A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo, with at least 15 people reported dead.

It struck about 250 miles (400km) from the capital at a depth of 20 miles. There have been powerful aftershocks.

The tremor hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT). Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.
A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to include the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hawaii, the Pacific coast of Russia and North and South America.

Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, officials said, damaging dozens of coastal communities. Kyodo news agency said a 10-metre wave (33ft) struck the port of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture.


Japan's NHK television showed a massive surge of debris-filled water sweeping away buildings, cars and ships and reaching far inland.

Motorists could be seen trying to speed away from the wall of water.

Farmland around Sendai was submerged and the waves pushed cars across the runway of the city's airport.

Kyodo said at least 15 people had been killed in the earthquake and tsunami. It was believed the death toll could rise significantly.
The earthquake also triggered a number of fires, including one at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks.

There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.

Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.

Many people in Tokyo said they had never felt such a powerful earthquake.

In central Tokyo, Jeffrey Balanag said he was stuck in his office in the Shiodome Sumitomo building because the elevators had stopped working.

"There's no panic but we're almost seasick from the constant rolling of the building," he told the BBC.

Bullet train services to northern Japan were halted, rapid transit in Tokyo was suspended and some nuclear power plants automatically shut down.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there had been no radiation leaks.

In a televised address, he extended his sympathy to the victims of the disaster and said an emergency response headquarters had been set up.




Source: BBC

MUMBAI: A fire in a Mumbai slum destroyed the one-room shack of “Slumdog Millionaire” child actress Rubina Ali, leaving her family homeless, Ali said.

The fire also swept through hundreds of tenements late on Friday near railway tracks where Ali continued to live even after gaining global recognition. Nobody was hurt in the fire.

Ali, who shot to international fame for her role in Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning 2008 film “Slumdog Millionaire”, said she lost most of her belongings including precious photographs taken during her trip to Los Angeles for the Oscar ceremony.

“We only have a few clothes left, we tried hard to salvage whatever we could before the fire spread. My pictures at the Oscars, all my memories, are all gone,” Ali said as the rest of the family huddled under one blanket.

Wisps of smoke rose from the slum as Ali and her family rummaged through the ashes, trying to salvage their possessions.

Ali was 8-years-old when she played the role of the young Latika in Boyle’s Oscar winning film, and her journey from the slum to the Oscar stage made international headlines.

Boyle had promised that he would provide both her and her co-star Azharuddin houses in Mumbai.

While Azharuddin moved into his new house in July 2009, Ali is due to move into an apartment within the next couple of months in Bandra, one of Mumbai’s most expensive suburbs, and home many Bollywood stars.

“We have found a flat for them and they will move in, in the next couple of months,” Neerja Mattoo, a member of the “Jai Ho” trust, set up to look after the children’s education and other needs said.




Source: Dawn

Investigators want to interview former 'sex slave' of disgraced financier
Virginia Roberts confirms she will speak to FBI in bid to 'break the chain'
Prince Andrew, who met Virginia on three occasions, could be quizzed
Government appears to withdraw support for Duke as trade envoy

The FBI is to reopen its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein following Mail on Sunday revelations about his sexual exploitation of teenage girls and his links with high-profile individuals, including Prince Andrew.

The Bureau wants to interview Esptein’s former personal ‘masseuse’, Virginia Roberts, after she revealed last week that she was recruited as Epstein’s sex slave when she was just 15.

Last night, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Virginia confirmed she will fully co-operate with the new investigation, which could have serious implications for Epstein and embarrass Prince Andrew, who she met on three occasions.
‘I will talk to the FBI,’ Virginia said.‘I am anxious. I am still frightened of him because he has so much power. I had to put this behind me.

'But in the end this is not for me. It’s because I’m afraid there are a lot of girls still doing what I did for him, eight years after I left. I want to be the one who breaks the chain.’

The news comes as the Government appeared to withdraw support for the Prince’s role as a trade envoy, with Business Secretary Vince Cable refusing to say whether he should stay in the post.

A source close to the inquiry said the FBI decided to reopen the case because of Virginia’s revelations to The Mail on Sunday last week.



Read More: Dailymail.co

Imagine receiving a wedding invitation where the typical menu options of salmon, chicken, or beef are replaced with Filet-o-Fish, Chicken McNuggets, or a classic Big Mac.
If McDonald's catered nuptials are your idea of a dream wedding, you might want to consider a trip to Hong Kong, where the international chain has launched its first company licensed McWeddings.
McDonald's Hong Kong first announced its intentions to offer the fast food festivities on October 10 of last year, to coincide with the auspicious 10-10-10, considered an especially lucky date in Chinese numerology. That announcement came with a large group wedding and a fashion show of wedding dresses, which are now available for lease or sale on McDonald's wedding website.

