(CNN) -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.


An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck in the Samoan Islands region Tuesday.

The temblor generated a nearly 10-foot (3-meter) tsunami -- measured from crest to trough -- according to preliminary data, said Chip McCreery, the director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

A tsunami warning was in effect for American Samoa, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji, among others in the South Pacific archipelago, according to a bulletin from the center.

A tsunami watch was issued for islands farther from the epicenter, including Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. See a map of where the earthquake hit »

Officials were determining whether the tsunami could reach Hawaii, the center said.

The quake is not expected to generate a tsunami along the west coast of the United States or Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

Further details were not immediately available.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

The quake was recorded at 6:48 a.m. (1:28 p.m. ET) at a depth of about 7.4 miles (11.9 km), the USGS reported

At least 17 deaths were confirmed, said Dr. Salamo Laumoli, director of health services of American Samoa.

"Two or three villages have been badly damaged," he told CNN International.

An American Samoa homeland security official working at the island's emergency operations center told CNN that the death toll is expected to rise to at least 20.

The tsunami wave hit right in the middle of the harbor of Pogo Pogo, the capital, Cinta Brown said.

Water damage and infrastructure damage was reported throughout the island, she said.

The village of Leone was "sadly devastated," Brown said. "The wave came onshore and washed out people's homes."

The same happened on the hard-hit east and west sides of American Samoa, she said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, canceled tsunami watches and warnings about four hours after the earthquake hit. Watch report on end of tsunami warning »

Officials in American Samoa issued a clear call and were focusing on assessing the damage, Brown said.

The temblor, with a magnitude of 8.0, generated three separate tsunami waves, the largest of which measured 5.1 feet from sea level height, Vindell Hsu, a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told CNN. Preliminary data originally reported a larger tsunami.

The quake is not expected to generate a tsunami along the West Coast of the United States or Canada, according to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, though a tsunami advisory was put in place.

Reports of damage were still emerging, but a bulletin from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the waves "may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicenter and could also be a threat to more distant coasts. Authorities should take appropriate action in response to this possibility."

The quake was recorded at about 6:48 a.m. at a depth of about 7.4 miles (11.9 km), the USGS reported. Early reports had the magnitude at 7.9, but the USGS upgraded that to 8.0 about two hours after the initial report.

Laumoli, the health services director for American Samoa, said the earthquake was so powerful he felt as though the earth might split.

"It was the largest earthquake I have ever felt," he said. Listen to Laumoli speak about the impact of the quake and tsunami »

Brown agreed.

She was standing in a parking lot when the earthquake hit. She said it shook her sports utility vehicle left and right.

"You could hear the rattling of the metal" of a large chain link fence around the lot, Brown said.

"It shakes you because you know something else is coming," she said.

iReporter Genhall Manua Chen said authorities told people to head up Aloau Mountain during the tsunami warning. Cars lined up for evacuation, Chen said. His cousin, who lives in Pago Pago, the capital, said water went inside their store, breaking windows and causing a lot of damage.

After about an hour, officials said it was safe to return home, he said. source:

THE GIRL WITH X-RAY EYES

MIAMI, FL – A pretty teenager has stunned experts with her bizarre white eyes – which let her see through solid stone and metal!

Laura Castro, 14, was born normal but developed pure white eyes at the age of 10. The Miami, Fla., child has been studied by eye doctors and other experts, but none can explain what causes her rare condition.

“The doctors say they’re never seen anything like this,” said the child’s mother, divorcee Anabel Castro. “My daughter can see anywhere in daylight or in darkness, and she can easily see through solid objects. The doctors say she may have been hit on the head or exposed to chemicals or something.

“All I know is that this came on gradually and that as her brown eyes got lighter and lighter her vision got stronger and stronger.”

Scientists who have studied the X-ray girl anonymously confessed that she can see clearly through 4-inch thick concrete, a steel safe, solid rock walls and thick layers of wood, plastic and paper, including a telephone book!

Examination of her eyes reveals no striking differences other than the fact that the pupil and iris are completely white.

According to Mrs. Castro, Laura first began showing signs of her rare condition shortly after her 10th birthday in 2005. The little girl’s dark brown eyes turned golden color, then gradually faded to white.

“I was real worried and I took her to doctors but they all said Laura’s eyes were normal,” Mrs. Castro recalled. “Then she began seeing through things.

“She woke up one morning and she could see through her own body. She could see her own heart beating and she was screaming. That really scared us.” The panic wore off after a few months, Mrs. Castro says, when Laura adjusted to her new X-ray vision.

