A powerful undersea earthquake shook parts of south-central Indonesia today, but no major damage or tsunami were expected because of its depth.
	The US Geological Service said the temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and hit the Flores Sea, about 132 kilometres north of Nebe.
	It said it was centred at a depth of 547 kilometres.
	Officials said there was little chance of major damage or a destructive tsunami. Shallower quakes generally cause more shaking of the Earth's surface and greater damage.
	Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
	In December 2004, a massive magnitude-9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Powerful undersea earthquake shakes central Indonesia

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The widow of a British aid worker killed by Islamic State militants says she would like to see "Jihadi John" captured and put on trial.
	Dragana Haines told The Associated Press in a brief phone interview today from her home in Croatia, that "I really hope he will be caught, I think it would be a good lesson for all."
	Haines, whose husband was killed in September, adds that "people of his kind believe that death in combat is an honor, something special." She said that "I think it would be better if he would end up in court."
	The militant known as Jihadi John appears speaking in several videos of beheadings. He has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a London-raised university graduate in his mid-20s.

Widow of slain Briton wants to see 'Jihadi John' on trial

Former pop star Gary Glitter has received a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing three young girls in the 1970s.
	The 70-year-old singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, showed no response as he was sentenced today.
	He had been found guilty earlier this month of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.
	The singer was arrested in October 2012 under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation British police launched in the wake of a child abuse scandal surrounding the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile.
	Glitter is best known for the hit "Rock & Roll (Part 2)," but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on child abuse charges in Vietnam.

Former pop star Gary Glitter sentenced to 16 years in prison

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says seven people have been killed in overnight shootings in southeastern Missouri and that the gunman is also dead.
	Sergeant Jeff Kinder says the 36-year-old suspect was found dead early today from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
	Investigators say the attacks took place in multiple locations in and around the town of Tyrone, about 65 kilometers north of the Arkansas border.
	Authorities have not named the victims or the gunman. The victims were found at four different homes.
	One injured person was taken to a hospital. An investigation is ongoing. A motive for the killings and possible connections between the shooter and victims were not immediately clear.

Police: 7 fatally shot, gunman dead in Missouri state

An American general and a senior Afghan police officer say the Afghan military has pushed the Taliban from a key district in a southern province. It was the first solo Afghan operation since international combat troops left at the end of last year.
	US Maj. Gen. Kurt Fuller, deputy chief of staff for U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan, says that Sangin in Helmand province, long a Taliban stronghold, was finally cleared of insurgents this morning.
	Fuller told The Associated Press that the Afghan forces "secured Sangin" and that the "whole district has been cleared." He says it was a full-force operation, including police and special forces.
	Gen. Mohammad Salim Ahses, Afghanistan's national police chief, says that after Sangin, the troops are heading toward the Taliban-held Kajaki district.

Officials: Afghan army pushes Taliban from south district

A former chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency is slamming the prime minister's handling of the Iranian nuclear threat.
	Ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu's contentious speech to Congress, Meir Dagan says "the person who has caused the greatest strategic damage to Israel on the Iranian issue is the prime minister."
	The comments were published today in the Yediot Ahronot daily.
	Dagan has been a fierce critic of Netanyahu's approach to Iran, emerging as a key opponent of a potential Israeli military attack against its nuclear facilities.
	He says Netanyahu's trip to Washington, over White House objections, is pointless and counterproductive.
	Dagan directed the Mossad from 2002 to 2010, a period when it reportedly carried out covert attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists and unleashed cyber-attacks that delayed Iran's progression toward a bomb.

Former Israeli Mossad chief slams Netanyahu on Iran handling

Indiana could become the first US state to allow use of the baby boxes on a broad scale to prevent dangerous abandonments of infants if a bill, which unanimously passed the House this week, clears the state Senate.
	Rep. Casey Cox says his bill is a natural progression laws that give parents a legal way to surrender newborns at hospitals, police stations and other facilities without fear of prosecution so long as the child hasn't been harmed.
	Many children, however, never make it that far. Dawn Geras, president of the Save the Abandoned Babies Foundation, said safe haven laws have resulted in more than 2,800 safe surrenders since 1999. But more than 1,400 other children have been found illegally abandoned, nearly two-thirds of whom died.
	Baby boxes, known in some countries as baby hatches or angel cradles, originated in medieval times, when convents were equipped with revolving doors known as "foundling wheels." Unwanted infants were placed in compartments in the doors, which were ..