The New York Times reports that the McWeddings offer an inexpensive option in a nation where the monthly household income averages around only $2,250, but the average couple spends about $29,200 for a wedding. A ceremony under the Golden Arches is a relative steal, starting at $1,280, which comes with food and drinks for 50, a "wedding cake" made of stacked apple pies, and invitation cards. There are even gifts for the guests - figurines of classic McDonald's characters like the Hamburglar and Ronald McDonald.
Read More: Delish

Eminem: Most “Liked” Artist on Facebook

Eminem

Eminem may have made his name by making fun of pop stars, but nowadays he is proving himself to be the most popular of them all. Today (February 24) the rapper made history on Facebook by surpassing Lady Gaga as the most liked, living artist on the social networking site.
As of press time Em’s page currently stands at 28,898,000+ likes, while Lady Gaga trails behind at 28,879,000+ likes. This battle is sure to be ongoing, as Gaga is known to have a very supportive fanbase, but this marks the first time XXL‘s March 2011 cover boy has taken the lead.

This news comes at a great time for the lyricist. In addition to his growing Facebook popularity, Shady is coming close to breaking yet another Gaga record. According to the The Detroit News, Em has become only the third artist in history to surpass 1 billion overall views on youtube. With 1.164 billion views as of this Monday, Em joins Lady Gaga (who has 1.189 billion views total) and Justin Bieber (who leads with 1.3 billion views).
Read More: XXLMAG

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Britney Spears is back! The pop princess debuted the music video for her new single, "Hold It Against Me," on MTV and Vevo.com on Thursday night -- and the sexy singer definitely brought her A-game!

PLAY IT NOW: Music Video Sneak Peek: Britney Spears - 'Hold It Against Me'

In the video -- ripe with fast cuts and mutliple glaring product placements (including her fragrance Radiance, Makeup Forever, Sony, and the online dating site PlentyOfFish.com) -- a lean, glammed-up Britney is seen prowling around the futuristic space, surrounded by various TV equipment and rocking a white bridal-esque gown, before slowly ascending toward the ceiling. Brit then shows off her famous abs in her signature white midriff-baring crop-top and her itty-bitty denim cut-off shorts.


Next, it's a Britney-on-Britney catfight as the singer appears to wage war on... herself (in stilettos, or course), before shooting neon-colored paint at the surrounding TV monitors from her fingertips, flinging color all over her formerly pristine white gown (think: Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair).
Brit also rocks a black leather mini-dress for the video's high-energy dance sequence.

Watch the video below (warning: mild suggestiveness and stylized violence)
Back in January, "Hold It's" choreographer Brian Friedman - the mastermind behind the superstar's "Boys" and "Me Against the Music" moves - teased fans by announcing he was excited to "get [Britney] dancing really hard again."
"She's had a couple of years where she's been dancing different styles of dance and it hasn't been me," Brian told MTV News at the time. "It's not necessarily that she hasn't been dancing, it hasn't been what I get from her, and what I seem to get from her is this tigress quality. And she prowls.

"She really dominates when she does my choreography, and that's what I wanted to get back," he added.
The choreographer faced a bit of heat from Britney's legions of fans on Thursday (after a 30-second teaser for the video was released) who felt Britney's footwork didn't live up to Brian's boasting.

"Britney Fans... I DIDNT edit or direct the video so please do not place hostility at me if you aren't happy with what you have seen or see," Brian Tweeted on Thursday. "Britney worked her a-- off for this video and she and I hope that you all love it.

"Thank U every1 4 the support :)," he later added. "I haven't seen the vid yet, all I know is how Brit was on set & she was FAB! FEMME FATALE will be incredible!"


"Hold It Against Me" is the first single from Brit's upcoming album, "Femme Fatale," which is slated to drop March 29.

Frank Spisak

Ohio has executed cross-dressing Nazi-sympathizer Frank Spisak, who shot three people to death nearly 30 years ago on the campus of Cleveland State University in a shooting rampage that targeted African Americans.
Spisak, 59, was pronounced dead Thursday at 10:34 a.m. following a lethal injection of sodium thiopental at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, about 80 miles outside of Columbus.
He set the Ohio record for the longest time on death row before his execution, at more than 27 years.
Spisak's racially motivated shooting spree took place from February 1982 to August 1982, reports CBS affiliate WOIO. He was found guilty of murder after attempting to start a race war in Cleveland by searching out and shooting African Americans while on what he called "hunting missions."

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Spisak's final appeal Wednesday afternoon, turning down his request to delay his execution while he argued the constitutionality of Ohio's death penalty law.

Spisak is responsible for the deaths of 57-year-old Rev. Horace Rickerson, 50-year-old Timothy Sheehan and 17-year-old Brian Worford. Sheehan was Spisak's only white victim, reports WOIO.
His attorneys claimed he was bi-polar and was too mentally ill to die.
During his 1983 trial, Spisak grew a Hitler-style mustache, carried a copy of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" and gave the Nazi salute to the jury.
WOIO obtained a statement released by the Sheehan family after Spisak's execution.
"Today we chose to celebrate the life of husband and father, Timothy Sheehan, not the death of Frank Spisak," the statement read. "We are grateful that the justice system has worked, and appreciate those in the criminal justice system whose diligent efforts have helped bring this matter to a final resolution."
Spisak reportedly blamed the 1982 shootings on his hatred of homosexuals, African Americans, Jews and on his mental illness, which was supposedly related to confusion about his own sexual identity.
Read More: Cbsnews

Celebrities arrive at the Lanvin Show during the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011

Janet Jackson has been performing since she was seven, and she admits she's been battling issues with her weight since she was "very little."

