Emergency declared as tsunami hits US West Coast

      LOS ANGELES (AFP) - California's governor declared a state of emergency Friday after tsunami waves hit the US West Coast, forcing evacuations, damaging boats and leaving one man missing, swept out to sea.   Governor Jerry Brown's declaration for four coastal counties unblocks federal funds to help clean up after waves triggered by Japan's devastating quake hit the US mainland, notably in nor

March 12, 2011

Tsunami-swept Japan ship found, all 81 rescued: Jiji

   TOKYO, March 12, 2011 (AFP) - Japanese naval and coastguard helicopters have found a ship that was swept out to sea by a massive tsunami and airlifted all 81 people aboard to safety, Jiji Press reported Saturday.   The ship was owned by a shipbuilder in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture.   Friday's massive quake struck just under 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo, creating a 10-metre (3

March 12, 2011

Quake brings modern Tokyo to a standstill

   TOKYO (AP) _ Japan's huge earthquake brought super-modern Tokyo to a standstill as it paralyzed trains that normally run like clockwork, crippled mobile phones, stranded hordes of commuters and trapped scores of people in elevators.   The magnitude-8.9 quake that struck off the coast Friday afternoon and triggered a deadly tsunami in the northeast also violently shook buildings in the capital,

March 12, 2011

Obama: Japan earthquake potentially 'catastrophic'

   WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama said he was ``heartbroken'' by images of devastation in Japan following Friday's deadly earthquake and tsunami, and pledged U.S. assistance to help the country recover.   ``Our hearts go out to our friends in Japan and across the region, and we're going to stand with them as they recover and rebuild from this tragedy,'' Obama said during a White House ne

March 12, 2011

Japan scrambles as radiation released from quake-hit plants

  TOKYO (AFP) - Japan scrambled Saturday to prevent nuclear accidents at two atomic plants where reactor cooling systems failed after a massive earthquake, as it evacuated tens of thousands of residents.   Radiation 1,000 times above normal was detected in the control room of one plant, although authorities said levels outside the facility's gates were only eight times above normal, spelling "no i

March 12, 2011

Tens of thousands roam Tokyo streets, stations after quake

   TOKYO (AP) _ Tens of thousands of stranded people roamed the streets of Tokyo or holed up in offices and train stations as the capital's usual bustling traffic came to a standstill Friday after the biggest earthquake in modern Japanese history struck.   The magnitude-8.9 temblor off Japan's northeastern coast shook buildings in the capital, left millions of homes across Japan without electricit

March 11, 2011

Tsunami waves slam Hawaii as storm sweeps islands

   HONOLULU (AP) _ Tsunami waves spawned by a massive earthquake in Japan have hit Hawaii.   The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says Kauai was the first island hit early Friday by the tsunami, which was quickly sweeping through the Hawaiian Island chain. Officials predicted Hawaii would experience waves up to 6 feet (2 meters).   Residents in coastal areas of Hawaii were evacuated to refuge areas

March 11, 2011

Japan to evacuate residents near nuke plant

 TOKYO (AP) _ Japan ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant to evacuate on Friday following a massive earthquake that caused a problem in the plant's cooling system.   Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Fukushima No. 1 power plant was not leaking radiation. The plant is in Onahama city, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.   Japan's nuclear safety agency

March 11, 2011

Taiwan says tsunami hit without damage

     TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwanese authorities said Friday that minor tsunamis set off by a massive quake in Japan reached the island's coastline without causing any damage.   Waves around 10 centimetres (four inches) high hit Taiwan's east and northeast coasts in the evening, the central weather bureau said.   The bureau later lifted the tsunami warning, saying it did not expect more and bigger waves.

March 11, 2011

Obama offers 'condolences,' aid to quake-hit Japan

     WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday offered his "condolences" to the people of Japan and said his country stood ready to help them after a massive earthquake and tsunami.   "(First Lady) Michelle (Obama) and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis," he said in a statement.   "The Unite

March 11, 2011

[Japan quake] Death toll reaches 19: reports

TOKYO (AFP) - The death toll from the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, causing huge tsunamis along its Pacific coast, has reached 19, press reports said.The dead included a 67-year-old man crushed by a wall and an elderly woman killed by a fallen roof, both in the wider Tokyo area, press reports said.Three were crushed to death when their houses collapsed in Ibaraki prefe

March 11, 2011

Strong quake shakes eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA (AFP) ― A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the Indonesian resort island of Bali early Friday but was located too deep to generate a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, seismologists said.The tremor hit at 1:08 a.m. and was centered 261 kilometers northeast of Bali’s capital Denpasar at a depth of 510 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawai

March 11, 2011

Taiwan, Philippine on tsunami alert after Japan quake

   Taiwan's central weather bureau on Friday warned people living on its east and northeast coasts to be on guard for tsunamis set off by a major quake off Japan.  The Philippines also warned people living on its entire east coast to be on alert for the possibility of tsunamis after a major quake off Japan, the government's seismology agency   Russia's emergency ministry issued a tsunami warning F

March 11, 2011

Sperm donation the most popular job among Chinese college students

Student sperm donation has drawn controversy in China and debate has been raised as to whether it is moral to do so. College students make up about 90 percent of sperm donors in China, Chinese news reports said Thursday.An official at a sperm bank in Guangdong, southern part of the South China Sea, said that about 2,000 students donated sperm last year, making up 95 percent of all donors. “It is h

March 11, 2011