US: North Dakota Sees Powerful Winds Amid Tornado-Producing Storm

Severe weather swept across the upper Midwest on Friday, June 20, bringing powerful winds and leaving at least 3 dead in North Dakota as a tornado ripped through the area.

Imperial garden party

Imperial garden party

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito (2nd from L in front) and Empress Michiko (L in front) exchange words with Kyoto University professor Shinya Yamanaka, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his advanced research on iPS cells, during a spring garden party at the Akasaka Imperial Garden in Tokyo on April 18, 2013.

Shogi association chief dies

Shogi association chief dies

TOKYO, Japan - This April 2010 file photo shows Japan Shogi Association Chairman Kunio Yonenaga, who died of prostate cancer at a Tokyo hospital on Dec. 18, 2012. He was 69.

Kim Jong Un given new title of 'marshal'

Kim Jong Un given new title of 'marshal'

BEIJING, China - File photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acknowledging the crowd during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012 to mark the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, his grandfather and the country's founder. Kim Jong Un has been awarded the new title of "marshal," the country's official media reported July 18, 2012.

Interview with CTBT exec

Interview with CTBT exec

VIENNA, Austria - Tibor Toth, executive secretary of the provisional secretariat at the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, speaks during an interview at the commission headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on April 18, 2012. Toth looks at a screen showing the locations of about 280 seismic wave monitoring facilities around the world, which can immediately detect any nuclear test by North Korea.

Interview with CTBT exec

Interview with CTBT exec

VIENNA, Austria - Tibor Toth, executive secretary of the provisional secretariat at the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, speaks during an interview at the commission headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on April 18, 2012. Toth points to a screen showing the locations of about 280 seismic wave monitoring facilities around the world, which can immediately detect any nuclear test by North Korea.

BOJ governor in N.Y.

BOJ governor in N.Y.

NEW YORK, United States - Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa delivers a speech at a hotel in New York on April 18, 2012.

Bailout fund official Shimokobe

Bailout fund official Shimokobe

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Kazuhiko Shimokobe, head of the decision-making board of the Japanese state-backed entity providing financial aid to Tokyo Electric Power Co. Sources said on April 18, 2012, that the government plans to tap Shimokobe as next chairman of the utility.

Yingluck in China

Yingluck in China

BEIJING, China - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (L) and Chinese President Hu Jintao shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 18, 2012. (Pool photo by Kyodo News)

Ex-Japan lawmaker Inoki

Ex-Japan lawmaker Inoki

TOKYO, Japan - Former Japanese lawmaker and wrestling star Antonio Inoki speaks to reporters at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 18, 2012, upon his return from a visit to North Korea to attend events to celebrate the centennial of the birth of country's founder Kim Il Sung.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - People dance in front of the Olympic countdown clock, showing the exact time left before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, in London's Trafalgar Square on April 18, 2012, marking 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Photo taken on April 18, 2012, shows the five rings, symbols of the Olympic, displayed at St. Pancras International Station in London. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Children pose for photos in front of the Olympic countdown clock, showing the exact time left before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, in London's Trafalgar Square on April 18, 2012, marking 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Photo taken on April 18, 2012, shows the five rings, symbols of the Olympic, displayed at St. Pancras International Station in London. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Sightseers pose for photos in front of the Olympic countdown clock, showing the exact time left before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, in London's Trafalgar Square on April 18, 2012. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Photo taken on April 18, 2012, shows the five rings, symbols of the Olympic, displayed at St. Pancras International Station in London. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

H&M outlet in Nagoya

H&M outlet in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan - A store worker prepares for the opening of an outlet of Swedish casual wear chain operator H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB in Nagoya, central Japan, on April 18, 2012, prior to the opening on April 21.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Staff members pose for photos with a torch at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London on April 18, 2012. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

H&M outlet in Nagoya

H&M outlet in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan - Photo shows an outlet of Swedish casual wear chain operator H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB in Nagoya, central Japan, on April 18, 2012, prior to its opening on April 21.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organizing committee of the London Olympic Games, gives a press conference at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London on April 18, 2012. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

100 days to go until London Olympics

100 days to go until London Olympics

LONDON, Britain - Children pose for photos with Wenlock, the London 2012 Olympic Games mascot, at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London on April 18, 2012. April 18 marks 100 days to the start of the London Olympics.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu

BEIJING, China - Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin speaks at a regular news briefing at the ministry in Beijing on April 18, 2012.

China friendship ass'n chief in Japan

China friendship ass'n chief in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Li Xiaolin, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, gives a press conference in Tokyo on April 18, 2012. Li aired concerns over Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's policy of buying the disputed Senkaku Islands from their owner, saying a bilateral territorial row only damages public sentiment in the two countries.

