US: Brush Fire Erupts In Del Mar Heights, San Diego 3

A brush fire erupted in the Del Mar Heights neighborhood in San Diego on Tuesday morning, June 25. The fire near Mira Montana Drive off Del Mar Heights Road prompted the mandatory evacuation of 2,500 residents from the area. The fire's forward progress was stopped by about 5:30 p.m. and all evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted by 7:20 p.m.

Land in Sidoarjo, Indonesia covered with mud

Land in Sidoarjo, Indonesia covered with mud

SIDOARJO, Indonesia - Land in Sidoarjo, Indonesia, continues to be covered with mud on Jan. 17, 2014, nearly eight years after a massive mud flow from underground engulfed a village during an appraisal exploration of a gas well. The ship (front) is sucking up the mud.

Gymnast Uchimura gets MVP for 6th straight year

Gymnast Uchimura gets MVP for 6th straight year

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist Kohei Uchimura speaks at an award ceremony in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2015, after being named the Japan Gymnastics Association's most valuable player of 2014 for the sixth year in a row.

Singer to hold 20th concert for recovery from Kobe quake

Singer to hold 20th concert for recovery from Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japanese singer-songwriter Eri Hiramatsu speaks on Dec. 4, 2014, about her 20th concert to be held in Kobe, her hometown, in support of the western Japan city's reconstruction from the devastation of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the disaster.

Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

TOKYO, Japan - Goshi Hosono (C), former secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, leaves a general meeting of DPJ Diet members at the party's headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Dec. 17, 2014. Hosono said the same day he will run in the largest opposition party's leadership race on Jan. 18 to pick a successor to outgoing DPJ President Banri Kaieda.

Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

Ex-secretary general Hosono to run in DPJ leadership election

TOKYO, Japan - Goshi Hosono, former secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, announces in Tokyo on Dec. 17, 2014, his candidacy for the largest opposition party's leadership race on Jan. 18 to pick a successor to outgoing DPJ President Banri Kaieda.

Bloodstained shirt of attacked Nagasaki mayor shown

Bloodstained shirt of attacked Nagasaki mayor shown

NAGASAKI, Japan - A bloodstained shirt worn in 1990 by then Nagasaki Mayor Hitoshi Motoshima during a shooting attack is shown to the press in the southwestern Japan city's municipal office on Dec. 17, 2014, ahead of an exhibit of items related to him set for Jan. 15-19, 2015. Motoshima, who died at 92 on Oct. 31, 2014, was shot by a rightist in January 1990 for his statements about the emperor's responsibility for World War II.

Charity soccer match to mark 20th anniv. of Hanshin quake

Charity soccer match to mark 20th anniv. of Hanshin quake

KOBE, Japan - Active and retired Japanese professional football players announce a plan in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on Nov. 28, 2014, to hold a charity match on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that hit the western Japan prefecture in 1995. From L: Kazuyoshi Miura, Takayuki Yoshida and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.

Nomo elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Nomo elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOKYO, Japan - Former Japanese professional baseball pitcher Hideo Nomo holds a picture of himself, taken while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Jan. 17, 2014. Nomo was elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame earlier in the day.

China's Xi, Kuwaiti foreign minister hold talks in Beijing

China's Xi, Kuwaiti foreign minister hold talks in Beijing

BEIJING, China - Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah hold talks in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 17, 2014.

Closed steel processing plant in China's Hebei Province

Closed steel processing plant in China's Hebei Province

BEIJING, China - Photo shows a closed steel processing plant in Tangshan, Hebei Province, China, on Jan. 17, 2014. The plant is one of a number of plants that are being shut down as part of China's structural reforms.

Japan, U.S. security advisers agree on closer bilateral cooperation

Japan, U.S. security advisers agree on closer bilateral cooperation

WASHINGTON, United States - Shotaro Yachi, head of the secretariat of Japan's new National Security Council, speaks to reporters in Washington on Jan. 17, 2014, after talks with U.S. State Secretary John Kerry. Yachi told reporters he discussed "various issues" with Kerry including the situation in East Asia but declined to go into further detail.

L.A. Dodgers still chasing Tanaka

L.A. Dodgers still chasing Tanaka

LOS ANGELES, United States - Ned Colletti (L), general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Stan Kasten, president of the club, hold a press conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 2014. At the conference to announce a $215 million deal for two-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw, Colletti said he has been in touch regularly with Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's agent Casey Close, who also represents Kershaw.