She explained: "It’s been a tough road, a tough battle since I was very little and not feeling worthy. There were self-esteem issues, issues dealing with food stemming from when I was very, very young. Not feeling I was good enough as I was.
"I was told at a very young age on the show Good Times that I needed to go on a diet. I was only, what, 11, 12? And I look back on those shows and I wasn't a heavy kid. Some people can just brush it right off but others, they really internalize it. And that was me."

The singer, whose weight has fluctuated over the years, also believes she may be addicted to food as she has always been an "emotional eater."

Janet added to CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight show: "I'm not in denial in any way. I've never had someone say to me you're addicted to food and maybe that's what it is for me. I've never had anyone say that to me, but the way that I feel about it. It still is an issue for me.

"I was an emotional eater. I still am. I've learned how to handle certain issues and not to run to that for comfort. It's just not about, 'OK, how do you stop the eating?' It's deeper than that. There are issues behind that. You have to figure out what's creating it first in order to figure out how to stop it."Read More: Zimbio

Frank the 14-year-old wild cat follows cross-eyed opossum, polar bear and octopus 

Frank, the eyra or jaguarundi, which is a type of wild cat, is pictured in a zoo in the town of Delitzsch, north of Leipzig, February 14, 2011. Germany's famous cross-eyed opossum, Heidi, has a competition on her hands, as another German zoo tries to steal her limelight by introducing their cross-eyed star to the public. Frank is the second cross-eyed animal to become a superstar after opossum Heidi from nearby Leipzig became an international sensation in December last year. REUTERS/Leon Malherbe (GERMANY - Tags: ANIMALS)

DELITZSCH, Germany — Hot on the heels of cross-eyed opossum Heidi's smash success at the Leipzig Zoo, a nearby animal park in eastern Germany has been preparing its own cross-eyed creature for possible celebrity.

Meet Frank the jaguarundi, a 14-year-old wild cat from the Tiergarten Delitzsch in eastern Germany, who has his own pair of crossed eyes.
"I think many people probably just come (to the zoo) to see him," zoo head Katrin Ernst told Reuters. "They stand at his enclosure and call his name. ... I can hear it from my office nearby."
Jaguarundis are a type of puma native to North and South America.
Frank's handlers believe he was born cross-eyed, unlike opossum Heidi whose crossed eyes stem from a poor diet when she was young.
The 2-year-old opossum became a star in Germany when her photo appeared in the mass-circulation newspaper Bild in December, generating a Facebook following topping 300,000 fans.
She has also been recruited by Hollywood to predict winners of the February 27 Academy Awards on U.S. television.
Celebrity may not be far off for Frank: Bild included a photo and article about him last week.
So far the Delitzsch zoo has yet to receive any offers from Hollywood or endorsement opportunities, said Ernst.
"We're waiting for what comes," she said. "If someone should inquire and perhaps would like to make little chocolate jaguarundis or something similar, then we certainly wouldn't be disinterested."
Frank may not be a natural showman like prior German animal celebrities like polar bear Knut or the late octopus oracle Paul, who correctly tipped each of Germany's 2010 World Cup matches in front of dozens of media on live television.
Jaguarundis' moods are not easy to predict. They are solitary animals who only meet fellow jaguarundis when mating.
Still, Frank is something of an institution; he is the oldest male jaguarundi in Europe.
Read More: MSN

 

TV personality Bob Barker welcomes animals at airport before they go to a sanctuary 

A lion, one of 25 rescued from Bolivian circuses, roars at Animal Defenders International vice president Tim Phillips after being unloaded from a jet in Denver on Feb. 16. The lions were to be transferred to a Colorado wildlife sanctuary to live the rest of their lives.

 

The 13 males and 12 females landed at Denver International Airport around 4:30 p.m. local time  on Wednesday. The jetliner pulled into a maintenance hangar, and police officers armed with assault rifles stood by as a precaution.

The animals were rescued from deplorable conditions after a law was passed last year in Bolivia prohibiting all performances involving animals, Animal Defenders International said. Most of the lions were dehydrated and suffered from eye and foot infections when rescued, the group has said.
Television personality and animal advocate Bob Barker financed the $200,000 airlift. He was on hand to welcome Operation Lion Ark and said he was excited to see the animals headed to a sanctuary where they will have room to roam.
"They will be the happiest little babies you ever met," Barker told reporters.
Barker said he hopes someday no circuses will have animal acts.
While three cubs were in one cage with their mother, the rest traveled in their own cages, accompanied by a veterinarian. Before leaving Santa Cruz, Bolivia, they were given sleep medication.
The lions will now be trucked to their new home at the Wildlife Sanctuary in Keenesburg, about 35 miles northeast of Denver. A 15,000-square-foot biosphere was built to help them adjust to the chillier climate.
The sanctuary is already home to about 270 wild animals, including lions, tigers, bears and wolves.
Read More: MSN