Earthquakes hit Indonesia, Japan

Jakarta, Indonesia

Powerful earthquakes rattled Japan and Indonesia today, hours after large quakes in Iran and Chile.

A magnitude-7 earthquake hit off the eastern coast Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, at a depth of about 12.4 miles, triggering a small tsunami but apparently causing no damage, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

A magnitude-6.6 earthquake hit near Indonesia's northeastern island of Halmahera beneath the Molucca Sea, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning that was canceled about 45 minutes later.

People in the Maluku capital of Ternate, which was closest to the epicenter, fled from houses and hotels as the earth rumbled beneath them. In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people.

In Iran, a magnitude-6.1 quake on Wednesday sent tremors across the Persian Gulf, shaking the skyscrapers of Dubai. A magnitude-5.8 earthquake rocked northern Chile on Wednesday, causing landslides that blocked highways, but there were no immediate reports of victims or major damage.

Beirut, Lebanon

Lebanese politician killed in bombing

A bomb tore through a car in the hills east of Lebanon's capital on Wednesday, killing a Druse politician who recently helped reconcile rival factions within that minority community, police said.

The bomb that killed Sheik Saleh Aridi, a senior member of the Lebanese Democratic Party tied to Syria, was planted under his car in the village of Baissour, police said. It was the first political assassination in about a year in Lebanon and came less than a week before planned reconciliation talks among rival Lebanese factions.

A string of bombs have largely targeted politicians opposed to Syria's influence in Lebanese affairs, starting with the Beirut truck bombing that killed former Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Rome

World Bank ends landmark deal

The World Bank ended a loan agreement with the government of Chad for an oil-pipeline project that it hailed as "groundbreaking" five years ago because it channeled revenue to the poor.

The bank said it was terminating the accord because the government of President Idriss Deby failed to meet its commitments to allocate funds to health, education and rural-development projects. Deby's government, which is fighting an insurgency backed by neighboring Sudan, said it needed to spend the money on the military and general budget.

The $3.5 billion pipeline project had marked the first time a nation agreed to cede control over oil revenue in a system devised by the World Bank to ensure the money was used to fight poverty.

Also

128 killed by iron waste: At least 128 people were killed and many more were feared dead in north China after a huge reservoir of iron-ore waste, illegally maintained and turned to sludge by heavy rain, buried a bustling marketplace Monday.

Slide death toll at 62: A senior Egyptian health official says the death toll from the weekend's devastating rock slide that buried a shantytown located beneath unstable limestone cliffs on Cairo's outskirts has reached 62.

Pirates seize ship: Pirates hijacked a South Korean bulk carrier with 21 crew off Somalia's coast Wednesday but were thwarted in a separate attempt to seize a Greek ship, a maritime official said.

Wildfires kill 89: Officials say at least 89 people have died in wildfires sweeping through Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland.

Seattle Times news services