Globetrotting

Quake in Japanese islandTOKYO: An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale shook the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Saturday m...

Quake in Japanese island

TOKYO: An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale shook the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Saturday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, news reports said. The epicentre of the quake was about 50 km southeast of the coast of the Nemuro peninsula, officials said. There were no warnings of any potential tsunami tidal waves.

Oil tanker blast

BUENOS AIRES: A powerful blast aboard an oil tanker in Argentina’s Parana River has left two people missing and 31 injured. The blast occurred on Thursday along the shores of Buenos Aires province as the tanker "Lance" headed North after loading crude from the Esso-Sapa oil company in Campana. Two members of the largely Filipino and Greek crew of 33 on the Bahamian-flagged vessel were reported missing after the blast. Fire-fighting teams, navy rescue ships, divers and search teams were pressed into service.

Grenades fired

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LONDON: Two rocket-propelled grenades have been fired at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, but there were no reports of casualties, CNN television reported on Saturday. The attack occurred on Friday night but both grenades were without explosives and did not cause much damage. UN arms inspectors, overseeing the elimination of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, are based in Baghdad.

Trade pact

CARACAS: Venezuela and Chile have signed a trade agreement to lift all customs tariffs from 1998 in an effort to promote bilateral trades. With zero tariffs adopted on January 1, commercial integration between the two nations is a reality. The agreement will affect Venezuelan chemical and petrochemical products and Chilean agricultural products. Since 1993, Venezuela and Chile have put in force some free trade agreements, but the elimination of the customs tariffs was negotiated till 1997.