A northern Japanese city on Monday began scrapping a fishing boat that was swept far inland by the 2011 tsunami and became one of the most poignant symbols of the disaster.
A massive undersea earthquake Friday in Russia's Far East prompted a tsunami warning and was felt in cities including Moscow far to the west, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
In the dark months after a catastrophic tsunami smashed into Japan, killing almost 19,000 people and sparking a nuclear disaster, hopes for a rapid recovery and a national rebirth were frustrated by political paralysis.
A Japanese city devastated by the 2011 tsunami has received anonymous gifts of gold worth more than $250,000 in a phenomenon dubbed a "goodwill gold rush" ahead of the second anniversary of the disaster.
Disaster relief agencies were scrambling Thursday to reach tsunami-hit villages in the Solomon Islands, warning the death toll following a powerful 8.0-magnitude quake is likely to rise.
Cash earmarked for tsunami reconstruction work was diverted to unrelated projects, a Japanese government audit showed as residents of the devastated northeast voiced frustration over the slow pace of rebuilding.
6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the coast of western Canada, several hours after a powerful temblor nearby sparked a tsunami warning and sent Hawaiians scrambling.
A lone pine tree that stood as a symbol of hope in Japan, after surviving the huge tsunami that swept away a forest of 70,000, was being cut down Wednesday in a bid to preserve it.