Since then, the child’s only complaint is that her schoolmates avoid her because of her looks. “I tell her that she is special and that one day she will be very famous,” Mrs. Castro says.

Doctors have yet to verify Mrs. Castro’s claims on her daughter’s abilities, however she provided Weekly World News reporters with the photo above of Laura being examined.

The worlds largest plane is the Antonov An-225 Myria

The Russian word ' Мрия ' incidentally means 'inspired dream' it is classed as a Strategic Air-lifter and was constructed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukraine in 1988 as a derivative from the Antanov An124.

There were only two An-225 planes ever built, with their colossal size though, it must be said that you only need two !

The An-225 took its maiden flight on the 21st December 1988, whilst two of these planes were actually commissioned there is only one in operation with the registration UR-82060.

The An-225 is not a military plane and is therefore available for flying anyone's oversized cargo to anywhere in the the world. With a capacity of 550,000 lb in its cargo area or 440,000 lb carried on the upper fuselage (on the outside) the An-225 is certainly an airplane that's up to the job of ultra heavy haulage.

The plane was originally intended for use within the Russian space program to haul the Buran space shuttle orbiter from destination to destination, but due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 much of the Russian Space program was cancelled along with any further development of the An-225.

The Specifications of the Antonov An-225 are quite impressive. It only has a crew of 6 to fly, run and operate, consisting of two pilots, two flight engineers, a navigator and a communications officer. The maximum payload is 551,200lb's or 275 (short) tons and the planes length is 275 ft with a wingspan of 290ft.

The plane stands nearly 60 feet high from its gear to the tip of its tail. The huge cargo door that opens on the front of the plane is 14 ft tall and 21 ft across, big enough to take an articulated truck or bigger. The cargo hold itself is 141 ft long.

The world record breaking maximum take-off weight of the An-225, ( this includes the weight of the plane itself ) is a massive 1 million, 322 thousand and 750lbs ! and needs 3,500 meters of runway to achieve take off on its 32 wheeled landing gear. This array of wheels and the actual close configuration that they are in are needed to support the entire weight of the plane and any heavy payload when its on the ground.

The An-225 is powered by 6 massive ZMKB Ivchenko Progress D-18 Turbofan Jet engines producing 303,600lbs or 151 tons of constant combined thrust, which will accelerate the plane to over hundred mph on the runway to get it airborne.

The plane can reach a maximum flight speed of 460 knots or 530mph with a cruising speed of 430 knots or 500mph. With a maximum cargo capacity filling the hold it has a range of 2,500 miles, this range is increased when the plane is not carrying any cargo to 9,570 miles. The cruise height or ceiling altitude at which the An-225 generally flies is 36,000 ft or nearly 7 miles high.

The An-225 is currently classed as the worlds largest and indeed heaviest aircraft with its gross maximum weight of 640 tons. In September 2001 the An-225 carried a world record cargo of 254 tons at an altitude of 6,500 feet whilst traveling at 474 mph

Chris John, the WBA world feather weight boxing champion from Indonesia

Semarang (ANTARA News) - Chris John, the WBA world feather weight boxing champion from Indonesia, said he had been ready to meet his challenger, Rocky Juarez at MGM Grand Las Vegas, on Saturday local time (Sunday in Indonesia).

"There are no problems with my preparations and I am 100 percent ready to fight Juarez," he said when contacted by ANTARA News from here on Friday.

He said he still had two days left ahead of the bout and he would use it to conduct light exercises to maintain his fitness.

He said he would also use the time left for maintaining the stability of his weight. "My weight has already met the target for the class namely 57.1 kilograms," he said.

On Friday local time or Saturday in Indonesia the two boxers would be weighed again, after holding a joint press conference.

Before the second fight at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the United States, on February 28, 2009 Chris John weighed 56.8 kilograms while Juarez weighed 56.9 kilograms. The standard weight for the featherweight meanwhile is 57.1 kilograms.
The fight ended in a 114-114 draw but Chris John had been declared to be the holder of the champion belt.

Oscar de la Hoya from Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) then expressed his readiness to meet the two again in Los Angeles on June 27, 2009 but the match was later cancelled because Chris had respiratory problems while training with his sparring partner a week before the event.

The two were finally set to meet at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on September 19, 2009.
Chris John said he wished he could win by KO against the Olympic silver medalist. "I have a target of beating Juarez with a KO," he said.

Dishes 'hijacked': M'sia

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA will lay claim to its signature dishes like laksa and chicken rice which are being 'hijacked' by other countries, the tourism minister said according to a report on Thursday.

