A moderate earthquake today rumbled off the Pacific island of Guam but there were no reports of any problems.
	The US Geological Survey says the magnitude 5.5 temblor struck around 4 pm and was centered 63 miles southeast Hagatna and six miles beneath the seabed.
	Earthquakes of that size are capable of causing damage. But the Guam police dispatch office says no one called to report any damage or to say they even felt it.
	Guam is located 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Moderate quake rumbles off Pacific territory of Guam

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Yemeni security and military officials say Shiite rebels backed by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have taken over the country's third largest city of Taiz and its airport.
	The today's seizure comes a day after the rebels, known as Houthis, called for a general mobilisation against forces loyal to the embattled current president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
	Hadi had just given a defiant speech challenging the Houthis, his first public address since fleeing the capital and establishing a base in the southern city of Aden last month.
	Brig Gen Hamoud al-Harathi, commander of special forces units based in Taiz, rejected Hadi's legitimacy as president. Meanwhile, thousands demonstrated in Taiz against both the Houthis and Saleh.

Shiite rebels take control of Yemen's third largest city

An Afghan woman who was beaten to death by a mob was buried in Kabul today, her coffin carried aloft by women's rights activists.
	Hundreds of people gathered in northern Kabul for the funeral of 27-year-old Farkhunda, who like many Afghans is known by only one name.
	She was killed late Thursday by a mob of mostly men who beat her, set her body on fire and then threw it into the Kabul River, according to police accounts. Police are still investigating what prompted the mob assault.
	President Ashraf Ghani condemned Farkhunda's killing as a "heinous attack" and ordered an investigation.
	Following allegations that police stood by and did nothing to stop the fatal attack, Ghani said it revealed "a fundamental issue" - the country's police were too focused on the fight against the Taliban insurgency to concentrate on community policing.
	His comments followed wide condemnation of the killing. In Afghanistan, women are generally regarded as inferior, despite constitutional guarantees of .

Afghanistan buries woman beaten to death by mob

The tightknit Orthodox Jewish New York City community where seven siblings perished in a deadly Sabbath fire was still reeling today as funeral services for the children were being prepared.
	"I call this not a tragedy but an absolute disaster," said state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn were the fire broke out early Saturday. The blaze killed three girls and four boys ages 5 to 16, leaving their mother and another child critically injured.
	Funeral plans were tentatively set for this afternoon.
	Investigators believe a hot plate left on a kitchen counter set off the blaze that sent flames up the stairs, trapping the children in their second-floor bedrooms as they slept.
	Many religious Jews who observe the Sabbath refrain from working, in all forms, from sundown Friday to sundown yesterday including using electricity.
	Authorities say their father was at a nearby conference at the time of the fire. Neither his name nor those of the ...

Community reels after 7 siblings perish in deadly house fire

The UN Security Council has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen.
	The UN spokesperson's office in an email said the council will hold a closed session today afternoon at 3 pm (1900 GMT) for consultations on Yemen.
	Yesterday, Yemen's Shiite rebels issued a call to arms to battle forces loyal to the country's embattled president.US troops were evacuating a southern air base crucial to America's drone strike program after al-Qaida militants seized a nearby city.
	The turmoil comes as Yemen battles al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the target of the drone program, and faces a purported affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group that claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings killing at least 137 people Friday.

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Yemen

Thousands of demonstrators from across Spain gathered at one of Madrid's main squares to protest against the way the government has tackled the financial crisis by implementing harsh austerity measures.
	Organisers had hoped to attract 20,000 protesters to the event, labelled Marches for Dignity, and yesterday evening much of Colon Square and part of Paseo de Recoletos boulevard were packed with people carrying republican flags and banners calling for a general strike.
	Hairdresser Dolores Cerezo, 32, who had arrived from southern Sevilla, said the government had cut back "savagely" on public services such as education and the national health service, "but we are seeing many of them now appearing in court suspected of fraud and corruption, of stealing money."
	Scuffles broke out after the main rally ended. Riot police clashed with about 200 protesters who had attacked a bank and a police car.

Thousands gather for anti-austerity rally in Spain

Fighters from Central African Republic have kidnapped 16 people from a Cameroonian border town, including local politicians and clergy, a local governor said today.
	On Thursday night, 30 heavily armed fighters seized a bus in Babio, just miles (kilometers) from the border, that was carrying people returning from a burial, said Governor Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua. The assailants drove the bus back into Central African Republic, which has been wracked by violence for more than a year.
	Ivaha Diboua said no one had claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but it is suspected they have been carried out by rebels from the Democratic Front of the Central African People. Their leader is in jail in Cameroon and fighters from the group kidnapped several Cameroonians and a Polish priest last year in a bid to win his release.
	The rebels were once linked with Seleka, a coalition of mostly Muslim armed groups that toppled Central African Republic's president in 2013. Widespread human ...