Sharp to sell 80-inch TV

Sharp to sell 80-inch TV

OSAKA, Japan - Photo taken in Osaka on April 18, 2012, shows Sharp Corp.'s 80-inch LCD TV. The company said the same day it will release in Japan in June a new line of its Aquos brand televisions, including one with an 80-inch liquid crystal display panel, which will be the biggest in Japan. It will hit the market with an estimated price of around 950,000 yen.

Flower arrangement using tsunami debris

Flower arrangement using tsunami debris

TOKYO, Japan - Flower arrangement artist Hiroki Maeno (L) presents his work using debris caused by the March 2011 tsunami in northeastern Japan to Environment Minister Goshi Hosono (R) at the ministry in Tokyo on April 18, 2012.

LDP lawmaker Santo

LDP lawmaker Santo

TOKYO, Japan - Akiko Santo, a House of Councillors lawmaker from the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, holds a press conference in Tokyo on April 18, 2012. Santo said she mediated Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's talks with the owner of the three major islands of the Senkakus. Ishihara revealed earlier that the Tokyo metropolitan government is negotiating with the owner with the aim of buying the dominant part of the disputed islands by the end of 2012.

Condo construction in Beijing

Condo construction in Beijing

BEIJING, China - Photo shows the site of condominium construction work in Beijing on April 11, 2012. China said April 18, 2012, that new home prices fell in 38 of 70 major cities in the nation in March from a year earlier.

Chinese dailies reporting on Ishihara remarks

Chinese dailies reporting on Ishihara remarks

BEIJING, China - Photo shows articles on Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara's controversial remarks that the city is seeking to buy the dominant part of the disputed Senkaku Islands carried by Chinese newspapers dated April 18, 2012.

Kurobe Gorge train

Kurobe Gorge train

TOYAMA, Japan - A Kurobe Gorge Railway train runs on a bridge over the Kurobe Gorge in Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture, on April 18, 2012. The railway partially resumed its operation the same day after a five-month winter suspension period.

Opposition to file censure motions against 2 ministers

Opposition to file censure motions against 2 ministers

TOKYO, Japan - Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka (R) and Takeshi Maeda, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, attend a House of Councillors plenary session in the Diet building in Tokyo on April 16, 2012. Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party plans to submit censure motions against them to the upper house on April 18, 2012. The LDP has criticized Tanaka for what it sees as improper handling of a number of security issues and Maeda for allegedly trying to meddle in a local election.

Suu Kyi registers as candidate in parliamentary by-elections

Suu Kyi registers as candidate in parliamentary by-elections

BANGKOK, Thailand - Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (R front) registers at the Yangon South District Election Commission office in Thanlyin on Jan. 18, 2012, as a candidate in upcoming parliamentary by-elections slated for April 1, 2012.

Suu Kyi registers candidacy in parliamentary by-elections

Suu Kyi registers candidacy in parliamentary by-elections

BANGKOK, Thailand - Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (R front) is surrounded by supporters at the Yangon South District Election Commission office in Thanlyin on Jan. 18, 2012, after registering as a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary by-elections slated for April 1, 2012.

Olympus Pres. Takayama, 5 other executives to resign

Olympus Pres. Takayama, 5 other executives to resign

TOKYO, Japan - Olympus Corp. President Shuichi Takayama bows at the outset of a press conference in Tokyo on Jan. 18, 2012. Takayama said he and five other board members who are being sued by the company to pay damages for the company's accounting fraud will resign at an extraordinary shareholders meeting in late April.

Panel recommends Univ. of Tokyo to shift April enrollment to fall

Panel recommends Univ. of Tokyo to shift April enrollment to fall

TOKYO, Japan - Undated file photo shows the buildings of the University of Tokyo in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. A panel at the university has proposed in an interim report that the leading Japanese university consider abolishing April enrollment for undergraduates and shift it to the fall to conform with the international norm, Kyodo News learned Jan. 18, 2012.

Panel recommends Univ. of Tokyo to shift April enrollment to fall

Panel recommends Univ. of Tokyo to shift April enrollment to fall

TOKYO, Japan - Undated file photo shows the University of Tokyo's Yasuda Auditorium, a symbol of the university, in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. A panel at the university has proposed in an interim report that the leading Japanese university consider abolishing April enrollment for undergraduates and shift it to the fall to conform with the international norm, Kyodo News learned Jan. 18, 2012.

Japan to reclassify Fukushima no-entry zones

Japan to reclassify Fukushima no-entry zones

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - (from L) Yukio Edano, minister of economy, trade and industry, Goshi Hosono, nuclear disaster minister, and Tatsuo Hirano, minister in charge of reconstruction in areas affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, meet Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato in the city of Fukushima on Dec. 18, 2011. The ministers notified the governor and representatives of 11 other municipal governments near the plant of a plan to reclassify no-entry zones, possibly on April 1, 2012, around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.