US state may allow 'baby boxes' for surrendering newborns

The leader of the UN cultural agency is denouncing the Islamic State group's destruction of ancient statues and artifacts as "cultural cleansing" and a war crime that the world must punish.
	Irina Bokova, director-general of Paris-based UNESCO, said she couldn't finish watching an Islamic State video posted this week that shows men using sledgehammers to smash the Mesopotamian artworks in Iraq's northern city of Mosul.
	Speaking to reporters today, Bokova announced the creation of a "global coalition against the illicit traffic in cultural goods." She has asked for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on protecting Iraq's cultural heritage.
	The extremists who have seized parts of Iraq and Syria appear to be trying to cleanse the region of ideas they consider un-Islamic, including artworks, library books and relics.

UNESCO chief decries 'cultural cleansing' in IS video

A whodunit is making the rounds at the Vatican.
	The publisher of a book on traditional Catholic marriage is crying foul, saying someone apparently swiped as many as 100 copies of the book from the Vatican mailboxes of bishops who attended a controversial meeting on family issues last October.
	The publisher sent the books to attendees to counter progressive proposals by Pope Francis' favorite theologian to let divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion.
	The book, penned by five high-ranking, conservative cardinals, explains that the suggestion is simply contrary to Christ's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.
	The Vatican spokesman insists the books were delivered without impediment.

Vatican whodunit: What happened to books on marriage?

China defended its activities in the South China Sea as restrained and responsible today after the US intelligence chief called its expansion of outposts in the region an "aggressive" effort to assert sovereignty.
	Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the country's activities on shoals and in surrounding waters it claims are "reasonable, legitimate and legal" and that its attitude has been one of "restraint and responsibility."
	China says it has historical claims to a huge swath of the South Sea China that overlaps the claims of several neighbours including Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines, and it objects to what it considers US meddling.
	The US says it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of the disputes in the region.
	US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper cited China's expansion of its outposts, including for the stationing of ships and potential airfields, at a US Senate hearing in Washington yesterday.
	His comments ...

China defends its South China Sea activities as restrained

Iraqi authorities say eight people have been killed in a series of bombings and mortar strikes around Baghdad.
	Police officials say mortar shells landed on some houses in the capital's southern district of Dora today morning, killing two people and wounding four others.
	Also, a bomb blast near a wholesale vegetable market killed three people in the western Sadiyah neighbourhood.
	Police said a bomb exploded near an outdoor market in Sabaa al-Bour area, just north of Baghdad, killing three people and wounding eight.
	Medical officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to talk to journalists.
	Iraq sees near-daily attacks that are often claimed by the Islamic State group, which seized about a third of the country last year.

Attacks kill 8 people in Iraq

The military says five soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in a communist rebel ambush in the northern Philippines.
	Capt. Mark Anthony Ruelos of the 7th Infantry Division says the soldiers were traveling in a convoy with police yesterday when they were fired on by New People's Army guerrillas in Quirino township in Ilocos Sur province.
	He said government forces were pursuing the guerrillas today.
	Armed forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said the rebels used civilians as human shields, preventing the ambushed troops from making an effective counter-attack.
	He said the rebels also fired at medical personnel trying to retrieve the bodies of the slain soldiers, but none was hurt.

5 Philippine soldiers killed in communist rebel ambush

Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz announced today that it had paid USD 15 million for another month of Russian gas, but Moscow says that the sum will only be enough for an additional day of deliveries.
	Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Naftogaz's executive, Andrei Kobolev, as saying that the company had paid for gas supplies from Russia for the month of March.
	But a spokesman for Russian energy giant Gazprom said that the payment was only enough for one additional day of delivery if gas continues to be pumped to Ukraine at the current rate.
	Following a bruising dispute over prices and debt that raised fears of supply disruptions in Europe, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in October requiring Kiev to pay in advance for gas shipments. President Vladimir Putin and other government officials warned earlier this week that Russia would cut off supplies to Ukraine by the end of the month barring further pre-payments.

Ukraine says it pays for gas, Russia demands more

The employer of one of three men charged with plotting to help the Islamic State group says the suspect was about to quit his restaurant job.
	Zakarya Khan is the owner of Gyro King in New York City. He says Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev was first a customer at his restaurant, then started working there slicing lettuce. Khan says he made about USD 500 a week.
	The store owner says Juraboev's last day was supposed to be Thursday because he planned to go visit family in his native Uzbekistan.
	But federal officials who arrested Juraboev and two others Wednesday say the three plotted to travel to Syria to join the IS group and wage war against the US.
	Juraboev's attorney had no immediate comment on charges against his client.

