Tsunami's terrifying power is revealed in new clip as fresh 6.5-magnitude quake hits Japan

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Leading edge: As alarm sirens blare over the city, the initial surge spills over barriers around Kesennuma Bay and begins running through the streets


As news emerged today of yet another earthquake striking Japan, terrifying new footage from the original March 11 earthquake and tsunami shows the brutal and deadly power of the water that has claimed thousands of lives.

Filmed from the top of a building in Kesennuma, around 300 miles north-east of Tokyo, the footage shows the surge of water cascading over coastline barriers around Kesennuma Bay as a tsunami alarm sounds.

It quickly turns into a furious torrent of water, sweeping everything away - including cars, ships and buildings - as it forces itself inland.


Gone in seconds: Within a minute the carpark in the previous shot has been completely erased by the fast-flowing water - giving residents no time to react


Panning right: The amateur cameraman points his handheld camera to capture water pouring through the streets beyond - destroying everything in its path


The sheer power of the water has to be seen to be believed. More unnerving is the sound of the tsunami crushing and grinding everything in its path.

The 5min 45sec clip begins as the leading edge of the tsunami has already struck, with cars being pushed over the bay's surge barriers and being swept into a nearby car park.

The amateur cameraman pans the handheld camera to the left to capture the fast-flowing water as it rushes into the bay. A siren begins and a recorded voice in Japanese gives tsunami advice to Kesennuma residents.


Disaster zone: The tsunami's devastation is now complete - what was once a thriving city no longer exists


Soon the wall of water is moving with incredible speed and rising fast - the barrier that had once looked like a mini waterfall is now now merely a ripple as the tide flows over it.

A storage building with a green roof in the middle distance of the shot begins to disintegrate under the immense force.

The camera pans to the right and focusses on another part of the city. Water can be seen flooding surrounding streets and buildings in the distance are being washed away as smoke rises from the ravaged city.


An injured man, using two sticks to support himself, walks underneath a ferry that came to rest on the roof of a two-storey building in Otsuchi, in the north-east of the country


Reiko Kikuta, right, and her husband Takeshi Kikuta watch as workers attempt to attach ropes to their submerged home to try to pull it ashore with construction equipment on Oshima Island in north-eastern Japan


Daunting task: Police officers in protective suits search among the wreckage left by the natural disaster for missing people in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture





source: dailymail

Not by Royal appointment! Ashtrays, teabags and even fridge freezers... the ghastly tat marking Wills and Kate's big day

By DAILY MAIL

Come on, Granny, get out your needles and start knitting royal dolls - or even your very own miniature corgi, £9.99, ivypress.co.uk


From cufflinks to condoms, no Royal wedding would be complete without a collection of souvenirs even the most ardent royalist would do well to love.

Here the Mail outlines some of the very best (or worse)... and where you can get them.



Throw salt over your shoulder to bring the lovebirds luck with this cruet set, £6.99, ebay.co.uk





Gentlemen, these gold-effect cufflinks, with images of the happy couple, guarantee a classy wedding-day look, £9.99, cuffsncollars.co.uk


If the fawning wedding coverage doesn't satiate your sweet tooth, this fudge will hit the spot, £1.50, ebay.co.uk


The royal couple will want an heir and a spare. For the rest of us, there are souvenir condoms. £5, crownjewelscondoms.com





These teabags put Wills and Kate into hot water, but let's hope their relationship never is, £4.30, donkey-products.com


Stub out your wedding fever altogether with this ashtray, £3.99, gift-flair.co.uk


So dim you need a book to explain the wedding? This is for you... £6, dummies.com


Nail the royal wedding look with these works of art, £6.99, eBay.co.uk


Even the youngest patriots can join the celebrations with this Happyland Royal Wedding set, £15, Early Learning Centre





What cake lover could say no to this sponge creation? Even if it does look nothing like Wills. Or Kate. Price varies, michellesugarart.co.uk





source: dailymail

Squeak, squeak! The cheetah cub reared by hand that sounds like a little bird

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Cuddly: The cheetah being reared at Busch Gardens animal theme park in Florida


It looks like a cute baby cheetah, but it sounds like a bird.

