TOKYO — A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook Japan on Friday, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

Multiple injuries, but no immediate deaths, were reported from the Pacific coastal area of Miyagi on the main Honshu island, police said according to media, and TV footage showed widespread flooding in the area.

The quake hit in the early afternoon, also strongly shaking buildings in greater Tokyo, the world’s largest urban area with 30 million people.

At least six fires were reported in Tokyo, where the subway system stopped, sirens wailed and people streamed out of buildings.

The first quake struck about 382 kilometres (237 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said, revising the magnitude from an earlier 7.9.

Japan, is located on the “Pacific Ring of Fire” and dotted with volcanoes, and Tokyo is situated in one of its most dangerous areas.

A tsunami warning was issued for Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the Mariana Islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

“An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours,” the centre said in a statement.

It also put the territories of Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Micronesia and Hawaii under a lower tsunami watch.

The yen fell to 83.30 against the dollar from 82.81 before the quake struck.

The mega-city of Tokyo sits on the intersection of three continental plates — the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates — which are slowly grinding against each other, building up enormous seismic pressure.

The government’s Earthquake Research Committee warns of a 70 percent chance that a great, magnitude-eight quake will strike within the next 30 years in the Kanto plains, home to Tokyo’s vast urban sprawl.

The last time a “Big One” hit Tokyo was in 1923, when the Great Kanto Earthquake claimed more than 140,000 lives, many of them in fires. In 1855, the Ansei Edo quake also devastated the city.

More recently, the 1995 Kobe earthquake killed more then 6,400 people.

More than 220,000 people were killed when a 9.1-magnitude quake hit off Indonesia in 2004, unleashing a massive tsunami that devastated coastlines in countries around the Indian Ocean as far away as Africa.

Small quakes are felt every day somewhere in Japan and people take part in regular drills at schools and workplaces to prepare for a calamity.

Nuclear power plants and bullet trains are designed to automatically shut down when the earth rumbles and many buildings have been quake-proofed with steel and ferro-concrete at great cost in recent decades.

MANAMA: Bahraini police stormed a protest camp in a central Manama square early on Thursday, killing at least four people, and armored vehicles rumbled through the capital as the government tried to quell three days of protest.

“Police are coming, they are shooting teargas at us,” one demonstrator told Reuters by telephone as police began dispersing demonstrators. Another said: “I am wounded, I am bleeding. They are killing us.”

Later, more than 50 armored vehicles rolled down a highway toward Pearl Square, a road junction that demonstrators had sought to turn into a base for protests like those in Cairo’s Tahrir Square which led to the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.

Thousands of overwhelmingly Shiite protesters, emboldened by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, took to Bahrain’s streets this week demanding more say in the Gulf Arab kingdom where a Sunni Muslim family rules over a majority Shiite population.

“I was there… The men were running away, but the women and kids could not run as easily, some are still inside (the square),” said Ibrahim Mattar, a lawmaker from the main Shiite opposition Wefaq party.

“It is confirmed two have died,” he said. “More are in critical condition.”

Another Wefaq MP, Sayed Hadi, told Reuters a third protester had been killed, bringing the overall death toll to five since protests flared in Bahrain this week.

“This is real terrorism,” said Abdul Jalil Khalil, also from Wefaq which has walked out of parliament and was due to meet later in the day to decide a response to the events. “Whoever took the decision to attack the protest was aiming to kill.”

From a distance, the square appeared nearly empty of protesters early on Thursday after police moved in. Abandoned tents, blankets and rubbish dotted the area, and the smell of teargas wafted through the air.

Helicopters clattered over the city and tow-trucks dragged away cars abandoned by protesters, their tires squealing on the tarmac because the brakes were still on.

One protester said he had driven away two people who had been wounded by rubber bullets.

A teenager shepherded a sobbing woman into a car, saying she had been separated from her 2-year-old daughter in the chaos. At a main hospital, about 200 people gathered to mourn and protest.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said on Twitter that security forces had “cleared Pearl roundabout” of demonstrators, and that a section of a main road was temporarily blocked.

On Wednesday the Wefaq party demanded a new constitution that would move the country toward democracy.

“We’re not looking for a religious state. We’re looking for a civilian democracy … in which people are the source of power, and to do that we need a new constitution,” its secretary-general Sheikh Ali Salman told a news conference.

King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa introduced a new constitution giving Bahrainis more political rights a decade ago, but the opposition says he has not gone far enough to introduce democracy. Most of the cabinet are royal family members.

Protesters have demanded that the king fire his uncle, Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, who has been prime minister since the modern state was founded in 1971. Wefaq members say they want elections for prime minister.

