Tsunami spreads through Pacific after Chile quake

Nations around the Pacific Ocean have been pounded by tsunami waves triggered by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake in central Chile.

Japan is the latest country to issue a warning, with waves of up to 3m (9ft) predicted, and authorities have ordered the evacuation of 10,000 people.
But in most areas the danger is thought to have passed.
There were few reports of major damage, but there were at least five deaths in Chile's Juan Fernandez island group.
The southern Chilean port of Talcahuano is also thought to have been badly hit.
Fishing boats there were thrown out of the water and port facilities damaged.
Warning systems have improved since the 2004 Indonesia quake sparked a tsunami that killed nearly 250,000 people.
Nations and regions affected by the Pacific "Ring of Fire" all sounded alerts, trying to estimate the anticipated time of arrival of any tsunami following the earthquake, which struck at 0634 GMT.
Ordinary stormy day
The first tsunami waves have reached Japan but are reported to be just 10cm high.
Officials have warned that higher waves could follow and the alert remains in place.
The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says Japan has experienced many earthquakes of its own and is well prepared for disasters.
In 1960 about 140 people were killed by a tsunami in Japan after a major earthquake in Chile.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had warned of "widespread damage" following Saturday's quake, but later said waves were not as high as predicted.

Storm lashes Spain, Portugal and France

Powerful winds have hit parts of Spain, Portugal and France, causing serious damage, officials said.

As winds of up to 140km/h (87mph) lashed parts of Spain, the interior minister warned people to stay inside, avoid driving and postpone walks.
The weather was blamed for three deaths - one in each of the countries.
Portugal's Madeira island, which is reeling from downpours which killed dozens of people last week, was also hit by the fresh storm.
All of Portugal was placed on orange alert - the second highest - by civil protection authorities.
A falling tree killed a boy in northern Portugal, authorities said, according to AFP.
'No woodland walks'
Spain's Canary Islands, particularly La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, were hit by the storm, although there was not much damage.
Some lampposts were blown over and flights cancelled on Friday.
"This is not the weekend to go walking in the woods, watching the waves or repairing the tiles on your roof-tops," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.
Four French departments were placed on red alert, and 66 out of 95 were on orange alert for 24 hours from Saturday evening.
A man was also killed by a falling tree in the the southern Pyrenees region, police said.
Spain's north-western region of Galicia, the Basque country, Castilla y Leon and Cantabria were also on high alert.
Forecasters expected winds of up to 160km/h (100mph) in those regions.
An elderly woman was killed when a wall collapsed on her in Galicia, AFP reported.
Spain had 20,000 officials on alert to try to prevent or repair any damage, while the airport authority warned of possible delays or cancellations.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua returns home

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has returned home after three months' treatment in Saudi Arabia, officials say, but his condition is unknown.

A plane from Jeddah landed at Abuja airport in the early hours, where an ambulance was waiting on the tarmac.
Earlier this month, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting leader as fears mounted of a power vacuum.
Mr Yar'Adua has not attended the weekly cabinet meeting, and it is unclear if he is well enough to resume duties.

ANALYSIS Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Abuja For President Yar'Adua's political future, it is critical the people do see him, and soon. He and his circle have suffered political damage and a massive loss of trust, within the country, within parliament, and within their own party. In his absence, many senior cabinet ministers - including the information minister and the foreign minister - were locked out of decision-making. It created an atmosphere in which people were uncertain whether the president was even alive. Mr Yar'Adua's allies will want executive powers transferred back to him, but there are cabinet splits. Acting President Goodluck Jonathan's supporters have been manoeuvring to try to formalise his position. The prize - control of Nigeria's oil wealth - is immense.

