Huge tsunami slams coastal Japan after 8.9 quake

TOKYO: A massive 8.9 magnitude quake hit northeast Japan on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars, farm buildings on fire and boats, media and witnesses said.

At least one person was killed in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo where four million homes were without power. The quake caused many injuries, fires and a wall of water across the coast, prompting warnings to people to move to higher ground.

There were several strong aftershocks. In the capital Tokyo, buildings shook violently.

TV pictures showed a vast wall of water carrying the debris and even fires across a large swathe of coastal farmland near the city of Sendai, which has a population of one million.

Public broadcaster NHK showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.

Black smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama’s Isogo area. TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks floating in water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed into the water.

Kyodo news agency said there were reports of fires in Sendai where waves carried cars across the runway at the airport.

The western prefecture of Wakayama ordered 20,000 people to evacuate after further tsunami warnings.

“WORST IN 20 YEARS”

“The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks,” Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said in Tokyo.

“It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago.”

The Tokyo stock market extended losses after the quake. The central bank said it would do everything to ensure financial stability.

Passengers on a subway line in Tokyo screamed and grabbed other passengers” hands. The shaking was so bad it was hard to stand, said Reuters reporter Mariko Katsumura.

Hundreds of office workers and shoppers spilled into Hitotsugi street, a shopping street in Akasaka in downtown Tokyo.

Household goods ranging from toilet paper to clingfilm were flung into the street from outdoor shelves in front of a drugstore.

Crowds gathered in front of televisions in a shop next to the drugstore for details. After the shaking from the first quake subsided, crowds were watching and pointing to construction cranes on an office building up the street with voices saying, “They”re still shaking!”, “Are they going to fall?”
Asagi Machida, 27, a web designer in Tokyo, sprinted from a coffee shop when the quake hit.

“The images from the New Zealand earthquake are still fresh in my mind so I was really scared. I couldn”t believe such a big earthquake was happening in Tokyo.”

The US trendpk.comlogical Survey earlier verified a magnitude of 7.9 at a depth of 15.1 miles and located the quake 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu. It later upgraded it to 8.9.

A police car drove down Hitotsugi Street, lights flashing, announcing through a bullhorn that there was still a danger of shaking.

Japan”s northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world”s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Rascals stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Kangna feature in Salman Khan’s Ready

Friendship in Bollywood is as famous as enmities and grudges. But, when it comes to the eternal superstar Salman Khan, the first thing that pops up is his friendship towards one and all (baring a few) and vice versa. And when Salman Khan requests, no one says ‘no’.

Salman recently invited a pack of ‘Rascals’. Before you start designing thoughts in your mind, let us inform you that we are talking about Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn and Kangna Ranaut, the trio who play the lead in David Dhawan’s Rascals. What happened was that, while the trio was shooting for Rascals in Pattaya, they got a call from Salman, who wanted them to do a cameo in Anees Bazmee’s Ready in Bangkok. Needless to say that, the trio immediately agreed!
Now, do not be surprised to see the team of Rascals doing their act in Ready, with Salman Khan.

YRF to launch Parineeti Chopra in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl

Yash Raj Films (YRF) has always believed in encouraging and launching new talent. Only recently it gave the industry one of the most talented newcomers in Ranveer Singh. Now YRF is all set to launch yet another new face- Parineeti Chopra- in its forthcoming film Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl directed by Maneesh Sharma.

Not many know but Parineeti happens to be actress Priyanka Chopra’s cousin. She has been working with YRF for over a year in the Marketing Department as an integral part of the Promotional and PR team. Given one-off chance to audition for the film, she impressed both Maneesh and Aditya Chopra and was immediately cast for a role as one of the “ladies” who fall prey to the smooth talking guile of Ricky Bahl.

“I think Parineeti was phenomenal in her video test. I had no doubts that I wanted her in my film. In fact, when I worked on the script, I had her at the back of my mind, having interacted with her while she was in office”, said director Maneesh Sharma.

