Magnitude 7.2 quake strikes Baja California

A strong earthquake south of the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday swayed high-rises in downtown Los Angeles and San Diego and was felt across Southern California and Arizona, knocking out power and breaking pipes in some areas but causing no major damage.

The 7.2-magnitude quake struck at 3:40 p.m. in Baja California, Mexico, about 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was initially reported as a magnitude-6.9 quake. The updated magnitude was still an estimate, according to USGS seismologist Lucy Jones.

The area was hit by magnitude-3.0 quakes all week.

"It's been quite a while since we've had an earthquake this large," Jones said. "The last time we had an earthquake this large in either Baja or California was in 1992 with the Landers Earthquake, which was 7.3."

The USGS reported three strong aftershocks within the hour, including a magnitude-5.1 jolt in the Imperial County desert east of San Diego. Magnitude-4.5 and magnitude-4.3 aftershocks were also reported.

The 7.2-magnitude quake was felt as far north as Santa Barbara, USGS seismologist Susan Potter said.

Strong shaking was reported in the Coachella Valley and Riverside. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley, interrupting Easter dinners. Chandeliers swayed and wine jiggled in glasses.

In San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said.

Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed by the California Highway Patrol as a precaution.

In Los Angeles, water sloshed out of residential swimming pools, the city fire department went on "earthquake status," and some stalled elevators were reported. No major damage was reported in Los Angeles or San Diego.

One woman called firefighters and said she was stuck in an elevator descending from the 34th floor in a building in Century City, but there was no way to immediately know if the breakdown was tied the quake, Los Angeles firefighter Eric Scott said.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Maryanne Pierson said there were no power outages anywhere in the city.

"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people at this point," Jones said. "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."

The quake was felt for about 40 seconds in Tijuana, Mexico, causing buildings to sway and knocking out power in parts of the city. Families celebrating Easter ran out of the homes, with children screaming and crying.

Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo said there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage. But he said the assessment was ongoing.

In Arizona, 3,369 customers in the Yuma area had a "relatively momentary outage" from the quake, Arizona Public Service Company spokesman Don Wool said.

Only about 70 people were still without service in the rural Gadsden and Summerton areas. But Wool said he expected electricity to be restored there in about two hours.

He said the tremor was enough "to trip open some breakers, but we were able to manually close those very quickly."

Clint Norred, a spokesman for the Yuma, Ariz., Police Department, said the quake was very strong there but he'd heard no reports of injuries or major damage.

"In my house, it knocked a couple of things off the wall," he said.

His home lost power for about 15 minutes.

Yuma gets tremors from time to time he said, but Sunday's was "probably one of the better ones that I can remember, and I was born and raised here."

In the Phoenix area, Jacqueline Land said her king-sized bed in her second-floor apartment felt like a boat gently swaying on the ocean.

"I thought to myself, 'That can't be an earthquake. I'm in Arizona,'" the Northern California native said.

Mike Wong, who works at a journalism school in downtown Phoenix, said he was in his second-floor office getting some work done Sunday afternoon when he heard sounds and felt the building start to sway.

"I heard some cracking sounds, like Rice Krispies," coming from the building, he said. "I didn't think much of it, but I kept hearing it, and then I started feeling a shake. I thought, 'You know what? I think that might be an earthquake."

Wong said the swaying lasted for "just a few seconds," and he didn't notice any damage.

A dispatcher with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department said the agency had not received any calls for service after the quake.

David Mikael Taclino
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Officials fear ship breaking apart on Barrier Reef