The cuddly five-week old cub has yet to find his growl and squeaks when it wants food which it gulps down at Florida's Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa.

It will grow up to be the fastest cat in the world, but for now it needs round-the-clock care.

Experts are hand rearing the animal because its mother wasn't able to care for him at Jacksonville Zoo.

Soon after birth, the still-unnamed cheetah lost weight as its mother couldn't produce milk, so zoo officials sent him to Tampa for some tender loving care.


Curious and hungry: The cheetah cub is being cared for round-the clock care by animal experts


Now, at just over two pounds - the weight of two bags of sugar - the cub is becoming stronger everyday.

The animal has already melted hearts at the theme park and once the baby is strong and old enough, he will join a group of cheetahs in a new habitat that will soon open at the park which brings guests face to face with the cats.

The cub is also likely to be part of a cheetah breeding program which is aimed at boosting the population of these critically-endangered animals.

There are estimated 12,400 cheetahs living in the wild. Cheetah Run is an area of the park specifically set up for the cheetah with a 250ft run for the fast cats to run free on.


Raw Video: Baby Cheetah Squeaks, Scrambles



source: dailymail

Towing the equine line: Stuntman on skateboard pulled by horse on in latest extreme sport craze

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Horse play: Daniel Fowler-Prime shows of his adrenaline sport, horse boarding, which is rapidly taking off


Thrill seekers are competing in Britain's latest extreme sports craze of 'horse boarding' - where participants are towed behind a horse at 35mph on an off-road skateboard.

Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime, 31, invented the sport five years ago after he strung a rope between his off-road 'mountain board' and a horse.

Now he has developed the daredevil stunt into a fully fledged sport and is looking forward to hosting the UK's first ever horse boarding championships this summer.


Popular: The sport, invented five years ago, relies on the relationship and clear communication between the horse rider and the boarder


Adrenaline junkies stand on a mountain board while gripping a rope and attempt to maintain their balance as the horse is spurred into a gallop by its rider.

The rush of acceleration provides the greatest thrill, with riders reaching speeds of 35 miles per hour in just five horse strides.

Mr Fowler-Prime, who grew up in Bude, Cornwall, revealed that he came up with the idea while messing around on a farm with friends.

And, with the sport gaining more popularity, he has now opened the National Horse Boarding Training Centre in Seisdon, near Wolverhampton.


Horsing around: Daniel Fowler-Prime, 31, plans to organise the National Horse Boarding Championships this summer


He said: 'This is a fast, adrenalin-fuelled equine team sport and it is growing rapidly.

'There's a raw surge of natural power you wouldn't get from any other sport, and the acceleration is explosive.

'A lot of skill is involved and the horse rider and boarder have to work together because if they don't the boarder goes flying.

'We have people from all over the country coming to the training ground to try it. It's very accessible for people of all abilities, you only need a bit of space and a lot of guts.

'But you have to be prepared to take a few knocks because falling off has been compared by one board rider to getting out of a car at 30mph.'




source: dailymail

Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were bor

Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.



Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.



Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut play in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.



Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.



Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.



Twin polar bear cubs Gregor and Aleut are pictured with their mother Vera in their enclosure at the zoo in Nuremberg march 23, 2011. The cubs were born on December 2, 2010.


Polar bear cubs, Aleut & Gregor


source: daylife
photo: Reuters

Will Knut ever rest in peace? Taxidermists working on polar bear 'killed by fame' for Berlin museum display

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Not forgotten: Taxidermists are already working on Knut the polar bear, who may have died from brain injuries according to the latest tests


Knut the polar bear may be stuffed and put on display at a German museum so fans can still visit the adored animal despite his death.

The world's favourite polar bear died in his enclosure at Berlin Zoo last Saturday in front of horrified fans.