Governor: Central African fighters kidnap 16 in Cameroon

As the Afghan president heads to the United States on his first trip to Washington as head of state, the landmark visit offers a chance for both sides to start afresh and wipe the slate clean on the legacy of troubled US-Afghan relations.
	Ashraf Ghani faces a daunting task, long-term, the visit could set the tone for years to come.
	More pressingly, Ghani needs firm commitment of American military support in his fight against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, including an Islamic State affiliate, which he and US military leaders fear is finding a foothold in Afghanistan.
	Ghani's relationship with Washington stands in stark contrast to that of his acrimonious predecessor, Hamid Karzai, whose antagonism toward the US culminated in a refusal to sign security agreements with Washington and NATO before leaving office.
	Ghani signed the pacts within days of becoming president in September, and has since enjoyed a close relationship with US diplomats and military leaders.
	"It's ...

Afghan president to embark on landmark Washington visit

Russian authorities say six suspected insurgents have been killed in a raid in the capital of the Dagestan republic.
	Police initially said that two suspected rebels were killed in today's operation at an apartment building in Makhachkala, but the National Anti-Terrorist Committee later said another four were killed when police searched other apartments in the building.
	A committee statement said those killed were suspected in an array of terrorist actions, including attacks on police.
	For more than a decade, Dagestan has been hit with bombings, attacks on police and kidnappings blamed on Islamic militants.

Russian police kill 6 suspected insurgents in Dagestan

Michelle Obama today urged Cambodian students to finish their education, follow their dreams and speak up to demand greater freedoms and more equality in their Southeast Asian country.
	The US first lady did not explicitly criticise Cambodia's human rights record or its government, which has been ruled for 30 years by authoritarian strongman Hun Sen, the prime minister.
	But she sent a pointed message, and one that she delivered seated beside Hun Sen's wife, Bun Rany.
	Mrs Obama is on a five-day trip to Asia to promote the US-led education initiative "Let Girls Learn," which she and the president announced earlier this month.
	The community-based program, to be run by the Peace Corps, is meant to help millions of girls in the developing world stay in school and overcome economic or cultural pressures that force many to drop out.
	"Let Girls Learn" is starting in 11 countries, including Cambodia. Mrs Obama's visit follows a three-day trip to Japan, which is helping to fund the ...

US first lady urges Cambodian students to seek more freedoms

An Afghan official says at least three civilians were killed today when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb in the northern part of the country.
	Abdul Wasi Basil, spokesman for the governor of Kunduz province, says the target of the attack was a district police chief, who was wounded in the blast.
	The explosion, in Imam Sahib district, killed the police chief's brother and driver, and wounded his son.
	No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
	Roadside bombs have been a weapon of choice for Taliban insurgents for many years, and are often used to target officials and members of the security forces.
	Police bear the brunt of the attacks because they don't have the protection of bases and are less-equipped than the army.

Afghan official says 3 dead in attack targeting police chief

Pope Francis, visiting Italy's impoverished south, has told Neapolitans to resist exploitation by Mafia dons and seek the dignity of honest work.
	On a day trip today to Naples, Francis spoke to residents of Scampia, a rundown neighbourhood dominated by Camorra mobsters, and decried its chronic joblessness.
	In places like Scampia, more than half of young people are jobless. Many wind up working for the Naples-based crime syndicate as drug couriers or extortionists, shaking down local merchants for so-called "protection money."
	Later, in his homily in Naples' main square, Francis urged tens of thousands of people to hold on to hope and resist the "easy earnings or dishonest income" of drug trafficking.
	He called on Mafiosi and their accomplices to abandon their criminal ways.

Pope in Naples: resist local Mafiosi, seek honest jobs

Southeast Asian nations today wrapped up a key agreement allowing qualified banks to operate freely in each other's countries in a push toward greater financial and economic integration.
	The regional banking integration framework is part of efforts to create an economic community by the end of the year, making the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations a single market and production base.
	ASEAN finance ministers and central bank governors said in a joint statement after a two-day meeting that qualified ASEAN banks can now operate with greater market access and be accorded flexibilities similar to those of domestic banks in the host country.
	They said this will help accelerate the pace of regional financial integration and boost cross-border trade and investment.
	"It took us five years from conception to operationalise this. This is very exciting. This is something concrete, it's a major progress for ASEAN," Malaysian central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz told ...

Southeast Asia makes vital push in banking integration

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says progress has been made in negotiations with world powers over Iran's nuclear programme and that a final nuclear accord is possible.
	In comments published by the official IRNA news agency and the presidential website, Rouhani paints an optimistic picture.
	He says the progress made in the latest round of talks can be the basis of a final deal. Rohani warns that some significant differences remain, but adds there is nothing that can not be resolved.
	Iran and the six-nation group of global powers, the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany hope to reach a rough deal on Iran's disputed nuclear programme by the end of March and a final agreement by June 30. Iran has called for a single-stage final accord soon.

Rouhani: Final nuclear deal possible

A fire raged through a Brooklyn residence early today, killing seven children and leaving two other people in critical condition, authorities said.
	The dead children range from 5 to 15 years old and are believed to be family members, New York Fire Department spokesman Jim Long said, adding that more than 100 firefighters responded and brought the fire under control.
	There was no immediate word on a cause.
	The New York Post said as firefighters worked to put out the fire, paramedics struggled to help the victims. Neighbour Nate Weber said he heard the children's mother yelling for help.
	"I heard a woman yelling: 'My kids are in there! Get them out! Get them out!'" he told the paper.