A coal-carrying ship that strayed outside a shipping lane and ran aground in protected waters was leaking oil on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and was in danger of breaking apart, officials said Sunday.
The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals — off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted by environmental law.
Authorities fear an oil spill will damage the world's largest coral reef, which is off northeast Australia and listed as a World Heritage site.
The ship hit the reef at full speed, nine miles (15 kilometers) outside the shipping lane, State Premier Anna Bligh said.
A police boat was standing by to remove the 23 crew if the ship broke apart and an evacuation was necessary, she said.
Patches of oil were seen near the stricken ship early Sunday, but Maritime Safety Queensland reported no major loss from the 1,000 tons (950 metric tons) of oil on board.
"We are now very worried we might see further oil discharged from this ship," Bligh told reporters.
Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Patrick Quirk said the vessel was badly damaged on its port side.
"At one stage last night, we thought the ship was close to breaking up," he told reporters. "We are still very concerned about the ship."
"It is in danger of actually breaking a number of its main structures and breaking into a number of parts," he added.
A salvage contract had been signed, but the operation would be difficult and assessing the damage to the ship could take a week, Quirk said.
Bligh said she feared the salvage operation could spill more oil, which could reach the mainland coast within two days.
Local emergency crews were on standby to clean any oil that reached mainland beaches, she said.
Aircraft on Sunday began spraying a chemicals on the oil patches to disperse it, she said.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said authorities had been working through the night to determine what risks the ship posed to the environment.
"The government is very conscious of the importance of the Great Barrier Reef environment and ensuring that impacts on its ecology are effectively managed," Garrett said in a statement.
The 755 foot (230 meter) bulk carrier was carrying about 72,000 U.S. tons (65,000 metric tons) of coal to China and ran aground within hours of leaving the Queensland port of Gladstone.
Conservationists have expressed outrage that bulk carriers can travel through the reef without a marine pilot with local expertise.
"The state government is being blinded by royalties and their shortsightedness will go down in history as killing the reef," said Larissa Waters, spokeswoman for the Queensland Greens, an environmentally focused political party.
Bligh said the question of when ships should require a marine pilot on the reef was under review because of the increase in freight traffic that will flow from new gas and coal export contracts to China.
She said a separate inquiry would determine how the ship came to stray from its shipping lane.
Quirk said state authorities were seeking information about the effect the coal could have on the reef environment if the ship broke up before its cargo can be salvaged.

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2nd Moscow suicide bomber was teacher

The second Moscow suicide bomber may have been a 28-year-old school teacher from the southern province of Dagestan, a Russian newspaper reported Sunday, quoting the woman's father as saying he recognized her in a photograph.
Rasul Magomedov told Novaya Gazeta that an acquaintance sent him a photograph of the subway suicide bomber that has been widely circulated on the Internet.
"My wife and I immediately recognized our daughter Maryam," the newspaper quotes him as saying. "The last time my wife saw our daughter she was wearing the same red scarf as in the photograph."
Magomedov said his daughter, Maryam Sharilova, disappeared the day before the March 29 bombings that shocked Moscow, though he has no idea how she got to the city from their home in southern Russia.
The attack by two female suicide bombers killed 40 rush-hour commuters and wounded at least 121.
One of the bombers has been identified as the 17-year-old widow of a slain Islamic militant, also from Dagestan, one of several predominantly Muslim provinces in the North Caucasus.
Investigators were still trying to identify the second bomber and track down the organizers of the attack, for which a Chechen militant leader has claimed responsibility.
No officials were available to comment on the Novaya Gazeta report late Sunday.
The newspaper Kommersant, the first to identify the teenage bomber and publish her photograph, reported Friday that the second bomber had been tentatively identified as a 20-year-old woman from Chechnya, the widow of another militant leader who had recently been killed by security forces.
Magomedov told Novaya Gazeta that security forces recently told him his daughter was the wife of an Islamic militant. But when he asked his daughter, she told him she would never marry without his consent.
His daughter was a school teacher like both of her parents in their hometown of Balakhin and lived at home, he told the newspaper.
The subway suicide bombings were the first such attacks in Moscow since 2004 and refocused attention on the Muslim insurgency that for years has been confined to the North Caucasus.
Dagestan was the site of two suicide bombings on Wednesday that killed 12 people, mostly police officers. Another explosion there Thursday killed two suspected militants.
On Sunday, two powerful explosions derailed a cargo train, but no one was injured.
Dagestan is the epicenter of almost daily violence that has plagued Russia's the North Caucasus region for years following two separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has vowed to "drag out of the sewer" the organizers of the subway bombings, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised "crueler" measures to crack down on terrorism.
Human rights groups and opposition figures accuse Russian federal forces and police of extrajudicial killings, abductions and abuses in the North Caucasus that has fueled the region's insurgency.

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Boston win over Cavs

After winning 60 games again, the Cleveland Cavaliers can’t afford to be overconfident. The Boston Celtics failed to capitalize after reaching the milestone last season, and have only regressed since.
The Cavaliers, the ninth franchise in league history to post consecutive 60-win seasons, can clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over the foundering Celtics on Sunday afternoon.
Cleveland earned its 60th victory Friday night, beating Atlanta 93-88. It’s the 18th time that a team has won at least 60 games in back-to-back seasons.

