TOKYO (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 jolted northeastern Japan on Wednesday but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The epicentre of the earthquake was off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, more than 300 km (190 miles) northeast of Tokyo, where buildings also shook from the quake. The northeast was hit two years ago by a magnitude 9 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami.

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake shook Papua New Guinea's north Wednesday in a region where a huge tsunami killed more than 2,000 people in 1998, with reports suggesting the area escaped serious damage. The quake, at a depth of just 13 kilometres (eight miles), hit 23 km east of the small town of Aitape, with a population of around 8,000 on the Pacific nation's north coast, the US Geological Survey said. "We are aware of the earthquake off Aitape in Papua New Guinea. There have been no reports of serious damage or injury," a spokeswoman from Australia's foreign office told AFP.

Tokyo, Apr 13 (EFE).- A magnitude-6.3 earthquake rocked western Japan early Saturday, injuring 23 people and causing minor damage to buildings, although authorities did not issue a tsunami alert. The temblor struck at 5:33 a.m. and was centered near Awaji Island at a depth of 15 kilometers (9 miles), Japan's meteorological agency said. For its part, the National Police Agency said the earthquake left 23 people injured in five different prefectures, 14 of them in Hyogo, where Awaji Island is located.

Cuba's coastal communities are vulnerable to the gradual rise of sea levels as a result of global warming, Cuban media reported Thursday. Director of the National Environmental Agency (AMA) Tomas Escobar warned that the rise in sea levels will affect agriculture and forestry, leaving severe consequences for a country that is struggling to wean itself off food imports. Escobar said climate change will affect water quality and availability, something Cuba has already felt.