Japan earthquake death toll climbs to 44
Tokyo, Sep 10: The death toll in Japan's 6.7-magnitude earthquake, that struck the Hokkaido island last week, has climbed to 44, officials said on Monday.
Rescue teams on Monday recovered the dead body of a 77-year-old man, the last person missing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference.
Most of the deaths were recorded in the town of Atsuma, near the epicentre of the tremor, which had struck the island last Thursday, Efe news reported.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that according to the police and local authorities in Hokkaido, 660 people were injured in the quake.
The earthquake also caused landslides that buried dozens of houses and at least 70 buildings were destroyed. Around 2,600 people remained in temporary shelters on Sunday.
The public transport system was being gradually restored and work was in progress to normalize operations at the Chitose international airport, which suspended operations after the quake left almost the whole island without power.
Power supply would continue to be erratic as the main Tomato power plant in Atsuma -- which produces around half of the total electricity in the province -- was shut down after the earthquake and the operator said it could take up to a week to restart operations.
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Plea in Madras HC calls for SIT/ED/CBI probe into Gautam Adani's indictment in US bribery case
Chennai: A plea has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or directions to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the corruption charges against Indian businessman Gautam Adani. The plea follows Adani’s indictment by the United States Department of Justice in the Eastern District of New York on bribery charges.
Filed by Advocate and Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi President ML Ravi, the plea alleges that Adani, along with other businessmen and power distribution companies in India, was involved in a scheme to bribe Indian government officials. The bribes were reportedly aimed at securing lucrative solar energy contracts with Indian entities. According to the US Department of Justice, Adani’s group paid USD 265 million in bribes, primarily to officials in Andhra Pradesh, to secure contracts with state electricity distribution companies between 2001 and 2023.
Ravi criticised the Indian authorities for their silence on the matter, despite the exposure of the corruption by foreign agencies. He argued that the lack of action by Indian investigation agencies undermines public trust and hinders national development. He called for a thorough investigation to uncover the full extent of the allegations, asserting that public officials had abused their power for personal gain, in violation of their duties.
