BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- A month after devastating tsunamis hit southern and southeast Asian countries, a powerful earthquake has hit parts of Indonesia's Sulawesi Island.
The Associated Press says that while no injuries were reported, the 6.2-magnitude quake caused locals of Palu -- a seaside city about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the quake's epicenter -- to flee to higher ground.
Meanwhile, as Asia marks four weeks since the devastating December 26 tsunamis, the danger of disease so feared by experts following the disaster seems to have subsided.
Predictions that as many as 150,000 could succumb to water-borne illness and infections like cholera and malaria are now unlikely, according to the World Health Organization.
WHO says the world's quick action immediately following the tsunamis -- such as supplying clean water and sanitation -- played a large part in neutralizing the outbreak of disease, according to AP reports.
But despite the optimism, the threat of disease is still real, as seen by the surfacing of tetanus in Aceh, Indonesia, CNN's Atika Shubert reported.
Almost wiped out by immunization, tetanus causes lockjaw and debilitating muscle spasms.
Aceh has become the perfect breeding ground for tetanus as it can be contracted after deep cuts and gashes become infected with mud.
Doctors fear an explosion of cases, since it takes about 30 to 60 days for symptoms to show.
Indonesia was hardest-hit by the December 26 quake and tsunami, with the number of dead and missing above 170,000, according to the Indonesian Health Ministry.
While health issues are battled on one front, the struggle to keep the peace in Aceh continues on another, with mediators trying to arrange talks later this week.
Finland's Crisis Management Initiative, headed by former President Martti Ahtisaari, confirmed Sunday that Indonesian government officials and rebel leaders would meet this week in Helsinki. (Full story)
They will discuss a formal cease-fire in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province, where separatists have been fighting for an independent homeland for nearly 30 years.
``There is a hope that the scale of the disaster and the movement for rebuilding Aceh will help lead to social and political reconciliation between Indonesia and (the rebels),'' said Dewi Anwar Fortuna, a prominent analyst and former presidential adviser.
Peace is also high on the agenda in Sri Lanka, after Norway's foreign minister met with Sri Lanka's prime minister Sunday, a day after discussions with the top guerrilla leader, AP reports.
Norway's prompting has seen the two warring factions come together to discuss a joint body to oversee the distribution of aid in the rebel-held northeastern areas.
The tsunami killed nearly 30,000 people and displaced another one million in the island nation.
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread
Facebook
Twitter