Samuel Charters, a novelist and music historian of American blues, folk and jazz, has died. He was 85.
	His widow, Ann Charters, said today her husband died the day before in Stockholm of a bone marrow disorder after a serious illness.
	Charters, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, moved to the Scandinavian country in 1970 to work as a producer for the Swedish record company Sonet Records.
	A dual Swedish-US citizen, he was best known for his books on the history of the blues and jazz, although his subjects also extended to Swedish fiddlers and poetry.
	From early on in his life, Charters became enamored of blues and jazz. In 1951, he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, and lived there for almost a decade.
	"He felt that the black musicians of New Orleans needed more recognition," Ann Charters told The Associated Press.
	"What people often don't know is that he published many books of poetry and five novels. He thought of himself as a poet as well as a music historian."
	Charters' ...

American music historian Samuel Charters dies at 85

PTI Automatic

One Direction is one man down on its world tour.
	The boy band's publicist says a stressed Zayn Malik is flying home to Britain.
	Publicist Simon Jones said today that "Zayn has been signed off with stress and is flying back to the U.K. To recuperate."
	He said the band will continue with upcoming performances in Manila, Philippines, and Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of the "On the Road Again" tour.
	It was not clear whether Malik would rejoin the tour for three scheduled dates in South Africa starting March 28.
	Malik's departure comes a day after he hit back on Twitter at rumors of trouble in his relationship with fiancee Perrie Edwards of the band Little Mix after he was photographed with another woman. He tweeted: "I'm 22 years old ... I love a girl named Perrie Edwards."
	This week, authorities in the Philippines said they were imposing a USD 5,000 "weed bond" on Malik and fellow band member Louis Tomlinson, with the money to be forfeited if they are caught using or promoting ...

Zayn Malik flies home from One Direction tour with stress

A Minnesota judge has endorsed a settlement in which Target Corp will pay USD 10 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over a massive data breach in 2013.
	US District Judge Paul Magnuson said at a hearing today in St Paul, Minnesota, that he would grant preliminary approval of the settlement in a written order later in the day. The move will allow people to begin filing claims ahead of another hearing for final approval.
	People affected by the breach can file for up to USD 10,000 with proof of their losses, including lost time dealing with the problem.
	"Target really needs to be commended for being willing to step up," Magnuson said.
	Target's data breach in 2013 exposed details of as many as 40 million credit and debit card accounts and hurt its holiday sales that year. The company offered free credit monitoring for affected customers and overhauled its security systems.
	The settlement would also require Minneapolis-based Target Corp to appoint a chief information security ...

Judge OKs USD 10 million settlement in Target data breach

Japanese police said they arrested a man today accused of making bomb threats against the US Embassy in Tokyo, and media reports said he is also a possible suspect in recent death threats against Ambassador Caroline Kennedy.
	Tokyo police arrested Mitsuyoshi Kamiya, a resident of the southern island of Okinawa, for making the bomb threats from a pay phone in downtown Okinawa, a police spokesman said.
	He said the suspect also threatened to bomb Camp Schwab, a US military base on the island.
	Kamiya admitted to police that he made the bomb threats, but his motive was not immediately known, the police spokesman said. He did not provide any other details about Kamiya.
	Public broadcaster NHK said police also suspect Kamiya made phone calls threatening to kill Kennedy and the US consul general on Okinawa.
	The island is home to about half of the 50,000 American troops in Japan, and residents have frequently complained about crime, noise and other issues related to the US bases.
	The US ...

Japanese police arrest suspect in US Embassy bomb threats

President Barack Obama ordered the federal government today to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 per cent, as the US seeks to spur other nations to get serious about climate change.
	Obama's executive order also directs the government to ramp up use of renewable energy sources to 30 per cent of the federal government's consumption.
	The White House said US taxpayers could save up to USD 18 billion in electricity costs by reducing greenhouse gases 40 per cent over the next decade, compared to 2008 levels.
	"These are ambitious goals, but we know they're achievable goals," Obama said at the Energy Department, where he toured a rooftop solar panel installation after signing the executive order at the White House.
	Major companies that sell to the federal government like GE, HP, Northrup Grumman and Honeywell will also announce voluntary commitments to cut their own emissions of the heat-trapping gases blamed for global warming, the White House said.
	IBM, for example, said it ..