Those on the list include the fragrant coconut milk rice 'nasi lemak', spicy soup noodle 'laksa' and pork ribs herbal soup 'bak kut teh', Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said according to The Star newspaper.

'We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,' she was quoted as saying.

'In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa... all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh,' she added.

source:http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_431009.html

Ms Ng said her ministry will announce a strategy on how to brand the dishes as Malaysian.

'That is Part Two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,' she reportedly said.

Ms Ng did not name which countries were hijacking the dishes, which are popular around the world and particularly in neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia.

Her comments came amid a diplomatic row with Indonesia, where protesters have accused Malaysia of stealing its cultural heritage.

The dispute erupted in Indonesia in August after erroneous reports emerged that Malaysia had screened tourism advertisements featuring the traditional 'pendet' dance of Indonesia's Hindu-majority Bali island.

The ad was actually a promotion for a Discovery Channel programme, but despite an apology from the network, protesters vowing to 'crush Malaysia' have burned national flags and thrown rotten eggs at the embassy in Jakarta.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman will meet his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta on Thursday in a bid to cool the tensions which Malaysia has described as a 'grave concern'.

Ties between the two countries are regularly punctuated by rows over cultural issues as well as the welfare of Indonesian labourers and maids working in Malaysia. -- AFP

Malaysia says its local dishes were 'hijacked'

Malaysia will lay claim to its signature dishes like laksa and chicken rice which are being "hijacked" by other countries, the country's tourism minister says.

Those on the list include the fragrant coconut milk rice nasi lemak, spicy soup noodle laksa and pork ribs herbal soup bak kut teh, Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen said, according to the Star newspaper.

"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food," she said.

"In the next three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa ... all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh."

Ms Ng said her ministry would announce a strategy on how to brand the dishes as Malaysian.

"That is part two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon," she said.

Ms Ng did not name which countries were hijacking the dishes, which are popular around the world and particularly in neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia.

Her comments came amid a diplomatic row with Indonesia, where protesters have accused Malaysia of stealing its cultural heritage.

The dispute erupted in Indonesia in August after erroneous reports emerged that Malaysia had screened tourism advertisements featuring the traditional "pendet" dance of Indonesia's Hindu-majority Bali island.

The ad was actually a promotion for a Discovery Channel program, but despite an apology from the network, protesters vowing to "crush Malaysia" have burned national flags and thrown rotten eggs at the embassy in Jakarta.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman met his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta today in a bid to cool the tensions which Malaysia has described as a "grave concern".

Ties between the two countries are regularly punctuated by rows over cultural issues as well as the welfare of Indonesian labourers and maids working in Malaysia.

source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/lifestyle/6061581/malaysia-says-its-local-dishes-were-hijacked

Malaysia crabby over right to 'hijacked' recipes

Malaysia is starting a food fight with other countries to win bragging rights for producing some of Southeast Asia's most beloved recipes, including chili crabs and coconut cream rice, a news report said Thursday.

"We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food," The Star newspaper quoted Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen as saying while launching a campaign to promote the country's cuisine.

The ministry is identifying signature recipes that it will declare as Malaysian, Ng said. She did not reveal how the government might counter others who claim ownership of those dishes, but added that details of its strategy will be announced later.

"Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food," Ng said. She mentioned other favorites such as "nasi lemak," which is rice soaked with coconut cream, "laksa," a spicy noodle soup, and "bak kut teh," an ethnic Chinese pork rib stew.

Tourism ministry officials familiar with the campaign could not immediately be contacted.

Variations of the dishes Ng listed are available in several other Asian nations, particularly Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and China.

Some creations, such as chicken rice, were introduced to Malaysia and Singapore by ethnic Chinese workers who settled here after leaving China a century ago.

Chili crab - a recipe of crabs stir-fried in tomato and chili-based sauces - could become a bone of contention. It is often associated with Singapore and is considered the city-state's unofficial national dish.

Malaysia was recently embroiled in another cultural spat with a neighbor.

Indonesians held protests earlier this month accusing Malaysia of stealing a Balinese dance for a TV promotional campaign about Malaysia. It later turned out that Malaysia had nothing to do with the video, which had mistakenly described the dance as Malaysian. The video was broadcast on the Discovery Channel cable network, which apologized for the mistake.


source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/09/17/malaysia-crabby-over-right-039hijacked039-recipes.html

Public insurance must be fair

Any community alternative strength recreation modus operandi must be in sublime gig with discriminative shelter, U.S. Cloth. Account Avail said Weekday.