But Gesine Steiner, a spokeswoman for the Berlin Natural History Museum, has said the museum in talks with the Berlin Zoo about the next step.


Wildly popular: Visitors have created a makeshift shrine around Knut's old enclosure at Berlin Zoo since his death last Saturday


'It is true that our taxidermists are working on his corpse and have removed his fur,' Steiner told Bloomberg.

'We haven't yet made a decision on whether we will stuff him and exhibit him.
'We do, of course, have lots of stuffed zoo animals on show here.'

Knut was so popular that crowds have gathered beside his empty compound since his death, laying down red roses and white stuffed polar bears, lighting candles and putting up pictures of Knut with personal messages for him.

Knut's rise to fame started after he was rejected at birth by his mother. He would have died had the zoo not taken the decision to rear him by human hand.

He was aged four when he died. Polar bears usually live until around 15 to 20 in the wild and often longer in captivity.


Debut: Knut made his first public appearance at the zoo on March 23, 2007


The cause of death appears to have been brain injuries, according to the zoo.
Initial findings from a necropsy performed on Monday showed 'significant changes to the brain, which can be viewed as a reason for the polar bear's sudden death,' the zoo said in a statement.

Pathologists found no changes to any other organs, the zoo said, adding that it will take several days to produce a final result.

However, animal rights groups have condemned the way he had been reared in the zoo, blaming the stresses of his 'unreal' celebrity-style life for his early death.


Knut says hello


source: dailymail

Naked woman, 27, rescued from cliffs after getting stuck trying to reach nudist beach

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Nowhere to go: A 27-year-old climber was caught on the bluffs in the buff and had to be rescued by lifeguards on Tuesday


A naked woman had to be rescued by lifeguards yesterday after she got stuck trying to climb down cliffs to a secluded nudist beach.

She had taken off her clothes before trying to clamber 450ft down to Black's Beach, which lies in Torrey Pines State Park in San Diego, California.

But the 27-year-old got into difficulties and found herself stranded on a ledge unable to climb back up or head down to the shoreline.

At last! A female coastguard is lowered down the rock face to help rescue the woman - and save her blushess


Her blushes were saved around 15 minutes later when a mystery wellwisher spotted the woman perched precariously on the cliff face and called 911.

Officials believe a paraglider could have spotted the woman, as she could not be seen from the top of the cliff face.

When emergency crews arrived they sent down a female lifeguard with some borrowed clothes.


Nearly there: The naked woman and the lifeguard are gently winched down to the beach for her to collect her clothes


A series of photos from a video taken by Fox show the lifeguard standing over the naked woman and strapping her into a harness first, before helping her into a pair of trousers.

The woman and her rescuer were then gently lowered down to the beach - where she had thrown her clothes before starting the naked climb - using a rope pulley system.

After she got dressed she made her way gingerly back up a safe path to the top of the cliff where she had left her car. She suffered only minor injuries, scraping both knees.


Safe at last: The woman finally gets all her clothes back on just before she gets ticketed by officers for ignoring signs and entering a restricted area


Lieutenant Greg Buchanan told NBC the woman would not be charged, but had been ticketed for disregarding signs warning about the sheer and unstable cliffs, using a path that is not a marked trail and entering a restricted area.

Officials said climbers often get stuck in Torrey Pines, but they rarely choose the path the woman tried to follow.

Lt Buchanan said: '[She got into] a spot where she really couldn’t go up, down or sideways. So that’s a little bit unusual. Beyond that, everything else was just a classic cliff rescue.


Destination: Black's Beach, in Torrey Pines State Park, is a well-known nudist beach. Laws against public nudity are not enforced along a section of the beach


But he did admit yesterday's events were rather more unusual than the 'classic' rescue.

He told NBC: 'That’s true. She is naked. But she had clothes on the cliff and so she has since retrieved her clothes and she now has her clothes back on.'

Black's Beach is popular with nudists and has been considered a 'clothing optional' spot for years, as laws against public nudity are rarely enforced.

