Earthquake rocks Japan

TOKYO — An earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck early today off Japan’s east coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said, triggering small tsunamis but causing no apparent damage.

Japan’s meteorological agency said the quake was an aftershock of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the same area in 2011, killing about 19,000 people and devastating the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

Tsunamis of up to 15 inches were reported today along the coast, but a tsunami advisory was lifted soon after the quake.

The quake hit at 2:10 a.m. Tokyo time about 170 miles off Fukushima, and it was felt in Tokyo, 300 miles away.

India-Pakistan tensions

NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for failing to stop deadly raids along their disputed border after they agreed in New York last month to defuse growing tensions.

Gunfire exchanges over the last two weeks in the disputed region of Kashmir have killed at least five people, ramping up tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Mr. Sharif’s government has accused India of triggering the violence.

Putin enlists U.S. help

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning to President Barack Obama for help protecting the costliest Winter Games ever from attacks by Islamic extremists, including hundreds of battle-hardened jihadists now fighting in Syria.

As Russia prepares to seal off Sochi, a Black Sea resort of 345,000 people, it’s reaching out to the United States and about 80 other nations for help identifying potential threats from abroad, a senior security official said.

Ex-tycoon in jail 10 years

MOSCOW — Jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky on Friday marked 10 years since his arrest and imprisonment.

The jailing of Mr. Khodorkovsky for tax evasion and later for stealing from his own company was widely seen as a punishment for challenging President Vladimir Putin’s power.

His arrest and the subsequent dismantling of his Yukos oil company sent a chilling signal to others and allowed Mr. Putin to consolidate his power.

Kenyan war crimes trial

PARIS — The International Criminal Court on Friday told Kenya’s deputy president, William Ruto, that he must attend most of his trial at The Hague, overturning a ruling that allowed him to be present only on key occasions.

The decision by the appeals judges suggests a precedent for its handling of the case against the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who had also been told that he could be absent for long periods during his trial, scheduled to begin Nov. 12.

Both men have been accused of crimes against humanity in connection with the violence after the disputed 2007 Kenyan election.

Also in the world …

A Nigerian militant group says it’s in contact with the captors of two U.S. citizens abducted off the coast of the West African nation this week and is working to ensure they are well treated before being freed. … A Northern California man with dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship has been arrested in Estonia and flown to New York on federal felony charges that he tried to acquire illegal surface-to-air missiles for the government in Tehran. … Six South Koreans who had been held in North Korea on charges of illegal entry returned to their home country on Friday, after Pyongyang released them.

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