Protesters’ wrath had already been stirred up by the deaths of two of their number during this week’s demonstrations, the second killed in clashes at the funeral of the first.

“The people demand the fall of the regime” protesters chanted outside the hospital, echoing a slogan of Egyptian demonstrators.

King Hamad has expressed condolences to relatives of the two dead men killed on Monday and Tuesday and said a committee would investigate. His government says it has detained people suspected of blame for the deaths.

Protesters who on Wednesday had expressed confidence they were secure in the square, said they had no idea the police would swoop in and forcibly break up their encampment.

“There was no single warning,” one demonstrator said, declining to be named. “It was like attacking an enemy. People were sleeping peacefully.”

By Michelle Shephard.

For a fifth straight day, hundreds of demonstrators calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down took to the streets, trying to follow Cairo’s lead and topple the regime that has ruled for more than three decades.

An equal number of about 500 demonstrators supporting Saleh also marched throughout Sanaa’s downtown Tuesday morning, as police struggled to keep the groups apart.

Many of the pro-Saleh protestors admitted to being paid by the government for their show of support, but Ahmed Ahmed said he had decided to demonstrate for the first time Tuesday to encourage talks, not action.

“This is not the right type of opposition,” the 55-year-old high school teacher said. “We need a change but we don’t want to destroy the country.”

Saleh has already promised to not seek re-election when his term ends in 2013, but demonstrators doubt his sincerity as he has promised twice before to not run again only to appear on the ballot.

Unlike Sunday’s demonstration when police indiscriminately attacked the crowds, the riot police circled the groups in trucks and on foot but kept their distance Tuesday. Only on side streets near the campus of the university did demonstrators clash, as large chunks of concrete and rocks flew through the air.

A student organizer calling for the end of Saleh’s regime stood among the flying debris with arms raised, begging for calm.

When a pro-Saleh demonstrator was hit with concrete, others gathered around kissing his forehead and dipping their fingers in his blood to spell “Saleh” on posters of the president.

While the demonstrations now appear daily and are increasing in numbers and violence, they are still a far cry from the mass movements seen in Tunis or Cairo. At its peak around noon Tuesday, the demonstrators numbered in the hundreds and by the afternoon, the crowds had dispersed.

And with the exception of Friday, when celebrations over the departure of Hosni Mubarak lasted past midnight, there are no evening demonstrations here or even a hint of unrest at night.

But what worries the government and those bracing for chaos in this impoverished and well-armed country – and encourages those pushing for Saleh to step down—is the fact that students and human rights activists are leading the demonstrations, not Yemen’s official opposition parties.

“It’s like a wave of anger against the regimes everywhere and this inspired the youth to try to do the same,” said Ali Al Dailami, the Executive Director of Yemeni Organization for the Defence of Democratic Rights and Freedom.

“They are so enthusiastic. They just need some push and organization.”

Saleh, who cancelled a trip to Washington next month due to the uprising, opened the doors of his presidential palace Tuesday and met with the country’s influential tribal leaders.

Meanwhile, opposition members, who had a day earlier agreed to continue talks with the president, said they had reconsidered and doubted Saleh’s sincerity in following through with his promises.

The opposition – a coalition of Islamist, Socialist and Nasserite parties—is pushing for electoral and constitutional reforms and have yet not called for Saleh to immediately step down.

CAIRO: Well after the announcement of Mubarak’s resignation on Friday, the mood on the streets in the national capital was still electrifying as if people had only just heard the news. All of the streets in Cairo as far as anyone could see — Kasr El Nile Bridge, Al Tahrir Street — were ablaze with flashing car lights. The air vibrated with the continuous blast of triumphant car horns.

There was cheering, chanting and singing from thousands upon thousands of people and victorious flag-waving by as many more. Cars, mini-buses and trucks were all winged with flags flapping outside their windows. In their excitement, men, women, young and old broke out in sudden group-jumping!

“Mat’ aeyatshi ya gadu (don’t cry grandfather),” said a young woman as she hugged her grandfather.

“Why are you crying father?” asked the young woman’s mother.

“I never thought I’d see this day,” he said, his tears barely visible on his wrinkled face. “These are tears of joy. ‘Yalla’ (come on) you and all the children of your generation can live now!“

A common sentiment expressed by young Cairenes after receiving news of Mubarak’s exit: tears for the over 300 Egyptians who died for the cause before witnessing the victory.

Despite the absence of police there was no chaos. Army tanks that have been deployed were still parked, their crews smiling.

The lights on Kasr Al-Nile bridge were still out, but nearby a woman was screaming “Egypt is free today!” Tahrir Square has become the birthplace of freedom, filled and surrounded by the sounds of jubilation, revelry and drum-beating.