Obama orders 40 per cent cut in government's greenhouse gases

Saudi Arabia will no longer issue business visas to Swedes or renew the current visas of Swedish nationals living in the country, a senior Saudi official told The Associated Press today.
	The official said the decision is in response to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom's recent criticism of Saudi Arabia's record on human and women's rights. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
	Banning visas to Swedes appears aimed at pressuring Stockholm to distance itself from Wallstrom's comments. She spoke out strongly during a speech in the Swedish Parliament against the flogging of a Saudi blogger who was convicted of insulting Islam on a liberal blog he founded.
	Swedish companies are concerned that the escalation in tensions and the visa ban will hinder their ability to do business in Saudi Arabia, said Andreas Astrom, the communications director at Stockholm's Chamber of Commerce.
	"This is going to have a vast negative impact ..

Saudi Arabia to stop issuing visas to Swedes after criticism

The radical Islamic State Group claimed responsibility today for the attack on a famed Tunis museum that left 23 people dead, scores of tourists wounded and upended the country's struggling tourism industry.
	Defying the extremists, hundreds of Tunisians rallied today at the National Bardo Museum, stepping around trails of blood and broken glass to proclaim their solidarity with the victims and with Tunisia's fledgling democracy.
	One person carried a sign saying "Tunisia is bloodied but still standing."
	Tunisian security forces, meanwhile, arrested nine people, the president's office said, adding that five of them were directly connected to yesterday's attack on the Bardo by two gunmen who were later slain by police.
	The other four suspects who were arrested in central Tunisia were part of a cell supporting those involved in the attack, the statement said.
	Prime Minister Habib Essid told France's RTL radio that Tunisia was working with other countries to learn more about the slain 

IS claims deadly attack on Tunis museum

A solar-powered plane landed in Myanmar tonight, the third leg of a round-the-world trip aimed at highlighting clean energy.
	Dozens of trees had to be cleared ahead of the Solar Impulse 2's arrival at the Mandalay International Airport for its giant mobile hangar and exhibition tent, said Taik Aung, the country's director of air navigation and safety division.
	Towering shrubs along the runway also needed to be trimmed to accommodate the plane's 72-meter wing span, said Corinne Henchoz Pignani, of the Swiss Embassy in Yangon.
	The Impulse 2, the first aircraft powered by solar energy, has 12 scheduled halts during its five-month journey.
	Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg are taking turns flying the aircraft, which is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings that recharge the plane's batteries.
	The single-seat, Swiss-made plane left Varanasi early today after several weather delays and flew over the Bay of Bengal and reached Mandalay at 7:50 pm (local ...

Solar-powered plane lands in Myanmar on 3rd leg of journey

When news of secret National Security Agency surveillance programmes began breaking in June 2013, even government insiders had questions. Often, Raj De was the man with the answers.
	The Harvard-trained Indian-American lawyer, who departed last week as NSA general counsel, arrived at the spy agency three years ago following stints at the White House, the Justice Department and the 9/11 Commission.
	Soon enough, he found himself consumed with helping manage the external and internal responses to the disclosures of former agency contractor Edward Snowden.
	De's outsider status, his White House ties and his willingness to engage with skeptics helped guide the digital spy agency through the biggest crisis in its history, observers say.
	Amid a barrage of critical stories about the NSA's collection of phone records, De briefed those in Congress and the White House who had not been fully informed about the highly classified collection of phone and Internet records, had forgotten they were ..

Outgoing NSA lawyer helped preserve controversial programmes

DP World, the Dubai-based international port operator, said today its profit rose 12 per cent in 2014, a year in which it assumed ownership of a sister company that runs free-trade zones in the Gulf emirate.
	The government-backed company said it earned USD 675 million in profit attributable to its owners last year, up from USD 604 million in 2013.
	DP World ranks among the world's largest port operators, with business at more than 65 marine terminals globally.
	It is heavily focused on fast-growing developing markets, and it runs the Middle East's busiest port, Dubai's Jebel Ali. Its portfolio also includes the new London Gateway port in Britain and Embraport in Brazil.
	Chief Executive Mohammed Sharaf said the company is off to an "encouraging start" for 2015, though he acknowledged that "macro-economic conditions and geopolitical issues across some locations remain uncertain."
	DP World reported that revenue for 2014 rose 11 per cent to USD 3.41 billion.
	Over the course of the ...