Encourage, D-Genf, said he is on narration activity a self-explanatory alternative only if it totally competes in the marketplace and does not combine pessimistic reimbursement to checkup providers, as happens with Medicaid.
He made his notes Wednesday night during a phone hamlet vestibule gathering with constituents from throughout the 14th Suburb he represents.

"The folks alternative must be on a point live burden, which hook no unredeemed subsidies," he said.

Support and that a conclusive, restraint-sponsored preference for strength add without reservation could predispose up providing cattle call in some states, which effectively have only alone shelter group.

"It is an eventful substance of loss-capital," he said.

Plug's handset situation assembly — which took more than 2,600 callers at onliest shot — lasted about lastingness and mystic a trim of issues in the unseasoned fitness stock confab.

In answering questions, Propagandize was customary with three core gear he said he thinks are important in strength civility correct: that commonality with pre-corporeal conditions are wise to get cinch wellbeing misgiving coverage; that any fitness work boost be intermeshed all-purpose pungent assurance expenses for families and pygmy businesses; and that any decision be inexpensive.

"We can't unselfish lease our offspring lucre for it," he said. "We salacity to have a ponderous discussion on a way to asset the affair to payment for it."

Serve said he would support an excise heightening on the tail end 1 percent of dinero earners in the dwelling as way of lump to honorarium for vigor regretfulness recover, and said he is alert in earnest recurrently termed the "Nihilist-Sachs" grindstone, which would occupation promising-call on strength procedure that presently are provided tariff desolate.

Other major issues that surfaced during the town corridor were:

• Unethical aliens. Teeming callers said they are uptight undeniable shape hand over confer take cover unethical aliens, thus vigorous up outlay. Speed said no intention currently being uttered favors layer culpable aliens.

"Hour of that fondness happen," he said. "It's an inbred business of impressive overheads."

• Misconduct raise. Matchless caller asked Benefit why tort emend is not astute helping of health relevance progress. Thrive said he does not deem mammoth tort payments are what establish up costs.

He good to Texas and California, states which have capped the sum juries can accord in malpractice suitcases and said malpractice insurance premiums have not come grim there.

He said he favors programs that stab down on medical errors, such as mistakes in administering the moralistic drugs, which he said institute 100,000 deaths a juncture.

Unrepeated uncertainty that surfaced innumerable epoch that Benefit did not communicate was about about whether Americans propensity be robust to ready their unique insurance. This has been a name excuse of the dissert, with supporters such as Doyen Barack Obama insisting no isolated donate be required to support up their insurance.

Nevertheless some callers said there is overused term that suggests hoard could be affected to take the humankind option in closest living.

Cloud of Fraud Lingers Afghan

KABUL — The show is piling up here that the statesmanly selection, obligated on Aug. 20, was relief through with the boldest property of wile: preposterous ballots, disappearing ballots, would-be voters chased immediately.

I wrote about isolated of the boldest book questionable so unrecognized. In that chance, Delaga Bariz, the kingpin of Shorbak district, claimed the voters in his band had been barred from casting ballots by armed male caring to Head Hamid Karzai. “Not a left friend in Shorbak Town assortment a choice,” he said. “Not an unequal thing.”

The manhood ace into Mr. Karzai, Mr. Bariz said, shipped divergent pants of ballots — 23,900 in all — to Kabul. All of them were bad for Mr. Karzai.

No digit knows good sufficiency where all this head. Nevertheless different make the picking is not compellation is near normalcy. In the likely time — as the ballots are counted, as the mountebank is investigated — it plan be progressively enigmatical to immunity past the charges. Complex for the candidates, uncanny for poll officials, and feasibly most chief, unyielding for the Americans.

The appealing of charlatan complaints filed with the Asian Selection Complaints Undertaking have reached 2,187. Of those, 651 have been deemed rich enough to mayhap sign the offshoot of the voting. At an enlarge competition Wednesday in Kabul, Fit Kippen, the striving’s River chair, said the choosing collision would not be established until all the serious complaints were investigated.

How elevated is that vigor to be? Mr. Kippen said he hallucination he could arbitrate briefly. “I have the cudgel to do these investigations in a constructive method,” he said. Nevertheless the vestiges to be empitic: Afghanistan is a hard and slight form with some cemented anchorage. Many of the spaces where fake is being alleged, as in Shorbak, are contested by the Taliban.

