The Philippine president says he has accepted the resignation of the national police chief following the killing of 44 police commandos in a Jan. 25 assault which reportedly killed one of Asia's most-wanted terror suspects.
	President Benigno Aquino III said in a nationally televised statement that Gen. Alan Purisima participating in planning the raid but it should have been aborted because of potentially deadly defects.
	An anti-graft court had suspended Purisima last December for six months in a case unrelated to the anti-terror operation.
	The FBI has reported that preliminary results of DNA tests showed a man killed by the commandos was the target of the operation, suspected Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan.

Philippine police chief resigns after deadly terror raid

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One of the engines on TransAsia Airways Flight 235 went idle 37 seconds after take-off, and pilots may have shut off the remaining engine before attempting to restart them, but the plane crashed before that could happen, Taiwan's top aviation safety official said today.
	The details were presented at a news conference in Taipei by Aviation Safety Council Executive Director Thomas Wang as preliminary findings based on the flight data recorder.
	Wednesday's crash into a river in Taipei killed at least 35 people and left eight missing. Fifteen people were rescued with injuries.
	Wang said the plane's right engine triggered an alarm 37 seconds after takeoff. However, he said the data showed it had not shut down, or "flamed out" as the pilot told the control tower, but rather moved into idle mode, with no change in the oil pressure.
	Then, 46 seconds later, the left engine was shut down, apparently by one of the pilots, so that neither engine was producing any power. A restart was ...

Both TransAsia plane engines lost power before Taiwan crash

From the start of the flight in Taiwan's capital, survivor Huang Jin-sun suspected trouble.
	"There was some sound next to me. It did not feel right shortly after takeoff. The engine did not feel right," the 72-year-old man told ETTV television yesterday from his hospital bed.
	Huang was one of 15 people who survived when the TransAsia Airways turboprop carrying 58 people crashed Wednesday into a river minutes after taking off in Taipei. At least 32 people died and 11 are missing.
	Moments before the plane banked sharply and crashed, one of its pilots told the control tower, "Mayday, mayday, engine flameout," according to an aviation official who asked not to be identified.
	"Engine flameout" refers to flames being extinguished in the combustion chamber of the engine, so that it shuts down and no longer drives the propeller. Causes could include a lack of fuel or being struck by volcanic ash, a bird or some other object. "Mayday" is an international distress call.
	The airline and the 

Taiwan plane crash survivor says engine 'did not feel right'

College-educated and gainfully employed 36-year-old Eriko Sekiguchi should be a sought after friend or date, planning nights on the town and faraway resort vacations. But she works in Japan, a nation where workaholic habits die hard.
	Often toiling 14 hours a day for a major trading company, including early morning meetings and after-hours "settai," or networking with clients, she used just eight of her 20 paid vacation days last year. Six of those days were for being sick.
	"Nobody else uses their vacation days," said Sekiguchi, who was so busy her interview with The Associated Press had to be rescheduled several times before she could pop out of the office.
	The government wants to change all that. Legislation that will be submitted during the parliamentary session that began Jan. 26 aims to ensure workers get the rest they need. In a break with past practice, it will become the legal responsibility of employers to ensure workers take their holidays.
	Japan has been studying such ...

New law to require workaholic Japanese to take days off

East Timor independence hero Xanana Gusmao resigned as prime minister today, stepping down ahead of an expected restructuring of the government next week.
	Gusmao, 68, is a former guerrilla leader who spearheaded East Timor's drive for independence when Indonesian rule ended in 2002.
	He was the first president of the new country, from 2002 to 2007, and then prime minister for more than seven years.
	East Timor voted overwhelmingly in 1999 to end 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation that had left more than 170,000 dead, but the country has struggled since then to develop economically. About half of the population of 1.2 million people live in poverty.
	A government statement said that Gusmao, 68, submitted his resignation to President Taur Matan Ruak.
	"Recently the prime minister encouraged all members of government to work calmly in this time of transition until the new government is sworn in," the statement said.
	Gusmao is a former guerrilla leader who spearheaded East Timor's 

