As the U.S. military prepared to join the manhunt Wednesday for a sniper who has killed nine people in two weeks, police were confident they had new leads in the case that could lead them to the random killer.

The Bali nightclub bombing that killed nearly 200 people may push Indonesian leader Megawati Sukarnoputri off her political fence and put her fragile hold over the world's largest Muslim country on edge.

A brief look at the stories making headlines in the Russian-language press

Fire Erupts at Arsenal VLADIVOSTOK, Far East (AP) -- A fire erupted Wednesday at a sprawling navy arsenal on the edge of Vladivostok, sending artillery shells flying around the area and prompting authorities to evacuate some residents. The fire broke out when arsenal personnel were destroying outdated shells and spread through the grass of the hills on the southern part of Vladivostok, but firemen managed to stop it from spreading further, said Captain Alexander Kosolapov, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet. No injuries were reported. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Viktor Fyodorov told reporters that the fire had already caused the detonation of artillery shells held in 12 railroad cars. He said the explosions sent shells flying to the distance up to 800 meters around the arsenal. Police and emergency officials have sealed roads around the arsenal, and evacuated some residents. Military prosecutors have opened an investigation into the arsenal fire on charges of negligence, Itar-Tass reported.

The crime was make-believe and the proceedings were rushed and incomplete, but for the six Russian judicial officials sitting in a Howard County jury box, the mock trial still offered an enlightening glimpse at the future.