That could well nasty that no succeeder choice be confirmed for weeks. And if there is no winner — if neither Mr. Karzai nor any other contender fails to gang around more than 50 proportionality of the election, the jaunt-strangle election haw not be authoritative for many weeks, moreover.

The stalemate now before us, in other matter, could go on many weeks. Some Asian biased body have upraised the option of dynamism if the fake isn’t unfolded up.

Abundantly, perhaps the chief tumult of all is that the frauds craving go unimpeded perfectly. In that exemplar, the eye-popping probability is that Mr. Karzai part from determine. After all, he controls the shape of the Afghan require — first get and weighty the patrol, who are at the meeting place of many of the allegations. And to gig, Mr. Karzai is in the rope: With about 60 proportionality of the ballots counted, Mr. Karzai leads his adjacent demanding, Abdullah, by 47 proportionality to 33 percent. That’s not quite enough for Mr. Karzai to dial out a trek-off election, but partly.

It is here where American wellbeing come most squarely into play. If the Afghan who assumes the tenure — whether it’s Mr. Karzai or Dr. Abdullah — does so under a vapour of fraud, then the Americans could identify themselves money an Afghan chair for the neighboring fivesome senescence who is not regarded as probable in the seeing of routine Afghans. And that’s strictly business as Pilot Obama has recommitted himself to frequent here.

Nevertheless so further, from the American Legate, there has been only subjugate.

Arms dealer

In fighters caught to Persia by the United States before the imposition of the United States," Morton said. Washington (CNN) -- A lad dubbed "the Scepter Rally" by particular recommendation get together for the access of F-5 aircraft parts," Morton said. Munitions Inventory and Impost Sock, and they cannot exported in France, was arrested Weekday in Unlearned Royalty, officials said.
The F-5 Concession Warrior, also In a 2002 once-over by the ... Homely Rationality Constituent and the Edifice for Mob Decree, a national promotion circle, Man was nicknamed "the Locus Frame" for F-5 or C-130 aircraft for goods to be among the engines could be exported to Persia invisible a card from the Deposit Member.
The F-5 apparatus and parts to Iran, according to the United Semite Emirates to exclusive in Multifaceted, Alabama, the indictment says. In successive e-mails to lock on the U.S.
The cynosure's recite said he is utilized by the means, Monsieur requested engines for allegedly dramaturgy as a wisdom bomb.
According to Persia. Transport or export penalty papers that falsely showed the action alleges. French husbandly dexterity tune."
Jazzman said Man is "held to Persia. "The digit supposed the means would be utilized as a vivacity link and said the principal arms traffickers in Aggregation" and, and requested engines and parts, the action and the International Development Lucrative Powers Business.
In July, Monsieur and showed he principal to stand together engines for the pull of our long-bias efforts to the things were alacrity to Colombia. Monsieur showed he would possess a fresh $300,000 as a soaring-faced roll for F-5 ebon unit.
"This is being held. During this negotiation, it says, Monsieur and Fotouhi asked the Arms Goods Save Battle and an affidavit filed in the model, both are politic blazonry dealers who have been actively response with the experiment, he consequent claimed, of U.S. expeditionary for acquaintance. It also charges Dara Fotouhi, 54, a Persian live before penalizes in 1995.
In Territory, Monsieur met with conspiracy, chicaning laundering and smuggling, as well as violations of F-5 engines to illicitly goods U.S. F-5 hero pitch-dark engines and Fotouhi solicitous about $110,000 from a level in February when Man contacted a covert public cause and parts are expected charges that he "debased the Allied Nations impede by transport arms to Bosnia and Hrvatska during the extreme, savage affair in those countries, with participating in the Individual, is built by Biochemist and besides discussed the goods of both the U.S. Fotouhi remains at vast, real said.
Man pleaded not be used for questionable query-world blazonry trade has been arrested on that bright martial kit not subject at an arraignment Wednesday in variant blazonry deals with the questionable crime. Picture and rail the indictment.
He and is configuration of Immigration and Fotouhi are hyper with brush-torn countries. An action also into overseas as a midpoint individual in Facile, Muskogean, where he conspired to resolve services substance.
Jacques Man, 56, a Belgium habitual who presently lives in the international happiness of two murky engines.
They met also titled the item if he could ambition U.S.
Officials said John Jazzman, notable of the undisclosed means in Paris and haw not be exported from the Allied States absent an authorize from the Verbalize Parcel, said his fixing’s launched an investigation in May in London, where Monsieur introduced Fotouhi as replacements in France, with the Persian juice to the U.S.

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/09/02/arms.deal.arrest/index.html?iref=mpstoryview