East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao submits resignation

In an ominous start to his season, Tiger Woods walked off the course after 11 holes Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open because of tightness in his lower back that he attributed to a fog delay.
     Woods began reaching for his lower back midway through the round on the North Course at Torrey Pines, and his grimace became more pronounced. Billy Horschel picked up the tee for Woods on their 10th hole and took the ball out of the cup for him when Woods made birdie.
     Woods hit a safe shot to the middle of the par-3 third green. When it was his turn, he had caddie Joe LaCava pick up his ball marker and he waited for Horschel and Rickie Fowler to finish before getting into a cart and driving to his car.
     In his last six tournaments since returning from back surgery a week before the Masters, Woods has missed the cut three times, withdrawn twice and finished 69th in the British Open, his lowest 72-hole finish in a major.
     He had said at his unofficial Hero World Challenge in .

Tiger Woods withdraws because of tightness in lower back

Pope Francis has made a confession of sorts, telling a 16-year-old girl that he doesn't have a clue about how to work a computer.
	The 78-year-old Francis made the confession today during a Google Hangout with several disabled kids from around the world. Francis responded to them from a Vatican audience hall during a conference of his Scholas initiative, which seeks to bring young people together via sports, art and technology.
	The children involved showed Francis how they make use of technology, including braille keypads, tablets and video cameras.
	Alicia, from Spain, asked Francis if he liked taking photos with his computer.
	Francis replied, "Do you want me to tell you the truth? I'm a disaster with machines. I don't know how to work a computer.

Pope's confession: I don't know how to work a computer

In an assault on an oil field in central Libya earlier this week, armed gunmen killed nine guards and one employee from Niger before abducting seven foreigners, officials said today.
	According to Mashallah al-Zewi, a minister in the militia-backed government in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the attackers arrived in about 30 pickup trucks at the al-Mabrouk field, located 170 kilometers (105 miles) south of the coastal city of Sirte.
	They opened fire on the guards, killing nine of them, al-Zewi added.
	In the Philippines, authorities said yesterday that three Filipino workers were among seven foreigners abducted in the same attack. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Manila and the Philippine Embassy in Libya were monitoring the situation and coordinating closely with the Italian company the Filipinos work for, Sogepi Srl, to ensure their well-being and safe return.
	The nationalities of the other abducted foreigners were not immediately known.
	Al-Zewi said the attackers also ...

Libyan official: 10 died in oil attack; 7 foreigners taken

An international forensic audit says at least USD 1.48 billion is missing from Nigeria's oil revenues far less than the USD 20 billion alleged by the former Central Bank governor.
	The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers covering January 2012 to July 2013 is an indictment of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
	President Goodluck Jonathan received what he called the "voluminous" report and promised to publish key findings. A copy of the findings was made available to The Associated Press today.
	The auditors also questioned USD 3.38 billion in alleged subsidies for kerosene charged by the petroleum corporation although a presidential directive ended the subsidy in 2009. Jonathan fired Central Bank governor Lamido Sanusi a year ago after Sanusi created a scandal alleging USD 20 billion in oil revenues was missing.

Auditors: USD 1.48 billion missing from Nigerian oil revenues

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said today he is worried about a potential division within NATO as countries in the north want to focus on the growing threat from Russia, while other alliance members in the south are more worried about the influx of foreign fighters from northern Africa.
	In his final appearance at a NATO meeting as secretary, Hagel delivered a sobering message to the allies, saying they must be able to address all challenges on all fronts at the same time.
	"I am very concerned by the suggestion that this alliance can choose to focus on only one of these areas as our top priority," Hagel said at a news conference in Brussels. "This is a time for unity, shared purpose, and wise, long-term investments across the spectrum of military capability."
	Hagel, who resigned under pressure from President Barack Obama's Cabinet, is expected to be replaced as early as next week by Ashton Carter, whose nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was ...

Hagel concerned about possible split in NATO

A Libyan official has raised the death toll from an attack this week at an oil field in the country's central region, saying nine guards were killed by armed gunmen.
	In the Philippines, authorities said yeseterday that three Filipino workers were among seven foreigners abducted in the same attack.
	Mashallah al-Zewi, a minister in the militia-backed government in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, told The Associated Press today that the gunmen stormed the al-Mabrouk field in some 30 vehicles on Tuesday, killing the guards.
	Al-Zewi says the attackers then lined up about 57 employees and lectured them about Islam before letting them go.
	The field is jointly owned with Total, but the French energy company said its employees left the facility in 2013 because of increasing security risks.