Parineeti, like most YRF discoveries, has bagged a 3 film deal with the production house the first of which is Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. The excited newcomer tweeted, “I am so so soooo excited to be signing 3 films with YRF, and hope all goes well with me Thank u to all those who have been wishing me well.”

Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl stars Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma who were last seen together in YRF’s Band Baaja Baaraat. Shooting of the film starts early-April and the makers are planning to release the film on 9th Dec 2011, the same weekend Band Baaja Baaraat released.

Morgan Broken Finger Doubted His World Cup Inclusion

Eoin Morgan has injured his Finger and the injury list of England is continuously increasing. After the bowlers the list is now moved towards the batsman. Out of 15 men squad for the world cup 6 men are having injuries. They are not felling well to fly with England team for the world cup 2011.

Mogan was not a part of seventh match of the series as he was not having his finger right. He will see the consultant and then decide about his future planning. His inclusion in the world cup is in doubt as he is having a fracture in the finger and the fracture is quite substantial.

After his injury the England team’s problems have been increased a lot. A Strauss said that England team will provide chance to another player to fill his shoes if he is not able to play for the country.

Strauss said that they will go with full planning in the world cup even though they had a bad ODI series. He added that Ashes win is still in the mind of players and they will definitely work hard to win the mega event. Andy Flower said that selectors will have meeting on Tuesday to decide on injury situation.

Celebrity resolutions revealed

Every year, people around the world resolve to improve their lives and reform bad habits as the New Year rolls in.

The ensuing 365 days yield varying degrees of success; some achieve their goals, some falter, while others can’t even recall what their resolutions were to being with. Famous people are no different. We asked celebrities about their resolutions for 2010 and whether they were able to accomplish their goals, and what they have resolved for 2011. Some said they don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions; here’s what the others had to say:

Annie Khalid – Singer : Family comes first

2010: My New Year’s resolution for 2010…I can’t even remember what it was! I’m a bit of a procrastinator so I always start something and never finish it off.

2011: I have some really simple New Year’s resolutions. One of them is to take my brother on a holiday; I planned it last year but couldn’t do it simply because I was so tied up with many different things. My 19-year-old brother is the love of my life, I love him to death and I just want to spend some time with him because I hardly get to see him. This year I want to take him somewhere really fantastic so that’s definitely something I want to do. Also want to stay fit and spend as much time with my mum and dad.

Hammad Khan – Director : Grow bigger and better

2010: I made a resolution to complete my first film and get it out into the world. I am grateful that I achieved that goal.

2011: To grow as a human being and a filmmaker by breaking free of the comfort zones of the mind and heart. In other words, to embark on the second journey.

Natasha Saleem – vj/actress : Learn and travel

2010: I don’t think I made one. I was too busy feeling happy and grateful.

2011: To learn a foreign language and then travel to that country, or vice versa; I’m not picky that way.

Sajid Ghafoor – musician : Going with the flow

2010: My New Year’s resolution for 2010 was not to have any resolution and just to go with the flow of things and see how it works.

2011: For this year I plan to change a few things I am not happy with and leave the rest as it is. Going with the flow certainly did help. Happy New Year to everyone reading this!

Juggan Kazim – model/actress : Get more sleep!

2010: My resolution for the year 2010 was to work harder and get myself to a place where I can make a decent amount of money without much work. I believe I have achieved my goal for 2010.

2011: I would like to get more sleep. Between my son and work, I have no time to breathe. I want to get ample sleep so I can feel like a human being again.

Ayesha Toor – model, actress : Wants to be a millionaire!

2010: I planned to be a multi-billionaire, but I didn’t do anything to achieve it.

2011: This time I want to be a millionaire at least, but haven’t set any goals yet for achieving it.

Abbas Ali Khan – musician : Fight against fears

2010: I did not have any resolutions for 2010.

2011: I will fight my fears, get in the music scene again, grow my animation studio and be optimistic.

Sanam Agha – Fashion designer : All work and no play

2010: I did accomplish my goals for 2010, which was to launch in Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore and also in one international city, which was New York.

