Strong quake rocks Papua New Guinea

Strong quake rocks Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY

A powerful earthquake rattled the South Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea today, and officials warned that a local tsunami was possible.

The 7.4-magnitude quake struck about 80 miles south of the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 40 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, downgrading its original estimate that the quake was magnitude 7.5 and 6 miles deep.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said tsunami waves of up to 3 feet were possible within 186 miles of the epicenter.

There were no immediate reports of waves being seen and no reports of damage, said Chris McKee, assistant director Geophysical Observatory in the capital, Port Moresby.

Clinton agrees to testify on Benghazi, emails this month

WASHINGTON

Hillary Rodham Clinton is willing to testify once on Capitol Hill later this month about the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and her email practices during her tenure as secretary of state, her attorney told lawmakers in a letter Monday.

Lawyer David Kendall said the Democratic presidential candidate would appear for only one session the week of May 18 or later, not twice as requested by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the special panel investigating the September 2012 attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, at the U.S. outpost in Libya.

Gowdy had requested one hearing to focus on Clinton’s use of private emails, and a separate session on Benghazi.

Kendall said that Clinton would answer all lawmakers’ questions during one session, and it would not be necessary for her to appear twice.

Pentagon accused of withholding sex-crimes info

WASHINGTON

In a scathing critique of the Defense Department’s efforts to curb sexual assaults, a U.S. senator warned Monday that the true scope of sex-related violence in the military communities is “vastly underreported” and that victims continue to struggle for justice.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in a report that the Pentagon refused to provide her with all the information she requested about sexual assaults at several major bases. The material she did receive revealed that the spouses of service members and civilian women who live or work near military facilities are especially vulnerable to being sexually assaulted. Yet they “remain in the shadows” because neither is counted in Defense Department surveys to determine the prevalence of sexual assaults, the report said.

Court rejects inmate’s appeal for sex-change surgery

BOSTON

A nearly two-decade legal fight by a convicted murderer in Massachusetts to get taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery ended in failure Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected her final appeal.

The justices did not comment in letting stand a lower-court ruling denying the surgery to Michelle Kosilek.

“This is a terrible and inhumane result for Michelle,” said Jennifer Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project for Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.

The state Department of Correction, which has fought the surgery, did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Associated Press