Dubai port giant DP World profits rise to USD 675M last year

Honda is adding nearly 105,000 vehicles to its growing US recall of driver's side air bag inflators that can explode with too much force.
	The added vehicles include nearly 89,000 Pilot SUVs from the 2008 model year, as well as about 11,000 Civics from 2004 and another 5,000 Accords from the 2001 model year.
	Honda said that it's the first recall of 2008 Pilots for potential problems with driver's air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan. The inflators can blow apart a metal canister and spew shrapnel into drivers and passengers. At least six people have died worldwide due to the problem.
	Dealers will replace the driver air bag inflators for free. With the added vehicles, Honda has now recalled 5.5 million Honda and Acura cars and SUVs nationwide from the 2001 to 2011 model years because of the air bag problems.
	So far, 10 different automakers have recalled over 17 million cars and trucks in the US and 22 million worldwide because of the air bag problem.
	There could be as many as 30 .

Honda adds 105,000 vehicles to driver's air bag recall

One of the gunmen who killed 23 people, including tourists, at a prominent Tunisian museum was known to intelligence services, but no formal links to a particular extremist group have been established, the prime minister said today.
	The attack yesterday on Tunisia's National Bardo Museum left 23 dead, scores wounded and threatens both Tunisia's fledgling democracy and its struggling tourism industry. It was the worst attack at a tourist site in Tunisia in years, and a leading cruise line announced it is now canceling its Tunisian stops.
	Razor wire ringed the museum today and security forces guarded major thoroughfares in Tunis, the capital, as authorities hunted for two or three more people believed to have been involved in the attack.
	Yesterday's two attackers burst from a vehicle wielding assault rifles and began gunning down tourists climbing out of buses. The attackers then charged inside to take hostages before being killed in a firefight with security forces.
	A Spanish man ..

Tunisia: Death toll in museum attack rises to 23

The center-left front-runner defeated in Israel's parliamentary election said today his party will not join the next government and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of rousing voters with racist remarks on election day.
	Isaac Herzog said his Zionist Union, which finished second in Tuesday's vote, would sit in the opposition as a counterweight to the nationalist right-wing governing coalition that Netanyahu is poised to form.
	The vote, Herzog told Israeli Army Radio, showed that "the nation wants an extreme right-wing government."
	"We will challenge it," he added, referring to his role in the opposition.
	The resounding victory by Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party was a stunning turnaround after a tight race that had put his lengthy rule in jeopardy. The latest tally from Tuesday's vote shows the Zionist Union got 24 seats, compared to Likud's 30.
	In a last-ditch attempt by Netanyahu to spur supporters to the polls, he claimed of a worldwide effort to oust him and warned .

Centrist runner-up says he won't join new Israeli coalition

Poland has sent a plane with doctors and diplomats to Tunisia to help and bring back Poles injured in a gun attack in a museum in Tunis.
	Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna said this morning that according to information he has at the moment, two Poles were killed in the attack, two are missing and nine were hospitalised with injuries that are not life-threatening.
	President Bronislaw Komorowski stressed that Tunisian authorities are still identifying the victims and the numbers could change.
	National flags on government buildings were flown half-staff in a sign of mourning.
	Doctors, psychologists and consular officials have flown to Tunis. Some 300 Polish tourists are in Tunisia, according to tourist offices.

Poland sends doctors to help Poles hurt in Tunisia

One of the two gunmen who killed 19 tourists and others at a prominent Tunisian museum was known to intelligence services, Tunisia's prime minister said today, but no formal links to a particular terrorist group have been established.
	The dramatic attack at the National Bardo Museum yesterday was the worst in years in Tunisia and a blow to its young and fragile democracy. It also threatened new troubles for the tourism industry, which brings throngs of foreigners every year to its Mediterranean beaches, desert oases and Roman ruins and had just started to recover after years of slump.
	In an interview with France's RTL radio, Prime Minister Habib Essid said Tunisia is working with other countries to learn more about the attackers, identified as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui. They were killed by security services in a raid after they attacked the museum.
He said Laabidi had been flagged to intelligence, although not for "anything special."
	Tunisia has faced scattered Islamic ..

Tunisian PM: 1 gunman known to intelligence ahead of attack

A Myanmar court has sentenced two reporters to two months in prison on charges of defamation, in the latest ruling that raises concerns about press freedoms as the country emerges from military rule.
	The Myanmar Post's chief editor Than Htaik Thu and reporter Hsan Moe Tun were charged in February 2014 after their weekly newspaper quoted an unnamed lawmaker from southeastern Mon state making comments about military representatives in the parliament having low education.
	This is the first time journalists have been convicted of defamation since President Thein Sein's government took office in 2011.
	Another 10 journalists are serving prison terms for other offenses and nearly 20 are facing trials.

