JAPAN

The 8.9 magnitude quake that hit northeast Japan on Friday, has snarled air travel as flights are being canceled and delayed while some major airports of the country have been shut.

Some facts issued by NOAA to better read the signs of an incoming tsunami.

Global stocks fell to their lowest in nearly six weeks on Friday and government bonds rose as a huge earthquake in Japan and expectations Portugal will have to seek financial aid prompted a sell-off in risky assets.

Four nuclear power plants closest to Friday's powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off Japan's northeastern coast have been safely shut down, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

Brent crude futures fell below $113 on Friday as a massive earthquake rocked Japan, creating a 10-meter tsunami and shutting down dozens of plants in the world's third-largest oil consumer.

How vulnerable is the US West Coast to tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters? Actually the region is quite vulnerable to high magnitude quakes and even tsunamis. The region has been hit by large, single-event earthquakes and tsunamis before, and our evidence indicates that multiple and more extensive ruptures can happen, a scientist has said.

Following the massive earthquake that struck Japan, a fire broke out in Cosmo Oil Co.'s refinery near Tokyo causing widespread damage and destruction.

While Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms have been flooded with Japan earthquake photos, YouTube users have uploaded video footage giving viewers across the globe a glimpse into the first hand experience of the disaster.

The death toll from the massive quake that hit northeast Japan on Friday, causing many injuries, fires and a four-metre (13-ft) tsunami along the country's Pacific coast, has reached 26, local media reported.

Asian shares dropped after a massive earthquake hit Japan, violently shaking the capital Tokyo, darkening an already bleak mood caused by weak economic data and unrest in Saudi Arabia.

Companies across Japan are in emergency mode and assessing the immediate physical and economic damage caused by the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

European shares hit a three-month low in early trade and Asian stocks too dropped on Friday, while U.S. futures headed lower, after a powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan's northeastern coast, triggering a tsunami as high as 10 metres.

The world is reacting to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Japan Friday through social media as platforms like Facebook and Twitter come alive with reactions, prayers and timely updates of the disaster.

A tsunami warning has been issued by NOAA's National Weather Service to the following countries with the estimated time of arrival at forecast points.

Oil prices dropped to near $101 a barrel in Asia on Friday, after a powerful earthquake measuring 8.9 magnitude on Richter scale hit off Japan.

A powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan's northeastern coast Friday, triggering a tsunami as high as 10 metres, leaving at least five people killed and several injured, early reports said.

To find out more about the whereabouts of people missing in the Japan Tsunami, Google has introduced a new application called Person Finder.

While residents in Beijing have reported to have felt the tremors of the massive earthquake that hit Japan Pacific coast, top Chinese seismology expert is confident that the Chinese mainland is not in the danger zone.

The Internet has been abuzz with rumors, prophecies and popular consternation over natural catastrophes and extreme weather that the 'Supermoon' phenomenon on March 19 could bring about.

a timeline of some of the most devastating earthquakes which have hit Japan since 1900.

Around 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands have been issued Tsunami warning after Japan's massive 8.9 Richter scale earthquakes, the National Weather Service said.