 


source: dailymail

The Japanese road repaired SIX days after it was destroyed by quake

By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

The picture of gaping chasms in a Japanese highway demonstrated the power of the March 11 earthquake.

Now the astonishing speed of reconstruction is being used to highlight the nation’s ability to get back on its feet.

Work began on March 17 and six days later the cratered section of the Great Kanto Highway in Naka was as good as new. It was ready to re-open to traffic last night.


Now you see it...: This stretch of the Great Kanto highway was wrecked by deep chasms in the March 11 earthquake - but was repaired in just six days


Many workers returned to their jobs the day after the quake and subsequent tsunami and some businesses in the worst-hit regions have already reopened.

The Japanese recovery has prompted some investors, including American Warren Buffett, one of the world’s richest men, to declare that the disaster which has left 23,000 dead or missing represents a ‘buying opportunity’ in the money markets.

Meanwhile, mothers in Tokyo were warned yesterday not to give tap water to their babies.

Cars with loudspeakers toured the streets of the capital after levels of radiation from the damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima, nearly 150 miles away, reached more than twice the safety level for children aged a year or less.

Supermarkets were quickly emptied of bottled water in many parts of the city. Parents were also told to ensure that milk was not from cows in the Fukushima district.

Tokyo residents said they had growing concerns about radiation.

‘If they’re saying it’s harmful for children because their bodies are smaller and dangerous iodine can accumulate in their thyroid glands, we can understand that,’ said 29-year-old department store worker Yasuke Harade.

‘But can we really believe it when they say that it’s OK for adults to drink the water? Can we cook our rice in tap water, can we drink tea, coffee? They’re telling us we can, but what is the truth?’

To add to the fears, two strong earthquakes shook the devastated east coast yesterday, and black smoke billowed once again from the crippled plant.

The ‘Fukushima Fifty’, the team of courageous employees working inside the plant, and firemen spraying water on the complex were ordered to evacuate immediately.

It was not known when efforts to restore the plant’s cooling mechanism would be restarted.

The scare followed reports that small amounts of radiation had travelled as far as Iceland.

source: dailymail

Baring its teeth for the first time, personal submarine which boasts 'the agility of a dolphin' (but looks more like a killer whale)

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Breaking the waves: The shark-like Seabreacher X can reach surface speeds of 50mph and has the turning style of a dolphin


A mighty beast rises out of the water, ready to pounce on some unsuspecting prey.

The waters of Whiskeytown Lake, in northern California, apparently have a new
master - but on closer inspection this is no killer whale, it's a hi-tech submarine.

Capable of speeding across the water at 50mph, the Seabreacher X is an underwater vessel which boasts 'the agility of a dolphin'.

The most advanced submersible watercraft built by Innespace Marine, the X is a more extreme take on the company’s Seabreacher J model.


Lift-off: The personal submarine is fitted with an onboard camera so passengers can glimpse the world below the waves


According to Innespace Marine, the Seabreacher X comes in an array of largely threatening colours and ‘can sustain high speed dives and then breach the surface, launching the entire vessel clear out of the water.

‘The new fully vectored thrust system mimic the tail articulation of real aquatic animals like sharks and dolphins,’ the website adds.

‘The custom tuned exhaust system also gives the vessel a more throaty growl as it tears across the surface.’


Red roar: The Seabreacher X boasts a custom exhaust for a 'throaty growl'


And if its 260 horsepower supercharged engine and top speeds of 50mph (surface) and 25mph (underwater) weren’t exciting enough, the Seabreacher X has all the modcons of a high-performance car.

It’s got an onboard stereo with an iPod dock, GPS navigation, colour schemes customised to your design and even a snorkel-mounted video camera that transmits live footage to LCD screens for passengers.

Predictably, such power and luxury doesn’t come cheap.

Seabreachers are built to order for a standard price of $65,000 and watersports enthusiasts who want to speed across the surface in a top-of-the-range model can expect to pay around $85,000.

