
6.8 quake near Bougainville
A  6.8 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Bougainville to  the north of the Solomon Islands at approximately midday on Sunday,  Solomon Islands time.  
Syria says Israeli airstrikes hit near Damascus
Israeli  warplanes bombed two areas near Damascus on Sunday, striking near the  city's international airport as well as outside a town close to the  Lebanese border, the Syrian military said.  
One dead, 22 injured in SW China earthquake
A  nine-year-old boy was killed and another 22 injured in the  5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck southwest China's Yunnan Province  on Saturday evening, local authorities said Sunday, citing latest  statistics. The tremor, with a depth of 10 kilometers, was felt strongly at 6:20  p.m. in Jinggu County, Pu'er City. About 16 hours before, a  5.8-magnitude quake jolted the county.  
St Lucia Shaken By Earthquake
The  island of St Lucia was shaken by a 5.0-magnitude earthquake on Sunday,  according to the USGS. The quake, which struck at a depth of 36 kilometers, was around 61 km  east of the town of Micoud and around 108 kilometers southeast of Le  Francois in Martinique.  
Strong 6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica and Panama
A  strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Costa Rica and Panama on Saturday  morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.  
Syria says Israeli airstrikes hit near Damascus
Israeli  warplanes carried out two airstrikes Sunday near Damascus, one near the  city's international airport and a second outside a town close to the  Lebanese border, Syria's state news agency said.  SANA called the attack "an aggression against Syria" and said there were  no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it does not comment  on "foreign reports."  
Merkel condemns Russia 'interfering' in Eastern Europe
German  Chancellor Angela Merkel has accused Russia of interfering in the  affairs of Eastern European countries seeking closer ties with the EU.  In an interview in Die Welt am Sonntag newspaper (in German), Mrs Merkel  said Russia was "creating problems" for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine.  Russia's violation of "the territorial integrity... of Ukraine must not  be allowed to stand", she added.  
Pope Francis: "God has bestowed on me a healthy dose of unawareness"
ROME.-  "God is good to me, he has bestowed on me a healthy dose of  unawareness. I just do what I have to do. From the start I said to  myself, 'Jorge, don´t change, just keep on being yourself, because to  change at your age would be to make a fool of yourself'". These are some  of the things Pope Francis said, as spontaneous as ever, during the  exclusive interview with the argentine newspaper LA NACION almost 21  months after he was elected Pope.  
Mary Landrieu swept away by red tide as GOP picks up 9th seat
Democratic  Sen. Mary Landrieu lost her Senate runoff race Saturday night, felled  by the red tide that's swept the South and ties to an unpopular  President that she couldn't shake.  
Typhoon Hagupit sweeps across Philippines
Typhoon  Hagupit is sweeping across the eastern Philippines, toppling trees and  power lines and threatening coastal areas with a powerful sea-surge.  More than half a million people have fled coastal villages in the area,  which was still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan last year.  
China slams Philippines over South China Sea case
China  on Sunday again rejected an attempt by the Philippines to challenge its  vast territorial claims over the South China Sea through international  arbitration, a week before a deadline for Beijing to respond to the  case.  
Islamic State group support grows in Jordan town
Local  authorities quickly stripped away public signs of support for the  Islamic State group in this desert town. Black flags have been removed  from rooftops. Graffiti proclaiming the extremists' imminent victory  have been whitewashed.  
Oil News: Massive Energy Bond Defaults Are the Next Big Worry
Investors  aren't just selling off oil stocks these days. The junk bonds, or  noninvestment-rated bonds, of energy companies are also beginning to see  heavy selling as investors start to worry that drillers could one day  default on these bonds. Those defaults could get so bad, according to  one analyst, that up to 40% of all energy junk bonds go into default  over the next few years if oil prices don't recover.  
Putin pushes back: Beware the wounded Russian bear
Contrary  to what he would like us to believe, things are going very poorly for  Vladimir Putin these days. Having found the West more united than he  expected on the issue of sanctions against Russia, he now discovers that  the bottom has fallen out of the international oil market. As if that  were not enough, he also finds Europe nixing his pet Southstream gas  pipeline, supposed to run under the Black Sea, which he had hoped would  increase Russia’s energy stranglehold over Ukraine and the rest of  Europe.  
Israeli Nukes Meets Atomic Irony in the Middle East
The  stated rationale for the United States casting on Tuesday one of the  very lonely votes it sometimes casts at the United Nations General  Assembly, on matters on which almost the entire world sees things  differently, warrants some reflection.  
6.0-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes off Indonesian Coast
A  6.0-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesian coast of Yamdena Island,  the US Geological Survey reports. The quakes took place at around 10  p.m. GMT, with the epicenter 222 km (138 miles) to the northwest of  Saumlaki town, located on Yamdena island. The quake happened at a depth  of 117.3 km (72.9 miles).