A Russian tourist was mauled to death by a crocodile in a popular diving site in Eastern Indonesia, an official said today.
	The body of Sergey Lykhvar was discovered on Tuesday in Raja Ampat islands of West Papua, four days after he was reported missing.
	Local search and rescue head Prasetyo Budiarto said Lykhvar was reported missing to the authorities last week, one day after he left to snorkel around the remote Minyaifun island.
	Budiarto told AFP that rescuers spotted a large saltwater crocodile trailing behind Lykhvar's body when he was discovered.
	"We believe he was killed by a crocodile judging from the missing body parts and the extent of his injuries," he said.
	The 37-year-old normally snorkelled with his friends and a guide but decided go alone the morning before he was reported missing, Budiarto said.
	He added that the location where Lykhvar's body was retrieved was quite remote, and dangerous because of the strong currents and sharp rocks.
	The Russian tourist's body ..

Russian tourist killed by a crocodile in Indonesia

PTI Automatic

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook a lightly populated remote region of southwestern Alaska, the US Geological Survey that monitors quakes worldwide reported.
	The quake struck at 0550 GMT today on the Aleutian arc some 654 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, and 100 kilometers northeast of Chignik Lake, Alaska.
	The National Tsunami Warning Center said that no watch, warning or advisory would be issued for the quake.
	"A tsunami is NOT expected to be generated by this earthquake," the Center said.
	The earthquake epicenter was 58 miles below the surface, the Alaska Earthquake Center reported.
	The Aleutian arc, part of the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, extends some 3,000 kilometers from the Gulf of Alaska to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
	The arc "marks the region where the Pacific plate subducts into the mantle beneath the North America plate," the USGS said on its website.

Strong quake shakes Alaska, no tsunami warning

Former world number one Tiger Woods confirmed Friday that he will not participate in next week's 80th Masters, saying his rehabilitation from back surgery has not progressed far enough to allow him to compete.
     The 14-time Major champion, a four-time Masters winner, has not played a PGA event since last August. Since then, he underwent back surgery and a follow-up procedure to ease discomfort from a pinched nerve.
     "I've been dedicated to my rehab and improving daily, but I'm not physically ready to compete in the Masters," Woods tweeted.
     There had been a bit of mystery about Woods' status for the year's first major tournament, as Woods had not updated the status of his rehabilitation for several weeks. He had said there was no timetable for his return.
     "After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I've decided it's prudent to miss this year's Masters," Woods said in a posting on his website.
     "I've been hitting balls and 

Tiger Woods confirms he will not play in the Masters

Lawmakers in communist Vietnam approved a top police general for the role of president today, making the head of a controversial domestic security force one of the country's most high profile politicians.
	Tran Dai Quang won 91.5 per cent of the votes during a ballot at the rubber stamp parliament early today, having been nominated by party officials for the largely ceremonial role during the five-yearly Communist Party Congress in January.
	Vietnam is in the midst of a leadership handover, with communist leader Nguyen Phu Trong reelected in January as party secretary general in a victory for the party's old guard.
	One of President Quang's first duties will be to receive his US counterpart Barack Obama, as Hanoi seeks closer ties with its former wartime adversary in the face of Beijing's rising assertiveness within the contested South China Sea.
	"I sincerely thank the National Assembly for electing me," Quang said as he was sworn in according to a media officer at the parliament, ...

Police general becomes Vietnam's new president

Manchester United have edged their way back into contention for a Champions League place in recent weeks, with manager Louis van Gaal declaring that a top-three finish is still realistic.
     Van Gaal has been buoyed by the public support in recent days of Alex Ferguson, who called on United fans to be patient as the current manager awaits his first trophy with the club after almost two full seasons in charge.
     Having been six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City in mid-February, United are now just one point behind going into the weekend's fixtures.
     A 1-0 win at City two weeks ago was United's third victory in four league matches, and softened some of the disappointment that came with a Europa League exit at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool.
     Sunday's home game against Everton offers the opportunity to keep the pressure on in the chase for fourth, but Van Gaal has set his sights higher than that.
     "We are still capable of being in the top three in the .

