Major earthquake hits distant Russian region

MOSCOW -- A major earthquake shook a sparsely populated region of Russia's Far East on Friday, injuring more than 30 people but causing no deaths and minimal damage, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey and Japan's Meteorological Agency estimated the temblor on Kamchatka Peninsula to be 7.7 magnitude. It hit around 12:30 p.m. local time in the Koryak region, nearly 4,000 miles east of Moscow, said Oleg Kotosanov, a duty officer with the regional Emergency Situations Ministry. Damage appeared to be relatively minor.

Villagers evacuate area near Indonesian volcano

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia -- More than 100 villagers evacuated areas closest to Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi on Friday, relenting to days of pressure from officials who warned the volcano could erupt in the next one to two weeks. Most of those abandoning villages near the 9,700-foot peak said they were doing so reluctantly. Hundreds more refused, pledging to hold out a little longer. Smoke and lava have been spewing from the volcano and sensors within the crater have detected a rise in seismic movement in recent weeks, leading scientists to say a major eruption is imminent.

Cardinal: Condoms can help in AIDS prevention

VATICAN CITY -- A senior cardinal who was considered for the papacy last year said in comments published Friday that the Roman Catholic Church should soften its ban on condoms because of the scourge of AIDS. "We must do everything to fight AIDS," said Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the retired archbishop of Milan, in Italy's L'Espresso newsweekly. "Certainly, the use of condoms can constitute in certain situations a lesser evil." While there is no specific Vatican policy on using condoms to protect against AIDS, the Vatican opposes condoms because they are a form of what the church calls artificial contraception. The 79-year-old Martini is one of the most prominent church leaders to call for an easing of the position on condoms.

5 killed in plane crash near Ind. University

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A small plane crashed while trying to land in the fog near Indiana University, killing the pilot and all four of her passengers, police said Friday. All the passengers were males, and at least one victim was from Indiana, police said. Some were believed to be college students, police said. Teary-eyed students were consoling each other Friday outside the university's School of Music administration building. A university spokesman said he could not confirm reports that the victims were music students. The single-engine Cessna disappeared from the radar shortly before midnight Thursday as it headed to Bloomington's Monroe County Airport from Lafayette, about 90 miles to the northwest.

Abbas bars Hamas plan for security force

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday vetoed Hamas' plan to set up a security force of 4,000 militants, but Hamas insisted it would go ahead, deepening the most bitter clash yet between the Islamic group and the Palestinian leader. Hamas, which ousted Abbas' Fatah Party from power in January parliamentary elections, had spoken in the past of incorporating militants into the Fatah-dominated Palestinian security forces. But the concept of a shadow security force headed by the No. 2 fugitive on Israel's wanted list appeared to go too far for Abbas, who favors talks with Israel and is trying to keep the West from shunning Palestinians over Hamas' anti-Israel ideology. The new force is to have about 4,000 members, or nearly one-fourth the size of the armed security contingent in the coastal strip.

-- From wire reports