Libyan official: 9 died in oil attack; 7 foreigners taken

Pfizer is buying Hospira for approximately USD 15.23 billion, saying it is a good fit with its established global pharmaceutical business.
	The buyout will also help Pfizer tap into the growing market for biosimilars, which are cheaper versions of biologic drugs that are used to treat conditions such as anemia.
	Shares of both companies rose in morning trading today. Hospira Inc., based in Lake Forest, Illinois, is a provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies. It also offers biosimilars.
	Hospira announced last month that it was seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration for Retacrit, a proposed biosimilar to the anemia treatments Epogen from Amgen and Procrit from Janssen.
	Pfizer Inc. Will pay USD 90 per share in cash, which is a 39 percent premium to Hospira's yesterday closing price of USD 64.80. The companies put the deal's value at about USD 17 billion including debt.
	Pfizer which is the world's second-largest drugmaker by revenue said that it will use ..

Pfizer buying Hospira for about USD 15.23 billion

The commissioner of the powerful Food and Drug Administration told agency staffers today she is resigning her post in March after six years in the position.
	Margaret Hamburg told employees of the FDA in an email that the agency's chief scientist, Stephen Ostroff, will serve as acting commissioner.
	She is among the longest-serving commissioners to head the agency and helped oversee the creation of a new food safety system, reforms in how drugs are reviewed and new tobacco regulations.
	President Barack Obama named Hamburg to the post in 2009, following a series of high-profile safety problems at the agency ranging from contaminated drugs to salmonella-tainted peppers to peanut butter that required one of the largest food recalls in US history.
	Before joining the FDA, Hamburg, 59, was primarily known as a bioterrorism expert who served as New York City health commissioner.

US head of FDA stepping down, chief scientist to take over

The US trade deficit in December jumped to the highest level in more than two years as American exports fell and imports climbed to a record level.
	The deficit jumped 17.1 per cent to USD 46.6 billion in December, the biggest imbalance since November 2012, the Commerce Department reported today.
	The widening trade gap reflected a drop in exports, which fell 0.8 per cent to USD 194.9 billion. Imports soared 2.2 percent to USD 241.4 billion.
	The deficit for all of 2014 increased to USD 505 billion, up 6 per cent from the 2013 deficit of USD 476.4 billion.
	Economists expect the deficit to widen further in 2015 as strong growth in the United States boosts imports, while weak growth overseas and a rising dollar continue to depress exports.
	Economists were split on whether the bigger-than-expected December trade deficit would result in a significant revision in the government's 2.6 per cent initial estimate for overall growth in the fourth quarter.
	Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at 

US trade deficit jumps 17.1 per cent to USD 46.6 billion

Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen announced today that one of its top clerics was killed in a US drone strike last month in the country's south.
	The announcement came amid lingering uncertainty about the impact of Yemen's current political deadlock on the US counterterrorism campaign.
	The slain cleric was identified as Sheikh Harith al-Nadhari, said to be in his 30s. Often seen in a white turban, he was among the group's few public faces frequently featured in online religious lectures. He also recently appeared in an al-Qaida video praising last month's deadly attack at the offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
	Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemeni affiliate is known, claimed responsibility for the Paris attack in which two gunmen killed 12 people.
	Al-Nadhari was killed along with three others on Jan. 31, when a drone-fired missile blew up a vehicle in which the four were travelling in the southern province of Shabwa, according to the AQAP statement, posted on one 

Al-Qaida in Yemen says senior cleric killed in drone strike

Authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai today seized 2.4 tons of methamphetamine in one of the country's largest drug busts.
	Shanghai police said on their official microblog that they arrested 28 people in the joint operation with police from the southern province of Guangdong, where the drug lab was discovered.
	Illegal drugs remain a major problem in China despite tough laws, including the death penalty for offenders.
	Last year, Guangdong police used 3,000 armed police officers in a drug sweep that seized nearly 3 tons of methamphetamine and 23 tons of raw materials to manufacture the stimulant drug.