Van Gaal sets United's sights on top three

Thousands of US and Filipino soldiers will today launch annual war games that this year are being seen as a show of strength in the face of China's increasing assertiveness in the region.
	The 11-day Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises are expected to show how the Philippines, though severely outgunned, can counter China with the help of the United States, its longest-standing ally.
	China has in recent months built massive structures including radar systems and an airstrip over reefs and outcrops in the contested South China Sea, sparking international concern.
	Beijing lays claim to almost all of the waters, which are important for international shipping and believed to hold valuable mineral and energy deposits, and neighbouring countries fear China could impose military controls over the entire sea.
	The joint manoeuvres come ahead of a decision this year by a United Nations-backed tribunal on a legal challenge by Manila to China's territorial claims.
	Adding to the ...

US, Philippines hold war games as China flexes muscles

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Japan's Kei Nishikori in the ATP and WTA Miami Open final after straight-set triumphs Friday in which both were tested.
     Djokovic, an 11-time Grand Slam champion whose three titles this year include the Australian Open, downed Belgian 15th seed David Goffin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
     The 28-year-old Serbian will try to match the career record of six Miami crowns won by Andre Agassi by capturing his third consecutive title at the hardcourt event.
     "It's a privilege just to be mentioned alongside Andre Agassi," Djokovic said.
     Sixth seed Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up, downed Australian 24th seed Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5.
     "First Miami final, that makes me very happy," Nishikori said.
     Djokovic has a 6-2 career edge over Nishikori, including five wins in a row, most recently in this year's Australian Open quarter-finals.
     "It's going to be tough for sure. He has been playing well," Nishikori said. "I .

Djokovic and Nishikori advance to Miami final

Panama's police have destroyed nearly nine tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, seized from smugglers so far this year, officials said.
	The 6.3 tons of cocaine, 2.5 tons of marijuana and 3.8 kilograms of heroin were incinerated on the outskirts of Panama City under tight security, sending a column of thick black smoke into the sky.
	A police official, Manuel Bonome, told reporters that the destruction showed the ability of the country's law enforcement to counter organized crime and drug smuggling.
	Central America has become a major staging ground for stockpiling drugs on their way from South America to the principal markets of the United States and Europe, according to the United Nations.
	Panama last year seized a record 58 tons of drugs. Authorities estimate they have confiscated 462 tons since the beginning of this century.

Nine tons of drugs go up in smoke in Panama

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution that lays the groundwork for deploying a UN police presence in Burundi to help quell nearly a year of violence.
	Drafted by France, the resolution tasks UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon with drawing up within 15 days a list of options for the proposed police force, in consultation with the Burundian government and the African Union.
	The council is under pressure to take action in Burundi where the descent into violence has raised fears of mass atrocities, similar to those that convulsed neighboring Rwanda in 1994.
	"We need the United Nations to be more present on the ground," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council.
	The resolution will help the international community "respond quickly to avoid the worst," he said.
	The vote capped days of tough negotiations between France and the United States over the wording of the resolution, the second measure adopted by the council over the Burundi crisis.
	The ...

Security Council backs move to deploy UN police in Burundi

US President Barack Obama has admitted he was "troubled" by the path President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking Turkey down, amid rows over press freedom and the war in Syria.
	"It's no secret that there are some trends within Turkey that I have been troubled with," Obama said yesterday, when asked whether he considers the Turkish leader an authoritarian.
	"I think the approach they have been taking toward the press is one that could lead Turkey down a path that would be very troubling."
	Obama said he had expressed these sentiments to Erdogan "directly."
	The pair met at the White House on Thursday for talks away from the cameras.
	Erdogan was on a rare trip to Washington to take part in a major nuclear security summit with other world leaders.
	Ahead of the trip, the White House had suggested Obama would not formally meet him, prompting suggestions of a snub.
	The possibility of no meeting had been glaring -- the two countries are meant to be close NATO allies in the thick of a fight .

Obama warns Erdogan's Turkey headed down troubling path

The US military is currently working with "dozens" of Syrian rebels under a revamped train-and-equip program implemented after a much-criticized initiative collapsed last year, an official said.
	The Pentagon drew heavy fire last October after admitting its USD 500-million efforts to train entire units of "moderate" Syrians to fight Islamic State jihadists had floundered, with numbers of trainees falling massively short of the planned 5,000 or so.
	Recruitment was slow, in particular because the rebels had to pass stringent background checks to weed out extremists and many objected to being forced to pledge to fight only the IS group and not President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
	One group even handed over ammunition and other gear to a local Al-Qaeda affiliate, known as the Al-Nusra Front.
	The Pentagon created a new program to replace the failed effort.
	Instead of trying to pull entire rebel units from the front lines, train them and send them back again, the US military is now ...