The Cavaliers are 60-16 after going 66-16 in 2008-09. Boston was the last team to do it, going 62-20 last season and 66-16 in 2007-08.
The Celtics, though, lost to Orlando in the second round of the ’09 playoffs. Boston (47-28) has not been able to maintain its level of play this season, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference and failing to live up to its preseason billing as one of the Cavs’ top competitors for a spot in the NBA finals.
Anything less than a title would be considered a failure for Cleveland, which can secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs with a win or a Lakers loss to San Antonio later in the day. The Cavs would be the first team to have the league’s best record in consecutive years since Chicago in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
Home-court advantage, though, didn’t help Cleveland avoid losing to Orlando in the conference finals last year.
“Our goals are much bigger than winning 60 games or clinching home court or anything like that,” forward LeBron James said. “But you can’t take something like that for granted. When those goals happen, you embrace it.”
James has averaged 34.7 points in three games against the Celtics this season, with the Cavs winning twice. Cleveland had lost nine straight at Boston - including four 2008 postseason games - before winning 108-88 on Feb. 25.
Anderson Varejao(notes), who had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in that contest, may be back for the Cavs after missing three straight games with a sore left hamstring. The veteran big man, one of the team’s top defenders, is averaging 8.7 points and 7.8 rebounds.
J.J. Hickson has helped Cleveland overcome Varejao’s absence. Hickson, in his second year, has been much more consistent of late, averaging 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds in his last five games.
“I think I’ve been playing a lot more in the fourth quarter, so not just the coaches trust me but my teammates trust me as well,” he said. “They trust me enough to pass me the ball in the fourth quarter.”
Boston had little trouble scoring in the paint against Houston on Friday night, holding a 64-26 edge in that category. That wasn’t enough to avoid a 119-114 loss in overtime - the Celtics’ season high-tying third in a row.
The Celtics faltered again defensively. Boston, allowing 94.8 points per game, was coming off a 109-104 loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
“We’re not going to win a lot if we’re giving up 101 a night,” coach Doc Rivers said.
A bright spot for Boston was Rajon Rondo, who had 10 assists to surpass Hall of Famer Bob Cousy for the single-season franchise record. Rondo has 724 assists, topping Cousy’s 715 in 1959-60.
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Some Stars are back

Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler is on the list. So are Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets. Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street and Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee are right there, too.
You could field a pretty good team with the injured players sitting out opening day.
Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox host CC Sabathia and the World Series champion New York Yankees in the major league opener Sunday night, then baseball begins again in earnest with a full slate of games on Monday.
President Barack Obama is slated to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Washington Nationals host the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, who begin the season with closer Brad Lidge, key setup man J.C. Romero and starter Joe Blanton on the disabled list
One day in, and Obama will have more time on the mound than three key pitchers on one of the NL's best teams.
"I'm going to be warming him up," Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez said of baseball's First Fan. "I'm going to take a picture with him, if he'll let me. It'll be exciting."
In Cincinnati, new St. Louis hitting coach Mark McGwire will get his first true test of what to expect on the road this year when the Cardinals face the Reds. McGwire admitted over the winter to using steroids and human growth hormone for part of his playing career.
"It's going to be really good," said McGwire, looking forward to the opener. "The potential of this team is really, really good."
The Rangers also think they're going to do well this season, as evidenced by team president Nolan Ryan's prediction of at least 92 victories. But they will be without Kinsler when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on opening day.
Kinsler, who had a career-high 31 homers and 86 RBIs last year, is on the disabled list with a high right ankle sprain and the Rangers are determined to be patient with him.
"You don't want something to just keep on recurring throughout the year," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "So we have to make sure it's right, and the good thing about it, Kinsler's in a good frame with that. He wants to come back one time, we want him to come back one time, and whatever amount of time that it takes to get that done, we're going to do it."
That's the theme when it comes to injuries this early in the season: Take care of it now so it doesn't become a yearlong problem.
"You've got to look at the big picture," Kansas City manager Trey Hillman said.
The Royals placed right-hander Gil Meche and infielders Alex Gordon and Josh Fields on the DL on Saturday. They also could be without switch-hitting infielder Alberto Callaspo (irritation in his right side), who is iffy for one of opening day's juiciest pitching matchups — AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke against Detroit ace Justin Verlander.
"If you really wanted to force the decision and roll the dice, I think it would be a bad decision on my part to start him against Verlander, hitting left-handed on opening day," Hillman said of Collaspo, his third-string third baseman behind Gordon and Fields.
There's no debating for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who will begin the year with 6-foot-11 Jon Rauch serving as closer after Joe Nathan was shelved for the season following right elbow surgery. Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares also could help out if Rauch falters.
Minnesota is at the Los Angeles Angels for opening day in a matchup of defending division champions, and Gardenhire seems as anxious as anyone to see how the closer situation works out.
"Whether they can close or not, you're right there with me," Gardenhire said. "We're going to be sitting in the seats watching them pitch. Hopefully they can handle the situations. I have confidence in them and faith in them, but ninth inning's different. We'll have to see how they do."

David Mikael Taclino
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