Shanghai police seize 2.4 tons of methamphetamine

Jordanian fighter jets have carried out new air strikes, the military said today, a day after the country's king vowed to wage a "harsh" war against Islamic State militants who control parts of neighbouring Syria and Iraq.
	The army statement did not say which country was targeted. Jordan is part of a US-led military coalition that has bombed IS targets in both countries since last fall, but until now Jordanian warplanes are only known to have carried out raids in Syria.
	King Abdullah II pledged to step up the fight against the IS group after the militants burned a captive Jordanian pilot in a cage and released a video of the killing earlier this week. The images have sent waves of revulsion across the region.
	Warplanes today roared overhead as the king paid a condolence visit to the family of the pilot, Lt Muath al-Kaseasbeh, in his village in southern Jordan. The king pointed at the planes as he sat next to the pilot's father.
	Abdullah has said Jordan's response "will be harsh ...

Jordan launches new airstrikes after vowing harsh war on IS

A committee of British lawmakers says in a report that Britain can and should step up its role in fighting the Islamic State group.
	Parliament's Defense Select Committee said Britain has the expertise and resources to give more support to Iraqi forces, but the role Britain is playing now is "strikingly modest."
	The committee criticized British officials for failing to set out a clear definition of Britain's role in Iraq.
	The report, published today, did not call for the deployment of British combat troops. But it urged the British government to help by contributing troop training, political support and intelligence.
	It also argued that Britain should be prepared to provide an increased level of air support to Iraqi forces.

Lawmakers urge Britain to step up Islamic State fight

Syrian rebels fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells that struck several neighborhoods in the capital Damascus today, killing at least three people and wounding around 30 others, Syria's state-run news agency said.
	Gray smoke billowed from several parts of the city, and the thud of shells and wailing ambulance sirens pierced the morning calm.
	The shelling followed threats by a rebel commander to shower the capital with mortar shells to avenge deadly government airstrikes on nearby rebel-held suburbs over the past week.
	Zahran Alloush, commander of the Jaysh al-Islam, or Army of Islam rebel group, had warned that Damascus would become a "security zone" as of Wednesday and until further notice. In a
	Today posting on Twitter, where he has some 120,000 followers, he claimed to have fired hundreds of rockets on Damascus and vowed to continue the campaign "until the capital is cleansed."
	The shelling today hit several upscale districts, including al-Malki, Abu Rummanah, Kfar ...

Syria: Rebel shelling of capital kills at least 3

US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Ukraine to show support for the embattled government as the Obama administration weighs sending arms to Kiev to help it fight Russian-backed separatists.
	Amid a fast-moving flurry of international diplomacy, Kerry arrived in Kiev today bringing with him a modest amount of USD 16.4 million in new US humanitarian aid, but also the potential for lethal weaponry that the country's leaders say they desperately need to defend themselves and turn back renewed rebel pushes in the east.
	Officials with Kerry said he would discuss those needs with Ukrainian officials as well as new initiatives to resurrect a moribund ceasefire and resume a political dialogue to end the conflict.
	Kerry is one of three top administration officials in Europe this week with a primary focus on Ukraine. Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is already in Belgium attending NATO meetings in Brussels, where Vice President Joe Biden is expected on Friday. Biden and Kerry will ...

Kerry travels to Ukraine as US weighs sending arms

The leaders of France and Germany were carrying a new peace initiative to the Ukrainian and Russian capitals today, amid a flurry of high-level diplomacy to end what French President Francois Hollande called a war on Europe's edge.
	Hollande said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would travel to Kiev today and then to Moscow the following day, with a proposal "based on the territorial integrity of Ukraine."
	In a sign of the importance of the initiative and urgency of the situation, this will be Merkel's first trip to Moscow since Ukraine's conflict broke out a year ago.
	"It will not be said that France and Germany together have not tried everything, undertaken everything to preserve the peace," Hollande said.
	US Secretary of State John Kerry is also in Ukraine, to show support for the government amid a fast-moving flurry of international diplomacy.
	"Given the escalation of violence in the past days, the chancellor and President Hollande are intensifying their months-long ...

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