Wael Ghuneim, who is Google’s head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, was asked whether he felt like crying.

“No,” he replied. “Today is the day of happiness.”

A passerby told Arab News that the fall of the Mubarak regime has removed “the specter of agony.”

“It’s a victory of the Egyptian people’s will,” said a young girl on Kasr Al-Nile bridge.

A couple in their forties also expressed happiness, but they were also a bit concerned about what the coming days will bring.

“This is the happiest day in my generation,” said Ali Al-Tayab, a 24-year-old demonstrator who paid tribute to those who died in clashes with police and Mubarak supporters. “To the martyrs, this is your day.”

At a presidential palace in Cairo, where demonstrators had gathered in the thousands, people flashed the V-for-victory sign and shouted, “Be happy, Egyptians, today is a feast” and “He stepped down.”

Many prayed and declared: “God is great.” Crowds began to move toward Tahrir Square, the scene of massive protests against Mubarak that began on Jan. 25.

“Now every part of Egypt is Tahrir Square, ” shouted a young woman, her face totally covered in red, white and black.

“We are free! We are free! We are free!” chanted a group of young men and women jumping up and down, their arms around each others’ shoulders.

“God bless you children,” sobbed a middle-aged woman, while hugging and kissing the young men and women on the street. “You waited it out and you won it for us, for your kids and your kids’ kids!” She hid her face sobbing in her headscarf.

“No tears tonight aunt,” a young boy comforted her. “Tonight endurance won. Tonight determination won. Tonight the truth won. Tonight is truth’s night!” he shouted, his veins bulging in his neck.

“Finally, we are free,” said 60-year-old Safwan Abou Stat. “From now on, anyone who is going to rule will know that these people are great.” In some neighborhoods, women on balconies ululated with the joyous tongue-trilling used to mark weddings and births. Some sang the national anthem.

Mohammed el-Masry, who marched to the presidential palace, said he had spent the past two weeks living in the protest encampment at Tahrir Square.

“We are going to Tahrir to celebrate,” he said, weeping with joy. “We made it.”

WASHINGTON — The United States has lifted its ban on US-bound air cargo shipments originating in Yemen, the Transportation Security Administration said Tuesday.

A global security alert was sparked in October by the discovery of explosives in two parcels posted from Yemen.

The two potentially lethal parcels were addressed to synagogues in Chicago and contained the explosive PETN hidden in ink toner cartridges. They were uncovered in Dubai and Britain on October 28.

German officials have said the explosive used was difficult to detect and easy to pack into seemingly innocuous devices. The discovery of the bombs led several countries to ban all air freight originating from Yemen.

“Following the disruption of an attempt last October to ship explosive devices on board aircraft bound for the US, TSA and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took immediate measures to enhance existing protocols for screening inbound cargo, including grounding packages originating from Yemen destined for the US and deploying a team of inspectors to assist the government of Yemen with their cargo screening procedures,” the TSA said in a statement.

TSA Administrator John Pistole also visited ahead of tours by several US teams.

“As a result of this partnership, air cargo originating from or traveling through Yemen may proceed to the US,” the TSA explained. “Such cargo must be screened to specified standards prior to departing Yemen, and will receive additional attention as necessary en route to the US, while also being subject to multiple layers of security.”

BEIRUT – Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it would stop its mediation efforts in Lebanon between the Shiite group Hezbollah and Sunni premier Saad Al-Hariri over the assassination of his father by Hezbollah members and warned that the country’s future was at stake.

Saudi Arabia and Syria worked for months to resolve a dispute between Hezbollah and Hariri over indictments in the 2005 killing of former premier Rafik Al-Hariri, the builder of modern Lebanon. The indictments are widely expected to be against Hezbollah members.

Saudi foreign minister prince Saud A-Faisal said the kingdom abandoned its efforts and described the situation in the Lebanese arena as “dangerous.”

“If the situation reaches separation or partition of Lebanon, this means the end of Lebanon as a state that has this model of peaceful cohabitation between religions and ethnicities and different groups,” he told Al-Arabiya TV.

“It would be a loss for the whole Arab nation.”

Despite the declared withdrawal of Saudi Arabia, a powerful regional player and close supporter of Hariri, other countries were continuing efforts to find a compromise.

Political analysts however say no compromise or breakthrough could happen without backing from Saudi Arabia, a close US ally.

Ministers from Qatar and Turkey were holding a second day of talks in Beirut after meeting Hariri and Hezbollah head Hasan Nasrallah on Tuesday.

“Saudi Arabia is saying ‘it is not part of the negotiation process lead by Turkey and Qatar,’” Okab Sakr, a lawmaker close to Hariri told Reuters. “Because its efforts collided with obstacles inside Lebanon. So they are saying let the Turkish and the Qataris do what they can and it supports any efforts aimed at protecting Lebanon.”