Myanmar court jails 2 journalists for defamation

An apparent drive-by shooting at a Stockton convenience store left three people dead and four wounded in what a police official called one of the worst mass shootings in the city's recent history.
	Officer Joe Silva also said the shooting in the inland port city was in a crime-ridden area known for drug deals and is likely gang-related. Violence has rocked Stockton, which was hit hard by the economic downturn and declared bankruptcy in 2012.
	Officials with the San Joaquin County on Wednesday said 20-year-old Aliyah Taylor and 27-year-old Arniska Lofton died in the drive-by shooting. The male victim was identified as 23-year-old Kabin Kennebrew. All were from Stockton.
	Four men in their 20s and 30s were found inside the small market and taken to hospitals. The victims ages 24, 25, 32 and 38 are expected to survive, Silva said.
	No arrests have been made, and it is not yet known if there were multiple shooters.
	Police are interviewing witnesses, some of whom said they heard up to 40 .

3 killed, 4 hurt in shooting at California convenience store

Heavy fighting between rival groups in southern Yemen has forced the closure of the international airport in the city of Aden.
	Airport officials say the fighting, which erupted early on Thursday morning, is between forces loyal to the former Yemeni president and militiamen loyal to current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is based in Aden.
	More than a 100 passengers who had boarded a flight to Cairo, including an Associated Press reporter, were ordered off the Yemenia aircraft and made their way to the terminal.
	The sound of heavy explosions shook the terminal building as the clashes intensified.
	The security and aviation officials say at least two shells have hit the airport's grounds. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Clashes in southern Yemeni city force closure of airport

American tennis player Wayne Odesnik was banned Wednesday for 15 years after a second doping violation.
     The International Tennis Federation said the 29-year-old Odesnik tested positive for several banned substances, including steroids, during tests in December and January. The ban was back-dated to Jan. 30 and will run until Jan. 29, 2030.
     Odesnik was first sanctioned in 2010 for the possession of human growth hormone. Odesnik was off the tour form April 2010 to August 2011 after pleading guilty in Australia to importing HGH. He denied using the drug, and repeatedly said he never tested positive.
     The ITF originally banned him for two years, but cut the penalty in half, saying he cooperated with investigators. At last year's U.S. Open, Odesnik earned a wild-card but lost to eventual finalist Kei Nishikori in the first round. It was the first time he played in the tournament's main draw since 2009, shortly before his first ban.
     This year, he lost in qualifying ahead .

Odesnik banned 15 years for 2nd doping violation

The prospects of an England recall for Kevin Pietersen look bleak after the maverick batsman was told he still doesn't figure in the national team's plans and comments in his explosive autobiography may have caused irreparable damage.
     Pietersen, England's all-time leading run-scorer in all formats, was ditched after last year's Ashes tour to Australia because of his perceived negative influence in the dressing room.
     The South African-born batsman was given hope of a potential return in recent comments by the incoming chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, but national selector James Whitaker appeared to rule out the chance of another Pietersen comeback.
     "Over the last 12 months, we have been successfully rebuilding our test team," Whitaker said at England's squad announcement for the upcoming tour of West Indies. "And over the last few days, he wasn't party to any discussion.
     "He's not part of our plans."
     England captain Alastair Cook didn't give his 

Pietersen's England hopes dashed by selector, captain

US first lady Michelle Obama and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe announced plans today to deepen cooperation in helping girls in developing nations finish their educations.
	Michelle, who in her online travel journal described her trip as a "part of a journey that began decades ago, back when I was a little girl," is visiting Japan and Cambodia, who are among Asia's richest and poorest nations.
	As a major aid donor, Japan plans to cooperate with the community-based "Let Girls Learn" initiative recently announced by President Barack Obama and his wife. Today it announced plans to devote 42 billion yen (USD 340 million) over three years to supporting girls' empowerment and gender sensitive education.
	Japan and the US also agreed to focus more development assistance on supporting girls' education. The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers will also cooperate with the Peace Corps, which is implementing the Let Girls Learn program.
	The program, led by the Peace Corps and other aid ...

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