The 58-year-old leader has been receiving treatment for heart and kidney problems.
An hour after Wednesday's cabinet meeting was due to begin, ministers were reportedly still waiting inside the presidency, uncertain who was to chair the session.
Acting President Jonathan then postponed it, announcing to ministers that he would hold a special briefing at 1400 (1300 GMT), Reuters news agency reported.
Analysts say there has been considerable jostling for power behind the scenes as politicians look ahead to elections due by April next year.
The BBC's Ahmed Idris says two planes arrived amid tight security at the presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at about 0200 local time (0100 GMT).
Although there has been no official confirmation of Mr Yar'Adua's return, two cabinet ministers told our correspondent the president was on board one of the jets.
And Nigerian Senator Abubakar Umar Gada told the BBC's World Today: "I can confirm from credible sources the president is back. I think Nigerians will be happy to have their president back in a good shape."
Presidential adviser Emmanuel Egbogah told Reuters Mr Yar'Adua was back, but it was "doubtful" he would resume office immediately.
Not seen in public
Nigeria's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Aminchi, told AFP news agency Mr Yar'Adua had returned home and his condition had "improved tremendously".

Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan 'is acting president'

Nigeria's deputy leader Goodluck Jonathan is still the country's acting president while Umaru Yar'Adua is sick, the information minister has said.

Dora Akunyili was speaking amid confusion about who wields power in Nigeria after President Yar'Adua unexpectedly returned home.
The president's office quickly backed Mr Jonathan's position.
Earlier an official statement pointedly referred to Mr Jonathan as vice-president, inferring far less power.
Correspondents say a political struggle could be under way between rival power brokers.
Presidential powers
In a clear statement, the information minister insisted that Mr Jonathan retained power.

ANALYSIS Caroline Duffield, BBC News, Abuja The surprise return of the president was a calculated fight-back staged by his closest allies. They - and the vested interests behind them - have carefully watched Goodluck Jonathan take on the job of acting president. On returning, they publicly called him the vice-president. Many people say this was an overt attempt to regain power. Others suggest it was a display - intended to warn Mr Jonathan that the ultimate power, the military, is with the Yar'Adua group. Sceptics believe Mr Jonathan will now have to do a deal with the president's friends, and will serve as acting president only to do their bidding. It is uncertain whether power really has shifted in this country.

"Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the acting president, is in charge," Ms Akunyili told Reuters news agency.
"There is no way he can go back to vice-president without going through the process that made him acting president."
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in the capital, Abuja, says the status of acting president is critical.
She says an acting president can sign legislation, chair cabinet meetings, reshuffle ministers and release oil funds.
Until he was formally made acting president earlier this month, Mr Jonathan had enjoyed only a ceremonial role since Mr Yar'Adua went for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia last November.
On his return on Tuesday, the presidency called him vice-president and only said he would "continue to oversee the affairs of state".
But in a special TV broadcast on Thursday, Mr Yar'Adua's spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said Mr Jonathan remained Nigeria's acting leader and commander-in-chief.
"The acting president has already called us for a meeting tomorrow to brief us on how things will work, that is how he will run the presidency including everybody so it is just one presidency," he was quoted as saying.
Tussle for power
Mr Yar'Adua's condition is unknown and he has not been seen in public since 23 November.
No-one, not even Mr Jonathan, has seen the severely ill president since he returned to Nigeria, our correspondent says.
Behind the scenes, this is all about a ferocious scramble for power and access to Nigeria's vast oil revenues, she adds.
Nigerians fear Mr Yar'Adua is controlled by those around him. His wife, Turai Yar'Adua, has emerged as a dominating figure, and stands accused of running the government in all but name.

YAR'ADUA ILLNESS TIMELINE 23 Nov 2009: Goes to hospital in Saudi Arabia 26 Nov: Doctors say he has pericarditis, a heart problem 23 Dec: First court case filed urging him to step down 12 Jan: President gives telephone interview from Saudi Arabia 27 Jan: Cabinet declares president fit 9 Feb: Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan made acting president 24 Feb: Yar'Adua returns

For two days no-one has been able to say who holds power and it remains unclear what should happen next.
"We do not think he [Mr Yar'Adua] has the capacity today," Osita Okechukwu of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, a group representing opposition parties, told the BBC on Wednesday.
"We are appealing to him, and his handlers, that he should honourably resign his appointment."
Late on Wednesday, the Senate sought to avoid a repeat of the constitutional uncertainty by voting to force future leaders who are sick to step aside after 14 days' absence from office.
However, this has to be approved by the House of Representatives and two-thirds of state legislatures.

Russia blames Nato for heroin surge from Afghanistan

The head of Russia's federal drug control agency has accused Nato of not doing enough to curb the production of heroin in Afghanistan.