2011: Work wise, for 2011 I’m looking forward to the Islamabad Fashion Week and intend to supply to other stores abroad. I am also working on opening up a flagship store in Karachi, Inshallah.

Mustafa Zahid – musician : Make friends quit bad habits

2010: I made a resolution in 2010 that I will always be honest about my relationships because a lot of my friends felt that I wasn’t being honest, and I accomplished it.

2011: I will make my friends quit smoking cigarettes and sheesha, in contrast to what they made me do last year.

Sana Mir – cricketer : I’ll get more active

2010: My resolution for the year 2010 was to focus on what I can do rather than what others are doing.

2011: I would like to continue the last one with an addition; to be more active and organised and not procrastinate.

Oprah aims for "Mindful TV"

LOS ANGELES: She is already the most influential woman on television, publishes a magazine, has starred in movies, opened a school in South Africa and is one of America”s biggest celebrity philanthropists.

So why is Oprah Winfrey taking perhaps the biggest gamble in her life and launching a cable TV network this weekend? Because she believes people are hungry for shows that entertain, inspire and offer what she calls “mindful television.”

“What I want to do is build a channel that is a respite for your mind, an oasis of stimulation that you come away from with little pieces of light.

“I”m aiming for a moment where somebody could say, ”I never thought of it that way before.” I just love that,” Winfrey 56, told Parade magazine in an interview this week.

Three years in the making, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) kicks off on January 1 with a weekend of “sneak peeks” into the array of largely female-oriented original series, lifestyle, and advice shows that viewers can expect in the first year.

OWN, a venture between Winfrey”s Harpo Inc and Discovery Communications, will be available in some 80 million homes.

The OWN launch has brought with it some uncharacteristic anxiety for Winfrey, who will end her popular U.S. daytime chat program, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” — which airs in some 140 countries — in May after 25 years.

She told her magazine “O” that she has “never felt such fear in all my life” than she has in launching OWN in a crowded TV market packed with hundreds of cable channels.

Of biting nails & running stomach

Celebs across the globe love to tweet the pics of their near and dear ones, the places they visit, the celebrations they hold/attend… Farah Khan loves to tweet what’s on her mind, besides tweeting pics of her new film TEES MAAR KHAN. But a pic of her hands, tweeted by her, caught my attention instantly. Well, Farah wasn’t highlighting a new shade of nail polish, but was vocal that she had chewed her nails in anxiety and nervousness before the release of her new movie TEES MAAR KHAN. So much so that the nails had almost disappeared from her hands and what remained was more of flesh, less of nails.

Almost everyone – sorry, just about everyone – gets those pre-release jitters and is nervous as hell prior to the release of their film. The stakes are high, their reputation is at stake, the world is awaiting the outcome to their film… I’ve often heard people say that they lose appetite and feel insomniac as well.

Says Farah, “I wasn’t chewing my nails during MAIN HOON NA her directorial debut. Back then I was seeing Shirish Kunder and made sure that I was at my best laughs. But I was nervous during OM SHANTI OM and the period thereafter. It’s the same now.” Farah is not the only one. A top notch director, known for his laughathons, has a running stomach a few days prior to his film’s release, while another top ranking director, known for making sensitive films, goes into a shell and stays aloof as the release date draws closer. Like they say in the industry, Friday is the scariest day in the life of a film-maker/actor and it’s getting more and more stressful with each passing year.

Bruni says Sarkozy often thinks about second term

PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy often thinks about whether to run for a second term in 2012, his wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, said.

Sarkozy, who was elected in 2007, has yet to say whether he will seek a second five-year term and has given himself until the second half of 2011 to make up his mind.

Asked if Sarkozy had sought her opinion on running again for the presidency, Bruni-Sarkozy told reporters: “He asks for my opinion about many things, as many husbands and wives do.

“But as far as that decision is concerned, it’s a choice that is up to him alone,” she said.

