World in brief: Israelis heckle Obama adviser

JERUSALEM – Two ultranationalist Israeli activists have been arrested for shouting insults at White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

The two men approached Emanuel on Thursday as he was touring Jerusalem’s Old City with his family under heavy security.

The protesters began shouting insults and slogans from afar, yelling, “Jerusalem is not for sale,” referring to the White House pressure for Israel to halt construction in disputed east Jerusalem.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says they were quickly detained and taken for questioning.

Emanuel is in Israel to celebrate his son’s bar mitzvah, a coming-of-age ceremony for 13-year-old Jewish boys. Emanuel has also taken time out of his private visit to meet with Israeli leaders.

7.2 earthquake hits Vanuatu

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Residents of a northern town in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu ran into the streets today as a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook the area, briefly triggering a tsunami watch for the region, officials said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 4.14 a.m. local time and was centered 300 miles northwest of the capital, Port Vila, at a depth of 22 miles. Three more sharp quakes followed in the same area, including one more than three hours later.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a tsunami warning for Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia but canceled the alert an hour later.

The center’s duty geophysicist Barry Hershorn said the quake was “a little bigger than usual – for me the shake was a really big one,” he said. “At the moment there are no reports of injury or damage.”