But for such expense, you could own a vehicle that’s, as AOL’s Bradley Hasemeyer put it, ‘about 27 per cent dolphin, 37 per cent shark, 47 per jet boat – and 100 per cent awesome’.


Shark attack: Watersports fans can pay extra to have their Seabreacher X customised




source: dailymail

Was the world's favourite polar bear, Knut, killed by fame?

By HARRY MOUNT and ALLAN HALL

Cared: After he lost his mother Knut was looked after in the German capital by keeper Thomas Doerflein


The world’s most famous polar bear is dead. Knut — who won worldwide affection after he was abandoned by his mother but was then hand-reared by zookeepers — collapsed in his enclosure in front of a crowd of 600 visitors.

Scores of screaming children were among those who watched in horror as Knut suffered convulsions before falling into a pool in Berlin Zoo on Saturday afternoon.

Yesterday, crowds gathered beside his empty compound, laying down red roses and white stuffed polar bears, lighting candles and putting up pictures of Knut with personal messages for him.


Loved: Knut became the most famous world after first appearing at Berlin Zoo for the first time almost exactly four years ago


Initial theories were that the four-year-old polar bear suffered a heart attack or stroke. But animal rights groups have condemned the way he had been reared in the zoo, blaming the stresses of his ‘unreal’ celebrity-style life for his early death.

Polar bears normally live for 15 to 20 years in the wild and often longer in captivity. But animal rights campaigners fear Knut had become psychologically unbalanced, dependent on crowds — a highly unnatural state for a polar bear — and unable to mix with other bears.


Making a splash: Knut, who has died, interacts with a young visitor (left) and enjoys his time in the water


His rise to fame started after he was rejected at birth by his mother. He would have died had the zoo not taken the decision to rear him by human hand.

Keeper Thomas Doerflein moved in with him at the zoo, feeding him at night and changing nappies on him.

Soon, visitors from far and wide came to watch twice-daily shows as the keeper played with this enchanting tiny ball of white fluff. Soon, he featured on the front cover of Vanity Fair — alongside actor Leonardo DiCaprio — and made an estimated £6 million for the zoo through the marketing of pictures, key chains, sweets and stuffed Knuts.


Fame: There is speculation that the polar bear died as it was forced to live an unreal life at the zoo


But the special bond with his keeper was broken in September 2008 when Doerflein died from a heart attack. It was widely speculated he died from a broken heart after being banned from entering Knut’s enclosure because the zoo authorities were concerned the bear had grown and was too dangerous.


Playtime: dozens of people look on as Knut wrestles with a bag


However, it seemed Knut in turn had become depressed — seemingly distracted and looking lost if there were no crowds around. At this point, animal psychologists warned he was in danger of becoming a ‘psycho bear’.

A suggested solution was to put him in with three females — Tosca, Katyusha and Nancy — in an attempt to normalise his life. But the trio ganged up on Knut, biting and chasing him away.

Knut was therefore alone in his enclosure when he died. He was resting on his favourite rock when his left leg began to shake uncontrollably. He then started pacing round and round his enclosure, before falling into the water and dying.


Match-making: Knut cuddles at Berlin Zoo here with Gionvanna. But the two never mated and the other potential mates bullied him


‘He was not sick. We don’t know why he died,’ said his keeper, Heiner Kloes.

Knut’s premature death plunged Berlin into gloom. ‘His death is awful,’ said the city’s mayor, Klaus Wowereit. ‘He was the star of Berlin Zoo.’

‘I’ve been crying nonstop since I heard about his death,’ said Ingrid Rommel, a 65-year-old widow from Berlin, who said she had been visiting Knut weekly since his birth on December 6, 2006. She credited him with helping her get over the death of her husband.

Heidemarie Vogel, 58, remembered that Knut had sometimes raised his paw when she called over to him.

‘It was as if he was waving to me — so nice,’ she said tearfully.





source: dailymail