Turkey, fast emerging as a regional force with links to the Europeans, Americans and even the Israelis, may play a neutral, moderating role alongside Qatar, a wealthy gas-exporting Gulf state.

Hezbollah-affiliated ministers and their allies brought down Hariri’s government last week, saying his rejection of their demands to cut Lebanon’s links to the UN-backed tribunal which issued the indictment on Monday thwarted the Saudi and Syrian efforts.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, denies responsibility for the 2005 killing and vows it will not allow any of its members to be handed over to the tribunal.

SECURITY, ECONOMY WORRIES

Hezbollah and its allies said they would treat the political deadlock differently once the indictment was released, pointing they would take a tougher stance after it was issued.

Fears that Hezbollah might repeat the security chaos that happened in May 2008, when its militia men took over parts of West Beirut, were raised on Tuesday by the deployment of black-clad men across the capital.

One person was found dead and four others were still trapped in the rubble of collapsed building in the Yemeni capital on Wednesday, when four people were saved.

The building owner, his daughter and granddaughter were saved from the ruins of a five-story building in the center, which collapsed around dawn.

The 12-year granddaughter was seriously injured and lost a leg.

Rescuers then extract a man who suffered minor injuries, and the four survivors were hospitalized.

At least one of those who remain trapped managed to make a call on his cell phone.

The first three-story building was built without pillars, and two additional floors of reinforced concrete construction added later. A relay antenna was also installed on the roof.

SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Interior Ministry says two boats carrying more than 80 African migrants have capsized off the Yemeni coast. Most of the passengers are feared drowned.

The ministry said in a statement Monday that one boat carrying 46 passengers, mostly Ethiopians, overturned in the Red Sea. Authorities found the body of two Ethiopians, and three Somali survivors on shore. The remaining passengers are missing.

The ministry said another boat carrying 35 to 40 Ethiopians capsized in the Gulf of Aden. None of the passengers have been found.

Yemen’s coast guard continues to search for any survivors.

Thousands of Africans, mainly from Ethiopia and Somalia, flee to Yemen every year crossing in shabby and overcrowded vessels run by smugglers.

Some 80 businessmen from the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) will accompany President Abdullah Gül on his visit to Yemen Jan. 10-11, DEİK said on Sunday.

In yesterday’s statement, DEİK also noted that the large business delegation is expected to win significant public tenders during the two-day official visit. There are a number of projects that Turkish companies have already submitted bids for, among them construction of a new airport in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a and a 96-kilometer-long highway between Sana’a and Damar al-Qarn, which is expected to cost $400 million. Another highway of 104 kilometers between the cities of Taiz and Aden will also be put out to bid when the necessary financing is found. In addition, a 4,000-kilometer-long rural road is to be constructed in the Middle Eastern country, a project expected to cost $3 billion.

DEİK’s Turkish-Yemeni Business Council Chairman Sadık Yıldız said in the statement that he expects plenty of cooperative agreements will be signed in the fields of transition to an e-state system, establishment of organized industrial zones and defense between the two countries. Yıldız noted that there are also opportunities in food, furniture and textiles for Turkish companies in the country. He finally said, as DEİK, they aim to bring the bilateral trade between Turkey and Yemen up to $1 billion by the end of next year. The current figure is hovering at around $400 million.

Eight American tourists — six women and two men — were killed in a traffic accident Sunday while on a tour bus in Aswan, Egypt, the country’s interior ministry said.

An additional 19 American tourists and two Egyptians — the bus driver and a tour guide — were injured.

A total of 116 American tourists were traveling in three tour buses. The interior ministry said the middle bus — carrying 37 of the tourists — crashed into a parked dump truck loaded with sand.

Video of the crash site showed one side of the bus completely sheared off, with some seats dangling from the vehicle’s shell. Dried blood could be seen on some of the crumpled wreckage.

Twelve of those injured were taken to Nasser Medical Institute in Cairo, according to the hospital’s head, Dr. Bahaa Al-deen Ziad.

Two of the crash victims are in the hospital’s intensive care unit in critical but stable condition, Ziad said. The 10 others were admitted to the hospital in stable condition and are being examined by doctors with specialties in neurosurgery, orthopedics and plastic surgery, he said.

Aswan is a popular tourist site in Egypt located about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away from Cairo.

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement Sunday saying it was “deeply saddened” by the accident.

“The embassy has confirmed that the injured are being moved by military transport to Cairo, and has mobilized staff to identify and to assist those Americans involved,” the statement said. “Consular services will be provided to assist any American citizens who have been affected and their families, in coordination with the Egyptian government.”