Indonesia

A powerful earthquake has rocked northern Indonesia leaving as many as 97 people dead and several hundred injured. The magnitude 6.5 quake struck off the coast of Sumatra Island in the early hours of Wednesday, where dozens of buildings have collapsed and many people are feared trapped under rubble. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck just offshore at 05:03 local time (22:03 GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 8km. A rescue operation is under way in the Aceh province and the casualty count is expected to increase.

In Indonesia men and women are being flogged in public for breaking strict Islamic laws. A 34-year-old woman screamed in agony Monday as she was caned in Indonesia’s Aceh province, where punishment for breaking Islamic Sharia law is severe. The woman was flogged in front of a cheering crowd for spending time in close proximity with a man that was not her husband.  The Nation reports: Aceh is the only province in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes sharia law. People can face floggings for a range of offences — from gambling, to drinking alcohol, to gay sex.

Mount Sinabung volcano in western Indonesia erupted on Saturday killing at least seven people and critically injuring two others, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Agency. Sinabung is still on the highest alert level and the potential for more eruptions remain high. CNN reports: The seven victims were in Gembar village in the western province of North Sumatra when the eruption occurred at 4:48 p.m. local time (9:48 a.m. GMT). Search teams comprised of police, military, Indonesian Red Cross and volunteers continue to search for other victims.

An Indonesian fisherman recovered an inflatable doll that had washed up on the beach and mistakenly thought that he had been blessed by “a fallen angel.” Villagers from a remote island in Indonesia thought that the beautiful naked doll with its fair complexion and big green eyes was a blessing from above, an angel fallen from heaven. Until authorities find out that it was probably just a discarded sex toy from a passing ship and broke the bad news to the locals.

The body of a Russian tourist has been discovered in West Papua, Indonesia, showing signs of a crocodile attack. Sergey Lykhvar, 37, went missing a few days ago while scuba diving in the idyllic waters of the Raja Ampat archipelago. The Mirror reports: The Russian tourist’s body was found on the coastline of one of the islands four days after he went missing – and there was a well-defined bite on his hip. Head of the local rescue service Pracetuo Budiarto said: “We believe that this man was attacked by a crocodile. “The body had one hand missing.