1. Japan digs for dead

    Rescuers used chain saws* and hand picks on Monday to dig out bodies in Japan’s devastated* coastal towns, as Asia’s richest nation faced a mounting* humanitarian*, nuclear and economic crisis in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami* that likely killed thousands.

    Millions of people spent a third night without water, food or heating in near-freezing temperatures along the devastated northeastern coast.

    2. Third explosion

    Japan’s nuclear crisis deepened dramatically yesterday. The government said radioactive* material leaking from reactors* was enough to “impact human health” and the risk of more leaks was “very high.”

    In a nationally televised statement, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that radiation has spread from four reactors of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima province that was one of the hardest-hit in Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

    He urged anyone within 30 kilometers of the plant to stay indoors or risk getting radiation sickness.

    3. Countdown clock

    The countdown* clock was unveiled* in Trafalgar Square in London as the 500-day countdown to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games began on Monday.

    The clock was revealed by four Olympic gold medalists from Britain and will be counting down to the evening of the July 27, 2012 in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

    The clock, made from steel, is 6.5 meters high, 5 meters long and weighs around 4 tons.

    4. New Zealand quake victims

    China asked New Zealand on Monday to pay extra compensation* to Chinese parents whose children died in the Christchurch earthquake, saying China’s one-child policy had exacerbated* their loss.

    Cheng Lei, a counselor at Chinese Embassy in Wellington, said the one-child policy meant Chinese parents whose son or daughter died in the quake had not only lost a loved one, but also their family’s future breadwinner.

    5. Immunity ruling

    A Pakistani court declined to rule* on Monday on whether a detained CIA contractor on trial for killing two Pakistanis has diplomatic immunity* as the United States insists, saying it was up to the court hearing the criminal case to decide.

    The U.S. Government had been hoping for a clear decision from the Lahore High Court that could pave the way for the release of American Raymond Allen Davis.

    6. New York tour bus crash

    A deadly New York City tour bus accident early on Saturday has claimed 15 lives and many of the victims are of Chinese descent*.

    Thirteen people were killed on the scene and two passengers died from injuries at hospital on Saturday afternoon, New York City Fire Department said. The accident took place at the New England Thruway in the Bronx near the Westchester County line.

    7. Suicide bomber kills 36

    A suicide bomber struck a funeral attended by anti-Taliban militiamen* in northwestern Pakistan last Wednesday, killing at least 36 mourners* and wounding more than 100 in the deadliest militant attack in the country this year. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.

    The blast near the city of Peshawar was not far from the tribally administered regions bordering Afghanistan where militants are at their strongest.

    (SD-Agencies)