New York Fire Department: 7 children die in Brooklyn fire

A 63-year-old man was shot at a security checkpoint in the New Orleans international airport after he cut a guard with a machete and sprayed two others with wasp spray.
	Richard White entered the airport yesterday and went through the TSA pre-check line where boarding passes are checked when he was confronted by one of the guards, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand told a news conference outside the airport.
	White responded by spraying the guard with wasp spray, then struck a female officer with a machete, cutting her right arm, Normand said. White sprayed the male officer again before a third officer shot him, striking him in the left chest, left thigh and left facial area, the sheriff said.
	Normand said White was transferred to an area hospital but was "unresponsive."
	A bystander received a graze wound to the arm during the scramble to get out of the area and a few people received minor cuts from furniture, the sheriff said.
	There was no information at this time of a ...

Man shot at New Orleans international airport

Prince Charles and his wife received a distinctly Kentucky welcome during a visit to the Bluegrass state, where the royal couple got a glimpse into efforts to promote environmental sustainability and protect historic buildings among the prince's favourite projects.
	During a whirlwind visit to Louisville yesterday, Charles chatted with onlookers, attended panel discussions and called for fundamental changes toward a more sustainable economy in sync with the environment.
	"If we wish to maintain our civilisation, then we must look after the Earth," Charles said in a speech at the Cathedral of the Assumption. "In failing Earth, we are failing humanity."
	Charles, next in line to the throne, said climate change threatens "to engulf us all."
	"As a grandpa, I have no intention of failing mine or anyone else's grandchildren," he said.
	Charles and his wife, Camilla, were serenaded by a choir singing "My Old Kentucky Home" at the start of their visit.
	They received a welcome from the ...

Prince Charles, wife Camilla spend day in US state

A moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook central Mexico, causing buildings to sway in the capital and sending hundreds of people into the streets.
	There was no immediate word of damage or casualties.
	The US Geological Survey said yesterday that the quake hit at 4:30 pm local time in the state of Puebla near Tulcingo del Valle, a town in a sparsely populated area about 163 kilometres southeast of Mexico City. It had a depth of (52 kilometres).
	The Puebla state press office said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, but inspection patrols were being sent out.
	Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said many evacuations were reported in the capital but officials had received no reports of damage or injuries.
	The city is vulnerable to distant earthquakes because much of it sits atop the muddy sediments of drained lake beds.
	They jiggle like jelly when quake waves hit.
	A magnitude-8.1 quake that killed at least 6,000 people and destroyed many buildings in Mexico ..

5.3 quake shakes central Mexico; some evacuations in capital

Pope Francis says nothing can justify the use of the death penalty and there is no "right" way to humanely kill another person.
	Francis outlined the Catholic church's opposition to capital punishment in a letter to the International Commission against the Death Penalty, a group of former government officials, jurists and others who had an audience with him at the Vatican yesterday.
	The pope wrote that the principle of legitimate personal defence isn't adequate justification to execute someone. "When the death penalty is applied, it is not for a current act of aggression, but rather for an act committed in the past."
	"Nowadays the death penalty is inadmissible, no matter how serious the crime committed," Francis declared. He was building on church teaching, including pronouncements during St John Paul II's papacy, that modern prison systems make executions unnecessary.
	Capital punishment "does not render justice to the victims, but rather fosters vengeance," Francis added.
	"For ...

Pope: Death penalty represents 'failure,' fosters vengeance

Two men accused of plotting to attack a Via Rail passenger train travelling from New York to Toronto were found guilty today of terror-related charges.
	Raed Jaser, a Canadian citizen of Palestinian descent, and Chiheb Esseghaier, who is of Tunisian descent, were arrested in 2013. Jaser faced four terror-related charges while Esseghaier faced five. They had pleaded not guilty.
	The 10th day of deliberations today, a Toronto jury found Esseghaier guilty on all five terrorism charges against him.
	But the jury was deadlocked on one of the four charges that Jaser was facing. Judge Michael Code told jurors today that he has the power to accept their unanimous decisions on the eight other charges.
	The jury found both men guilty of conspiring to commit murder for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group.
	The jury also found them guilty of two counts of participating in, or contributing to the activity of a terrorist group.
	Esseghaier was also found ...

Guilty verdicts for 2 suspects in Via train terror plot

An Ethiopian court today sentenced co-pilot Hailemedhin Abera to 19 years in prison for hijacking a plane bound for Rome and taking it to Geneva.
	The court said Monday it had issued a public notice for the 31-year-old to appear in court but he failed to show up. Hailemedhin is in Switzerland, his brother Endalamaw Abera said.
	At the time of the hijacking, Hailemedhin's uncle Alemu Asmamaw told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the pilot was in emotional distress following the sudden death of another uncle.
	On February 14 last year Hailemedhin, who had worked for Ethiopian Airlines for five years, locked the pilot of a Rome-bound flight out of the cockpit and then as co-pilot diverted the plane to Geneva, where he used a rope to lower himself out of a window and then asked for political asylum.
	The jetliner carrying 200 passengers and crew took off from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

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