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An explosion at a nuclear power station Saturday destroyed a building housing the reactor amid fears that it could melt down after being hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.

Japan declared states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants after the units lost cooling ability in the aftermath of Friday's powerful earthquake. Thousands of residents were evacuated as workers struggled to get the reactors under control to prevent meltdowns....

Waves generated by the quake have forced evacuations in Hawaii and tsunami warnings for the West Coast.

A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control. Tsunami warnings blanketed the entire Pacific, as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast....

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake has hit northern Japan, shaking buildings in Tokyo and prompting the country's meteorological agency to issue a tsunami alert for the northeastern coast. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but officials are still assessing the situation.

For the third Sunday in a row, Chinese police swamped a downtown Beijing area for "stroll-by" protests against China's communist government.

The growth in movie theaters is frenetic, with plenty of room for expansion, but it's not clear how much that might help Hollywood.Not long ago when Zhang Guomiao wanted to see a film, he'd head for the village square.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a news conference on Sunday he would resign following criticism for accepting political donations from a foreign national, the latest blow to unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan's troubled government.

China is on course for another five years of robust growth, but inflation threatens social stability and must be tamed, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Saturday. In China's version of a "State of the Union" address to the annual parliamentary session, Wen said the top priority this year was to curb price rises that are hurting ordinary people in the world's second-largest economy.

North Korea will fire across a land border with South Korea if Seoul continues its anti-North psychological campaign, the North's official media said on Sunday ahead of an annual, joint military drill between the United States and South Korea.