“I think he reflects a lot about it, but I”m not going to get involved. It”s too important, too difficult, too personal for me to get involved. But I will follow him whatever he does,” she added.

Sarkozy, his popularity ratings hovering close to record lows, is fighting to regain public confidence after pushing through an unpopular pension reform in October.

His entourage is drumming up support for a second bid and the opposition has accused him of governing as though he were already on the campaign trail.

Asked if she wanted to remain France’s first lady after 2012, Bruni-Sarkozy said: “He was the one elected by the French, all that depends on him. I would be glad (to stay).”

The catwalk star-turned-chanteuse and Sarkozy married in February 2008, four months after Sarkozy divorced his second wife.

Salman Khan in Farah Khan’s next, SRK ignored

MUMBAI: No other lady in B-town understands the pulse of the nation better than Farah Khan. The helmer of potboilers like ”Main Hoon Na” and ”Om Shanti Om” is fondling with the idea of casting Salman Khan in her next. After Sallu”s cameo in Farah”s latest ”Tees Maar Khan”, the chemistry between them is growing by the day.

Fresh reports confirm that Farah Khan wants to make a full fledged Salman Khan film anytime soon. The lady wants to cash in actor”s massive fan following in the nation and the idea of doing a film with Salman is riding high on her mind.

On being asked about her new found interest in Salman, Farah said, “Well, this has been in the pipe line for long but now I feel the time has come where I need to do something seriously about it. And imagine the outcome of two mad people getting together. I think I`m mad and Salman is madder. After I finish with TMK, I am considering working on our plans to doing a film together.”

Meet the new jodi of ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’

Download B.B.B. wallpapers

She started her career with Shah Rukh Khan. Her second film starred Shahid Kapoor. In her new film, BAND BAAJA BAARAAT, Anushka Sharma is paired opposite a rank newcomer – Ranveer Singh. Ideally, it should be the other way round, starting with a new face, then graduating to Shahid and then SRK. But Anushka reasons, “My career hasn’t followed the routine and standard graph. But I’d like to add that Ranveer will surprise you with his acting skills in BANDA BAAJA BAARAAT. The industry will have another actor to bank upon. Also, though I worked with experienced actors in the past, I would like to add that I’ve learnt so much from Ranveer. Moreover, his energy is infectious and that rubbed on all of us.”

On Sunday night, the cast and crew screening of BAND BAAJA BAARAAT left Anushka mighty impressed. “Although it’s directed by a first-time director Maneesh Sharma and stars a first-time actor as her co-star Ranveer Singh, it doesn’t give an impression when you watch the film,” she tells me, “In fact, I wish to add here that Maneesh knows the craft very well, he’s a gifted storyteller and most importantly, his take on the scenes is so different. Ten years down the line, when I look at my body of work, I would proudly say that Maneesh was amongst the best directors I worked with in my career.”

Ranveer, who takes his first step with BAND BAAJA BAARAAT, may belong to a non-film family, with no film connections whatsoever, but the youngster always aspired to be an actor ever since he was a kid. “While growing up, I realized that it’s damn difficult to get that right break in the industry. You either had to be a star-kid or a film-maker’s son,” Ranveer reminisces, “After I returned from the U.S., I had made up my mind that I wanted to join movies. This was the vocation I wanted to pursue. Thus began the struggle.”

Not many know that Ranveer assisted Shaad Ali as an assistant director, before the big break happened after JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM, Shaad was busy making ad films. “One thing led to another and I got to know that Yash Raj was looking for a fresh face for BAND BAAJA BAARAAT. I was nervous when I auditioned for the part, but I channelized my energies and gave my best. In fact, Adi Sir Aditya Chopra told me much later that he had approved me after my first audition itself,” Ranveer reveals.

Now that he has entered the fray, comparisons with actors of his age-group, like Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan, will begin once his movie hits the screens. “That is inevitable. But I would like to add that no two actors are similar, hence the comparisons, in my opinion, are unjustified. Yet, even if the comparisons take place, I have no issues with it,” Ranveer states sportingly.

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