WORLD NEWS BRIEFS

JAPAN / Major quake hits off Okinawa

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast early Saturday, shaking Okinawa and nearby islands, where a tsunami warning was briefly issued, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. The quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa at a depth of 6.2 miles at 5:31 a.m. Saturday, the agency said. There have been no reports of major damage or casualties so far, except for reports of ruptured water pipes in two locations, Okinawa police official Noritomi Kikuzato said.

CANADA / Access to NBC's Olympics coverage blasted

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) is criticizing NBC for its handling of online access to the Vancouver Olympics, calling it unfair and restrictive. He wrote NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker on Friday to complain about an NBC policy that he says appears to restrict online access to people who subscribe to a pay TV service or who have a provider that is partnered with NBC. Kohl said he doesn't understand why NBC doesn't offer viewers the opportunity to pay directly for online access to Olympic coverage. He noted the nation's largest cable television company, Comcast, is now seeking to acquire NBC, and he wondered if this policy is a sign of things to come. In response to Kohl, NBC Universal said it is broadcasting 190 hours of programming, making available more than 250 hours of material across four of its cable networks and making Olympic coverage available online. NBCOlympics.com offers longer programs such as hockey games that are available only to people with subscription packages from cable, satellite or telephone companies, NBC said.

HAITI / U.S. troops to stay as needed

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen said Friday the U.S. military is prepared to keep troops in Haiti so long as security for the relief effort is needed. He told reporters the security situation remains calm and that demands for immediate medical attention have declined. Still, he said, there was no "definite date" for troop withdrawals. When asked whether Haiti's upcoming rainy season could complicate factors, he said he didn't want to "accept that as a premise." There are some 11,000 troops there now.

AFGHANISTAN / French filmmaker killed in attack

Severin Blanchet, a French documentary filmmaker who was training young Afghans, died Friday during an attack by insurgents in a hotel for foreigners in Kabul where he was staying. He was 66. He had been in Afghanistan since 2006 organizing classes in documentary filmmaking for young, aspiring Afghan filmmakers.

Combined news reports