JAPAN QUAKE

The triple disaster in Japan and the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa likely would have only a limited impact on the global economy - provided the twin shocks of higher oil prices and the supply chain disruptions from Japan do not get much worse, market research firm IHS said.

Here is the latest update on the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The immense tragedy in Japan has brought out waves of support, comfort and succor from volunteers seeking to provide help if any kind, even by people who themselves have suffered terribly during the current crisis.

While the metropolitan government of Tokyo has lifted its warning on radioactive tap water, the nearby prefectures of Chiba and Saitama reported radioactive iodine was detected in their tap water sources.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it has lifted restrictions against using tap water for consumption by infants in Tokyo's 23 wards and 5 adjacent cities, according to a report from public broadcaster NHK.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has released the following update on the status of on Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Japan, which is grappling with the impact of March 11 earthquake and the resultant tsunami, may be pushed towards a recession, an expert told IBTimes.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says U.S. nuclear regulators have agreed to make the Indian Point power plant their top priority as they review seismic risks in some of the nation's nuclear plants.

Here is the latest update on the situation at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor in northeastern Japan from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

At least three brokerages have cut the profit forecasts of Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE), a day after the software company reduced its second quarter outlook by $50 million.

RBC Capital Markets said the ultimate low in the U.S. equity markets might not have been reached, but a bottoming process has probably started. The brokerage said most of the technical indicators suggest that an intermediate-term low is near. Readings from sentiment, positioning and internal momentum indicators reveal much more damage under the hood than at the index level.

The metropolitan government of Tokyo has advised residents not to allow infants under the age of one to drink tap water (or powdered milk made with tap water) after radioactive iodine was detected in a purification plant in Katsushika Ward.

Following is the update from Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant.

The official death toll from Japan’s epic earthquake-tsunami catastrophe has now surpassed 22,000 (including people who are listed as missing), according to the National Police Agency.

Summary of Conditions at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Japanese carrier NTT Communications said on March 22 it is steadily restoring communications services, although some still remain disrupted.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said that radioactive Materials were detected from the seawater around the discharge canal (south) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

Professor Yuko Aoyama from Clark University Geography Department says the collective spirit in Japan is very high at the moment, in an interview to IBTimes on Japan's earthquake and the resultant tsunami and their impact on the world's third largest economy.

The financial impact to Japan from last week’s earthquake-tsunami could be as high as $235-billion, according to a report issued on Monday by the World Bank.

Some Japanese are outraged by the alarmist tone and sensationalistic reporting of the earthquake-tsunami tragedy by foreign media. Some media sources have just plain printed factual errors.

In one of the few happy stories to come from the earthquake tragedy in Japan, an 80-year-old woman and her 16-year-old grandson have been rescued from the rubble of their home in the coastal city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, the epicenter of the tragedy, according to Kyodo news agency.