US military training 'dozens' of moderate Syrian rebels

World leaders reaffirmed their commitment to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of extremists but warned that the threat is "constantly evolving."
	"More work remains to be done to prevent non-state actors from obtaining nuclear and other radioactive materials, which could be used for malicious purposes," the leaders said, in a joint statement yesterday at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington.
	US President Barack Obama invited dozens of world leaders to Washington for the summit, where they discussed action plans to secure nuclear fuel stockpiles and radioactive material that could be used in a nuclear device or a dirty bomb.
	"We reaffirm our commitment to our shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy," the statement said.
	"We commit to fostering a peaceful and stable international environment by reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism and strengthening nuclear security.
	"Sustaining security improvements requires ...

Nuclear terror threat 'constantly evolving': world leaders

A US drone strike has targeted a senior Shebab leader in Somalia who was believed to have been plotting attacks against Americans in Mogadishu, the Pentagon has announced.
	"In cooperation with the federal government of Somalia, on Thursday, March 31, the US military conducted an air strike in Somalia against Hassan Ali Dhoore, a senior leader of al-Shebab," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement yesterday.
	A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the drone strike targeted a vehicle Dhoore was riding in with two other Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab members.
	"We have been watching him off and on for a long time," the official said.
	"The Somali government was involved in sharing information that led to this attack."
	The Pentagon said it was still assessing whether Dhoore had been killed.
	Dhoore allegedly was part of Shebab's security and intelligence wing, and had been involved in planning attacks in Mogadishu, the Pentagon said.
	"He had planned ...

US drone strike targets senior Shebab leader in Somalia

US tech giants Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have expressed support for President Barack Obama's program to fight climate change, which was put on hold in February by the US Supreme Court.
	The Environmental Protection Agency's "Clean Power Plan" calls for a 32 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by electric power plants by 2030 from 2005 levels.
	A group of 25 US states, most of them led by Republican governors, challenged the program before the Supreme Court which by a 5-4 vote put it on hold until an appeals court can rule on the arguments.
	Yesterday, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon filed a brief with the DC Circuit court in support of the program, noting that collectively they are among the biggest US consumers of electricity.
	The administration's plan "will help address climate change by reinforcing current trends that are making renewable energy supplies more robust, more reliable and more affordable," the brief said.
	The tech giants noted their own efforts to limit .

US tech giants file brief in favor of Obama 'clean power' plan

The Belgian government reached an agreement today with police on introducing tighter security at Brussels Airport after the jihadist suicide attacks, a union leader said, clearing the way for the reopening of the key transport hub.
	"There is an agreement," Vincent Gilles, head of the SLFP police union, told AFP after hours-long talks, adding that the government and the airport operator had given in to the main demand for "systematic checks" of passengers and their luggage before going through customs.
	The deal will allow for the airport's reopening "in the coming days", according to Gilles, although the final decision rests with the government.
	The operator of the airport, whose departure hall was wrecked in the blasts on March 22, had said yesterday it was "technically ready" to resume partial services after testing new, temporary check-in facilities.
	But no flights were announced as police unions held up the planned reopening, threatening to go on strike unless stricter checks ..

Brussels airport reopening nears as security deal reached with

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on today with US Secretary of State John Kerry about measures that could be taken to strengthen the fragile ceasefire in Syria, the Russian ministry said.
	The two top diplomats discussed taking "concrete measures aimed at strengthening the ceasefire process in Syria" which was established in late February and has generally been holding, the foreign ministry statement said in a statement.
	The measures would include steps to improve access to humanitarian aid and to fight against acts of terrorism in the country.
	The telephone conversation between Lavrov and Kerry "took place on April 1 at the Americans' initiative," the statement added.
	Lavrov also reiterated Russia's call to close the Turkish-Syrian border which Moscow says is "actively used" to send Islamist fighters to Syria via Turkey.
	This issue calls for "agreement on the necessary actions as quickly as possible, including via the UN Security Council," the statement said.
	Russia 

