Vatican City

Pope appears in pain at public appearance

Pope John Paul II, after skipping his weekly general audience because of what the Vatican described as persistent knee pain, briefly greeted well-wishers Wednesday from his studio window.

John Paul winced as he gingerly stepped back from the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, appearing to be in pain when he moved.

The Vatican said Tuesday that because of pain in his right knee, the pope would not hold his regular Wednesday audience with the public in a Vatican auditorium, but would bless the faithful from his window. The pain was also cited in canceling parish visits on four straight Sundays.

“Thanks for the visit and thanks for the prayers you said for my speedy recovery,” John Paul said in the appearance. His words were sometimes slurred and difficult to understand.

Geneva

U.N. clears way for caviar harvest

Countries on the Caspian Sea won permission Wednesday to resume harvesting caviar from sturgeon because they have made progress in protecting the fish, a U.N. body said.

Authorities halted the trade in June to give Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakstan and Turkmenistan time to survey stocks and improve efforts to curb rampant illegal trading.

“The spring season starts any day now, so as soon as caviar becomes available from that catch, they can start exporting it,” said Willem Wijnstekers, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES.

The four nations and Iran agreed to lower this year’s export quota by nearly 10 percent to 142 tons of caviar from 157 tons last year.

India

Prize-winning author held in contempt

Arundhati Roy, a prize-winning Indian novelist, was jailed Wednesday after the Supreme Court convicted her of criminal contempt for suggesting it was trying to “silence criticism” of its approval of a hydroelectric project.

As about 250 supporters stood outside with banners reading “Free speech is not contempt,” the court sentenced Roy to one day in prison and a $42 fine. If she does not pay, she could spend three months in prison.

As she was taken from the court to Bihar Jail, Indian’s largest prison, Roy she would decide today whether to pay the fine and that she stood by her criticism of the court.

Roy won the prestigious Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel “The God of Small Things.” She has written articles criticizing India’s nuclear program and is a prominent campaigner against the Narmada Dam, the nation’s biggest hydroelectric project.

Philippines

Strong earthquake causes heavy damage

A strong pre-dawn earthquake on Wednesday rocked the southern Philippines , causing at least eight deaths, forcing thousands to evacuate a tidal wave zone and bringing destructive tremors to several rural towns.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8, was centered about 10 miles under the sea, about 150 miles southwest of General Santos, said Mylene Carlos of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

The quake damaged or destroyed at least 18 houses and forced the temporary evacuation of 5,000 people to areas beyond any possible tidal wave caused by the earthquake, civil defense officials said.

A landslide caused by the tremors destroyed an empty elementary school in South Cotabato province while the shaking collapsed two churches, a small medical center and a store nearby. A large steel water tank, supplying water to 1,000 homes, also collapsed.

Officials were on alert for tidal waves, but none was reported.