloan, a resident of Toraja, around 175 kilometres south of Palu, said locals felt several quakes Friday.
"The last one was quite big," she said.
"Everyone was getting out their homes, shouting in fear."
Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth.
The archipelago nation lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
A series of quakes that struck Lombok this summer killed about 500 people and forced hundreds of thousands into evacuation shelters or tents.
In 2004, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 Indonesians.
Courtesy: www.news18.com
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Court in Bengaluru defers order on ED plea against ‘B Report’ in MUDA land allotment case
Bengaluru (PTI): A special court for people’s representatives here on Tuesday deferred its order on a petition filed by ED against the ‘B Report’ filed by the Karnataka Lokayukta police in the MUDA land allotment case.
The report has cleared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of wrongdoing. However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the complainant, activist Snehamaayi Krishna, have filed objections challenging the report and demanded a deeper probe.
During the hearing, the presiding judge Santosh Gajanan Bhat stated that a decision on the B Report would be taken only after the Lokayukta police submits a complete investigation report.
As a result, the court adjourned the proceedings and posted the next hearing for May 7.
The court also granted the Lokayukta police permission to continue its investigation, following a request made by the agency.
Earlier, the Mysuru division of the Lokayukta police had submitted an initial report based on its inquiry into allegations against Siddaramaiah and three others.
However, the court observed that the investigation should not be limited to just four individuals and directed the police to probe all those involved and file a comprehensive report.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), in which CM Siddaramaiah has been accused of misusing his position.
The allegations suggest that residential sites were allotted in violation of norms and procedures, potentially benefiting certain individuals, including Siddaramaiah’s family members.
The complaint filed by activist Snehamaayi Krishna prompted the Lokayukta to initiate an investigation.
A ‘B Report’—essentially a closure report indicating no evidence of wrongdoing—was later filed, stating there was no sufficient material to prosecute the accused.
However, this report has now been contested, with both the ED and the complainant arguing that crucial aspects of the case were overlooked or insufficiently examined.
