Padang (Indonesia) (AP):  A strong, shallow earthquake off Indonesia’s coast Friday panicked people in Sumatra island and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, damaged buildings and injured several people.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 6.2 magnitude and struck about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in West Sumatra province. It struck about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) below the Earth’s surface.

Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks.

Television reports showed the strong temblor sending streams of panicked people into the streets in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, and patients in a hospital at West Pasaman district the closest area to the epicenter were being evacuated from the building.

People in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore also reportedly felt the tremors. A video that circulated on social media showed residents gathered in streets after high-rises in Kuala Lumpur swayed for a few seconds. Witnesses reported seeing their doors and chairs shaking and photos and paintings fixed to the walls trembling.

Hamsuardi, the West Pasaman district head, said Friday’s earthquake caused minor to moderate damage to dozens of houses and buildings and injured several people, but no deaths were reported.

Authorities are still collecting information about the full scale of damage in the affected areas.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

Indonesia has a number of seismic faults and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia. (AP)

Washington: Nearly 400 Indian students in Ukraine’s Sumy city bordering Russia have taken shelter in a basement after Russian forces took control of it and have appealed to the government of India to evacuate them.

Sumy in northeastern Ukraine is about 50 miles from the Russian border. The city mayor surrendered to Russian forces on Thursday.

The students, most of whom are studying in Sumy State Medical University, said they fear for their safety as gunshots can be heard outside.

“Right now, we are hiding in the basement of our dormitory. We do not know if this basement is enough for us to survive. We urge the Indian government to try to evacuate us from the eastern side of Ukraine,” Lalit Kumar, one of the students.

“Travelling on our own is not possible. Martial law has been imposed here and that means no outing, no cars, no buses and no private vehicle can travel. ATMs and supermarkets are also not working,” he said.

The students also shared short videos of the basement they are hiding in.

Kumar, a fifth-year student, said they have limited supplies.

“We do not have enough supplies here to continue. The Indian government is our last hope… we want go to our motherland and see our loved ones. Kindly help us,” he said in a message.

Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine on Wednesday night. Russia has launched multiple attacks on several areas in central and eastern Ukraine.

At a media briefing on Thursday, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla assured all Indian citizens, including students, in Ukraine and their family members that the government will take all possible steps to bring them back safe and sound.

He said there were around 20,000 Indians in Ukraine and of them, nearly 4,000 have returned to India in the last few days.

Joe Biden / Vladimir Putin

Washington: President Joe Biden said the US will intervene if Vladimir Putin moves into NATO countries, stressing that if his Russian counterpart is not stopped now, he will be emboldened.

Biden said he has no plans to talk to Putin but he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and assured him that the US will provide humanitarian relief to ease the suffering of the people of Ukraine.

“Well, if he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) did move to NATO countries, we will be involved. The only thing that I am convinced of is if we don’t stop (him) now, he’ll be emboldened. If we don’t move against him now with these significant sanctions, he will be emboldened,” Biden told reporters on Thursday at a White House news conference, where he also announced a series of tough sanctions against Russia.

Responding to questions, the president said it is already a large conflict.

“The way we’re going assure it is not going to spiral into a larger conflict is by providing all the forces needed in the eastern European nations that are members of NATO. NATO is more united than it has ever been, and I have no plans to talk with Putin,” he said.

Amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US has deployed additional troops to defend its NATO allies, particularly in eastern Europe.

Biden claimed Putin has much larger ambitions in Ukraine.

“He wants to, in fact, re-establish the former Soviet Union. That’s what this is about. And I think that his ambitions are completely contrary to the place where the rest of the world has arrived,” he said.

Biden said he spoke to Zelenskiy late last night and assured him that the US, together with its allies and partners in Europe, will support the Ukrainian people as they defend their country.

“We will provide humanitarian relief to ease their suffering. In the early days of this conflict, Russia propaganda outlets will keep trying to hide the truth and claim success for its military operation against a made-up threat,” he said.

“We stand up for freedom. This is who we are,” he added.

The US has said it will not send troops to Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. Biden warned Russia against launching cyberattacks on US firms and infrastructure.

“Let me also repeat the warning I made last week — if Russia pursues cyberattacks against our companies, our critical infrastructure, we are prepared to respond. For months, we’ve been working closely with the private sector to harden our cyber defences, sharpen our ability to respond to Russia’s cyberattacks as well,” he said.

To a query on banning Russia from the SWIFT financial system, Biden said the sanctions proposed by the US on all Russian banks are of equal or maybe more consequence than that.

“It is always an option, but right now, that’s not the position that the rest of Europe wishes to take,” he said.

There is no doubt that when a major nuclear power attacks and invades another country that the world is going to respond, and markets can respond all over the world, he noted.

Biden announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs, and high-tech sectors.