Employer: Man accused in IS group plot was about to quit job

Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it has test fired a "new strategic weapon" in the final day of large-scale naval and air defence drills.
	Adm Ali Fadavi, the guard's naval chief, told state TV today that the new weapon would play a "decisive" role in naval wars. He did not elaborate.
	The TV showed a short video on launching missiles from under water into the sky.
	The Guard launched the drills yesterday near the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil passes. In one exercise, Iranian forces fired at a replica of a US aircraft carrier.
	Iran is negotiating an agreement over its nuclear program with the US and world powers that suspect Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies the charges.

Iran test fires new weapon in naval drill

From the ground in this extreme northern part of Antarctica, spectacularly white and blinding ice seems to extend forever. What can't be seen is the battle raging underfoot to re-shape Earth.
	Water is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the oceans. As the ice sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea 118 billion metric tons per year for the past decade, according to NASA satellite calculations.
	That's the weight of more than 356,000 Empire State Buildings, enough ice melt to fill more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools. And the melting is accelerating.
	In the worst case scenario, Antarctica's melt could push sea levels up 3 meters worldwide in a century or two, recurving heavily populated coastlines.
	Parts of Antarctica are melting so rapidly it has become "ground zero of global climate change without a doubt," said Harvard geophysicist Jerry Mitrovica.
	Here on the Antarctic peninsula, where the continent is warming the fastest because the land ...

The big melt: Antarctica's retreating ice may re-shape Earth

Yemeni security officials say gunmen have attacked a military vehicle, killing all four soldiers inside it.
	The officials said the attackers surprised the soldiers with heavy gunfire yesterday night while patrolling a street in Houta, a town in the southern Lahj province.
	The gunmen then set fire to the vehicle, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
	The identity of the gunmen was not immediately known, but the province has seen increased activity by al-Qaida militants and Shiite Houthi rebels, both of which oppose the government.
	The Houthis swept into Sanaa in September and kept President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest. He fled to the southern city of Aden last week.

Yemeni gunmen kill 4 soldiers in southern province

A Republican candidate for governor fatally shot himself in what police described as an "apparent suicide," minutes after inviting reporters to his suburban St Louis home for an interview.
	Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich's death yesterday stunned many of Missouri's top elected officials, who described him as a "brilliant" and "devoted" public servant with an "unblemished record" in office.
	Just 13 minutes before police got an emergency call from his home, Schweich had a phone conversation with The Associated Press about his plans to go public that afternoon with allegations that the head of the Missouri Republican Party had made anti-Semitic comments about him.
	The state Republican Party chairman denied doing so in an interview later yesterday.
	Schweich had Jewish ancestry but attended an Episcopal church. Spokesman Spence Jackson said his boss had recently appeared upset about the comments people were supposedly making about his religious faith and about a recent radio ad ...

Police call death of Missouri politician 'apparent suicide'

Cambodia's most popular tourist attraction the complex of ancient temples that includes Angkor Wat is suffering from a form of overexposure: At least five foreign visitors have been arrested and deported this year for taking nude photos at the sacred sites.
	"Angkor Wat is the most famous sacred ... Temple in Cambodia, where everyone not only tourists but also Cambodians themselves has to pay respect," said Rattanak Te, an administrative assistant who lives in Phnom Penh, the capital.
	This month, guards arrested two American sisters after seeing them snap photos of each other's naked backsides in the temple of Preah Khan, said Kerya Chau Sun, spokeswoman for the Apsara Authority, which manages the temple complex in Siem Reap, in northwestern Cambodia.
	Lindsey Adams, 22, and Leslie Adams, 20, both of Prescott, Arizona, were each sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence, a fine of 1 million riel (USD 250), deportation and a four-year ban from the country.
	In January, three French .

Cambodians angered over nude photo incidents at temples

The Australia selectors had given Clarke a deadline of Feb. 21, the day of the scheduled Bangladesh match, to prove his fitness or withdraw from the World Cup squad.

A Pakistani man on trial in the US for planning to bomb a British shopping center testified he was exaggerating his prowess with women in online chats and emails he sent mentioning potential wedding dates and a bride, denying the communiques were coded to disguise an al-Qaida plot.
	Abid Naseer, taking the stand in his own defense, told a jury in Brooklyn federal court that he was posing as a woman to meet other women in a Yahoo chatroom in November 2008 when he connected with another man also posing as a woman.
	Prosecutors charge Naseer was actually communicating with an al-Qaida handler who communicated from the same email account with Najibullah Zazi, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to plotting to bomb the city's subway system.
	"We discussed studies, life and women," said Naseer, who has pleaded not guilty. "I exaggerated my success with women ... To keep my male pride."
	The government alleges Naseer headed an al-Qaida cell in the United Kingdom that was part of a larger conspiracy ..

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