Lavrov, Kerry hold phone talks on securing Syria ceasefire

More than 2,000 mourners packed into Brussels' largest mosque today to pay their last respects to a young Belgian-Moroccan mum who was killed in the March 22 terror attacks on the city, Belgian media reported.
	So many worshippers descended on the capital's Grand Mosque that prayer mats had to be laid out outside, Belga news agency said, as religious leaders inside paid an emotional tribute to the victim.
	Loubna Lafquiri, who had three children and worked as a gym teacher in the Brussels neighbourhood of Schaarbeek, was killed in the suicide blast at Maalbeek metro station.
	A total of 32 people were killed in the coordinated Islamic State attacks, which also struck Brussels airport.
	"We are here as human beings first," one of the mourners, a young woman in a pink headscarf, told RTL television, expressing solidarity with "the victims of all faiths" who died in the attacks.
	"They were mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers... It could have happened to anyone," she said.
	Metro bomber .

Brussels mosque overflows for funeral of mum killed in attacks

A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Papua New Guinea's northern coast today, the US Geological Survey said, with no immediate tsunami warning issued.
	The shallow quake hit at 5:24 am local time (1924 GMT Friday) about 120 kilometres (75 miles) northeast of Angoram and over 700 kilometres from the island's capital Port Moresby, USGS said.
	No damage or injuries were immediately reported.
	The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had no alerts on its website following the quake.
	Quakes are common on the island nation that lies on the 4,000-kilometre-long Pacific Australia plate, which forms part of the "Ring of Fire", a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

Strong quake hits off Papua New Guinea coast: USGS

South African President Jacob Zuma defended himself today after a damning court judgement over public funds used to upgrade his private residence, but admitted his conduct was "inconsistent" with the constitution.
	"I... Respect the finding that failure to comply with the remedial action taken against me by the public protector is inconsistent with the constitution," he said, in a televised address that some predicted would be a resignation speech.
	"I wish to emphasise that I never knowingly and deliberately set out to violate the constitution," he added.
	"The matter has caused a lot of frustration and confusion, for which I apologise, on my behalf and on behalf of government.
	"I urge all parties to respect the judgement and abide by it."
	Zuma faced a chorus of calls to step down after the Constitution Court delivered a highly critical verdict yesterday on his conduct after a swimming pool, chicken run, cattle enclosure and amphitheatre were built at his rural homestead as ...

Zuma admits actions 'inconsistent' with constitution

US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Hiroshima, the Japanese city devastated by an American atomic bomb, later this month as part of preparations for the G7 summit.
	Kerry will join ministers from the other members of the club of leading democracies in the city on April 10 and 11 to work on the agenda for the Group of Seven leaders' summit in May.
	US officials are still considering a possible visit to Hiroshima by President Barack Obama during his trip to Japan for the meeting, but no announcement has been made.
	The State Department said Kerry would make the trip after attending a ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain on April 8 and 9.
	Japan has long urged world leaders to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to see the horrors of the atomic bombings and join efforts to eradicate nuclear arms.
	But the most senior US official to have visited Hiroshima -- which was consumed in the world's first nuclear attack on August 6, 1945 -- has been House Speaker Nancy .

US confirms Kerry will go to Hiroshima for G7 prep

Oil slid this week on waning prospects of an output freeze by producers to tackle a supply glut that shows no signs of ending as US crude inventories hit record heights.
	After winning some support from a weaker dollar that made crude priced in the US unit cheaper for holders of rival currencies, oil prices slumped today following comments out of Saudi Arabia.
	"The suggestion that Saudi Arabia will not freeze oil production if Iran doesn't do the same, coupled with a stronger dollar, has taken a sledge hammer" to prices, said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at traders CMC Markets.
	Around 1630 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in May was down USD 1.41 at USD 36.93 a barrel compared with yesterday's close.
	Brent North Sea crude for June delivery shed USD 1.57 to USD 38.76 a barrel.
	Both contracts were down also compared with one week earlier.
	Bloomberg News today reported that according to Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince, the kingdom should freeze its oil output ..

AFP

AFP

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