Victor Ivanov said at least 30,000 people died in Russia every year from heroin, 90% of it from Afghanistan.
He blamed the Obama administration for ending a military drive to destroy opium poppy crops in Afghan fields.
The US said the practice was alienating farmers and driving them to support the Taliban.
This is not the first time Mr Ivanov has lambasted Nato for failing to stamp out drug production in Afghanistan.
He said leaving poppy fields guaranteed immunity for drug producers.
Russia says the consequence has been a flood of cheap heroin in to Central Asia and Russia.
Mr Ivanov said drug production in Afghanistan was now a global destabilising factor, particularly for Russia.
Russia is believed to have around five million drug addicts, half of whom are addicted to heroin.

Chile quake affects two million, says Bachelet

wo million people have been affected by the massive earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday, President Michelle Bachelet has said.In a TV address, she said the forces of nature were testing the nation.
So far at least 300 people have been confirmed killed in the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Saturday.
The 8.8 quake - one of the biggest ever - triggered a tsunami that has been sweeping across the Pacific, although waves were not as high as predicted.
"The forces of nature have badly affected our country," Ms Bachelet said.
"And once again they've put to the test our ability to deal with adversity and get back on our feet. And we are examining every way to restore all the basic services in the country. But there's still a lot to do.
Ms Bachelet added that she had declared a state of catastrophe in six regions.
Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes, being situated on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the Pacific and South American plates meet.

Detailed map of quake Tsunami spreads through Pacific

The earthquake struck at 0634 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago at a depth of about 35km. It is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.
Widespread damage to roads and buildings has been reported in many areas, including the capital where a chemical plant caught fire.
Electricity, water and phone lines have been cut.
At least 85 people died in the region of Maule alone, journalists there reported.
Many deaths were also reported in the regions of Santiago, O'Higgins, Biobio, Araucania and Valparaiso.
TV pictures showed a major bridge at Concepcion had collapsed into the Biobio river.
Rescue teams are struggling to reach Concepcion because of damage to infrastructure, national media reported.
In Santiago, where at least 13 people were killed, several buildings collapsed - including a car park.
A fire at a chemical plant in the outskirts of the capital forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.

Man escapes burning home; girlfriend, 2 kids die

INDIANAPOLIS – A man trying to find a way out his burning home got trapped in its bathroom Saturday and could only listen in horror to the screams of two of his children, who died in the fire along with his girlfriend, friends and authorities said. The man escaped by breaking a window and jumping out.
Daniel Fox, 37, told fire investigators he ran into the first-floor bathroom of the two-story rental house, looking for a way out for himself and the three others after the blaze broke out around 6 a.m. But the door, which had no doorknob, closed behind him and he couldn't open it.
Fox's children apparently were overcome by smoke as they pounded on the door, yelling for their father during the chaos of the fire, which Fox escaped by smashing out a small bathroom window and jumping out, said Capt. Rita Reith of the Indianapolis Fire Department.
Family friend David Wethington said Fox, bleeding from cuts from the broken glass, tried to re-enter the burning home on Indianapolis' east side but was driven back by dense smoke and flames shooting from its windows.
He said Fox is anguished that he couldn't save his children and girlfriend.
"They were screaming, saying, "Help, help, help!" Wethington said. "He heard them hollering and he tried to get in there. He's dying inside because he couldn't get to them in time. It's killing him that he couldn't save his own kids."
Fox's girlfriend, Cheryl Strong, 32, and his 16-year-old son, Michael Fox, died at the scene, while his 8-year-old daughter, Kelsey Fox, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Wethington said Fox's children lived with Fox's mother and usually visited their father on weekends. Fox also has a teenager daughter, who did not make the trip this weekend.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Reith said Fox told investigators he believes an electric space heater started the blaze.
In the fire's aftermath, passers-by stopped to look at the gutted home, which was surrounded by scorched shingles, pieces of wood and children's books, the heavy snowfall around the home blackened with soot and firefighters' footprints.
A large plush Scooby-Doo doll wearing a wizard's cape sat on the deck that Fox jumped onto from the bathroom window, partially covered with fire debris.
FIRE CONTROL TECHNICIAN 2, BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL, NAVY TRAINING COURSE, NAVPER 10174-A,