Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake

Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake

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.

Mumbai slum fire destroys home of Slumdog actor

Mumbai slum fire destroys home of Slumdog actor

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.

FBI to reopen case against sex offender friend of Prince Andrew

FBI to reopen case against sex offender friend of Prince Andrew

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.

McDonald's Launches McWeddings in Hong Kong

McDonald's Launches McWeddings in Hong Kong

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.

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.

She's Back! Britney Spears Debuts 'Hold It Against Me' Music Video

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.

Frank Spisak Executed in Ohio for Nazi-Inspired Murders

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."

Janet Jackson Started Dieting When She Was 11

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.

Cross-eyed cat next zoo celebrity?

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.

25 lions rescued from Bolivia arrive in U.S.

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.

 

DENVER — Twenty-five lions, most of them rescued from Bolivian circuses, were being flown to Colorado to start their new lives at a wildlife sanctuary.

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.