TOKYO (AP) — A powerful earthquake in western Japan knocked loose roof tiles, toppled store shelves and caused power outages Friday afternoon, but apparently caused no widespread damage. At least seven people were injured, one seriously.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 6.6-magnitude quake occurred in Tottori, a prefecture on the Sea of Japan about 700 kilometers (430 miles) west of Tokyo. The epicenter was at a relatively shallow depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles). Shallow quakes potentially cause more damage, but Friday's damage appeared to be mostly minor or localized.
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LONDON (BBC) - A flotilla of Russian warships passed through the English Channel en route to Syria.
Two British naval ships shadowed the vessels. The Ministry of Defense said they would be "man-marked every step of the way" while near UK waters.
A Russian tug, believed to be in convoy with the taskforce, entered the channel first off the coast near Ramsgate.
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ROME (AFP) - Armed men have attacked an overcrowded dinghy carrying refugees off Libya, leaving at least four dead and up to 25 missing, the German NGO Sea-Watch said Friday.
The group said the Italian coastguard had sent a Seawatch rescue ship and a diverted oil tanker to help a dinghy in distress in international waters, 14 nautical miles off Libya, early Friday.
As the operation was unfolding, assailants arrived aboard a vessel with Libyan coastguard insignia and tried to steal the dinghy's motor, a spokesman for Sea-Watch said.
The men, who spoke only Arabic, beat some of the refugees with clubs, causing panic which caused most of them to fall into the sea, the spokesman said.

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TEHRAN (Press TV) - A building housing refugees in Sweden has been burned in a suspected arson attack, in a second such incident this week.
Two staff members and nine residents were at the center at the time of the incident in the early hours of Friday but no one was hurt, said Stockholm’s police spokesman, Kjell Lindgren.
Lindgren said the refugee center’s staff had alerted police after hearing noises and seeing lights outside the building.
Lindgren said, "Things do not just catch fire outside for no reason,” adding that a police investigation was underway.

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PARIS (Dispatches) -Several hundred police officers rallied in the French capital, Paris, for a third night of demonstrations calling for stiffer penalties following a spate of attacks on officers.
Around 500 officers gathered near the Eiffel Tower in the French capital to express their anger on Thursday night.
The protesters, mostly dressed in civilian clothes and some with their faces masked, called for reinforcements and stiffer penalties following the recent attacks on police.
Some reports said the protest had not been authorized.
Similar demonstrations were also held in other French cities as concerns are growing over the safety of law enforcement forces.