A powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian islanda of Sulawesi early Monday, killing two people, toppling hundreds of homes and forcing thousands to flee houses and hotels.

The quake triggered a tsunami warning from US officials for an area within 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of the epicentre but a similar alert by Indonesia was withdrawn shortly after being issued.

A strong 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia`s Sulawesi island early Monday, killing one person, toppling homes as people slept and forcing thousands to flee houses and hotels.

The quake triggered a tsunami warning from US officials for an area within 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of the epicentre but a similar alert by Indonesia was withdrawn shortly after being issued.

A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia`s Sulawesi island early Monday, destroying houses and triggering a tsunami warning but there were no reports of fatalities, officials said.

A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia`s Sulawesi island early Monday morning, destroying houses and triggering a tsunami warning, officials said.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which initially said the quake had a magnitude of 7.8 before downgrading it to 7.5, said it struck 136 kilometres (84 miles) off the coastal town Gorontalo at a depth of 21 kilometres.

A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia`s Sulawesi island early Monday morning, destroying houses and triggering a tsunami warning, officials said.

On the heels of a major 7.5-strength earthquake in Indonesia, US officials issued a tsunami warning Sunday for the area within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of the earthquake`s center.

KUALA CENAKU, Indonesia, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Head man Mursyid Ali stands amid blackened stumps, the remains of much of the rainforest belonging to this village on Indonesia's Sumatra stripped and drained in spite of local protests.

It's a scene repeated across much of Indonesia, where poverty and voracious demand for commodities -- coupled with corruption and poor law enforcement -- drive the destruction of forests.

JAKARTA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - A tanker loaded with more than 30,000 tons of palm oil forced its way out of an Indonesian port after a nine-hour stand off with a Greenpeace ship, activists said Saturday.

'The Westama pushed us away and forced their way out,' Greenpeace's Sue Connor said. 'They tried to leave at midnight after they finished loading. We tried to hold them off as long as possible.'

Police had boarded the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, several times on Friday in Riau province's Dumai port.

JAKARTA, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - A young Indonesian girl who died at the weekend on the island of Sumatra was not infected with bird flu, a health ministry official said Monday.

The 10-year-old was admitted to hospital on Saturday suffering symptoms that led doctors to suspect she could be carrying the H5N1 virus, which has killed 88 people in Indonesia, the highest number anywhere in the world.

'The test result is negative,' said Haris Sugiantoro, an official at the health ministry's bird flu information centre.

JAKARTA, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) - The pilot of an Indonesian jet that crash-landed in March, killing 21 people, ignored repeated warnings not to land, a final report into the disaster said Monday.

The Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737 slammed hard onto the runway in Yogyakarta on March 7, careened off the end of the air strip into rice paddies and burst into flames.

Twenty-one people, including five Australians, were killed among the 133 passengers and seven crew on board.