News Headlines - 15 February 2013

▽Hundreds hurt in Russia after meteorite falls to Earth | The Guardian

Officials put the number of people injured at almost 1,200, with more than 40 taken to hospital – most as a result of flying glass shattered by the sonic boom created by the meteorite's descent. There were no reported deaths.

▽BBC News - Asteroid 2012 DA14 in record-breaking Earth pass

An asteroid as large as an Olympic swimming pool has raced past the Earth at a distance of just 27,700km (17,200mi) - the closest ever predicted for an object of that size.

▽Oscar Pistorius: tearful athlete denies murder of Reeva Steenkamp 'in strongest terms' - Telegraph

Oscar Pistorius denied killing his girlfriend in the "strongest terms" on Friday after the South African Paralympian was charged with premeditated murder during a traumatic court appearance.

▽G20 meets under currency war cloud - Telegraph

Finance ministers of the G20 major economies will meet on Friday amid anxiety that a currency war is looming.

▽U.S. Signals Support for Japan’s Yen Policy - NYTimes.com

Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, strongly indicated on Friday that the United States did not intend to censure Japan for weakening its currency over the last several months, something that has aided Japanese exporters and angered its competitors.