L.A. Dodgers still chasing Tanaka

L.A. Dodgers still chasing Tanaka

LOS ANGELES, United States - Ned Colletti, general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, speaks at a news conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 2014. At the conference with the club's President Stan Kasten to announce a $215 million deal for two-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw, Colletti said he has been in touch regularly with Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's agent Casey Close, who also represents Kershaw.

Japanese cuisine reception in Berlin

Japanese cuisine reception in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany - Sashimi is served at an "Omotenashi" (hospitality) Japanese cuisine reception in Berlin on Jan. 17, 2014.

Japan farm minister serves meal at reception in Berlin

Japan farm minister serves meal at reception in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany - Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (2nd from left) serves Japanese food at an "Omotenashi" (hospitality) Japanese cuisine reception in Berlin on Jan. 17, 2014.

Watabe finishes 7th at World Cup series meet

Watabe finishes 7th at World Cup series meet

SEEFELD, Austria - Japanese skier Akito Watabe competes at a Nordic combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria, on Jan. 17, 2014. He finished 7th in the competition.

19 years after Kobe quake

19 years after Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - People offer silent prayers for the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake during a memorial event in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014, the 19th anniversary of the disaster. The earthquake devastated the western Japan city and surrounding area, killing 6,434.

Mizuho Financial Group chief

Mizuho Financial Group chief

TOKYO, Japan - Yasuhiro Sato, president of Mizuho Financial Group Inc., holds a press conference in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2014. Sato said Mizuho Financial Group will set up independent committees to oversee its management in an effort to enhance corporate governance following its core banking unit's involvement in loans to gangsters.

Tokyo Tower in cherry blossom color

Tokyo Tower in cherry blossom color

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Tower is illuminated in pink, the color of cherry blossoms, on Jan. 17, 2014, on the eve of nationwide university entrance exams. The illumination was meant to cheer exam applicants as blooming cherry blossoms are traditionally metaphors for passing exams.

Towers in cherry blossom color

Towers in cherry blossom color

TOKYO, Japan - Combination photo shows Tokyo Tower (L) and Kyoto Tower illuminated in pink, the color of cherry blossoms, on Jan. 17, 2014, on the eve of nationwide university entrance exams. The illumination was meant to cheer exam applicants as blooming cherry blossoms are traditionally metaphors for passing exams.

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOYOOKA, Japan - Former pro baseball player Hideo Nomo holds a picture of himself as a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, during a press conference in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014, after being elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame.

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOKYO, Japan - Koji Akiyama (R), manager of the Softbank Hawks, and former pro baseball player Kazuhiro Sasaki pose for photos at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2014, after being elected to the hall of fame.

U.S. college students pray for American victim

U.S. college students pray for American victim

SENDAI, Japan - A group of students from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia visit the municipal Inai Junior High School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014, after praying in the city for Taylor Anderson, a graduate of the college who was killed in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami while working as an English teacher in Ishinomaki. A foundation set up in memory of Anderson has donated books to the junior high school.

U.S. college students pray for American victim

U.S. college students pray for American victim

SENDAI, Japan - A group of students from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia offer prayers for Taylor Anderson, a graduate of the college, in the area where her body was found in the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014. Anderson was killed in the disaster while working as an English teacher in Ishinomaki.

Japan seeks to double no. of foreign visitors by 2020

Japan seeks to double no. of foreign visitors by 2020

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (2nd from R) speaks at a meeting of Cabinet ministers on efforts to boost tourism, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2014. Abe said the government aims to double the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million a year by the 2020 Olympic Games, after the number topped 10 million in 2013 for the first time.

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOKYO, Japan - Koji Akiyama (R), manager of the Softbank Hawks, and former pro baseball player Kazuhiro Sasaki shake hands at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2014, after being elected to the hall of fame.

Nintendo projects 25 bil. yen loss for FY 2013

Nintendo projects 25 bil. yen loss for FY 2013

OSAKA, Japan - Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., holds a press conference in Osaka on Jan. 17, 2014. Iwata said Nintendo expects to post a net loss of 25 billion yen for the year through March 2014, instead of an earlier projected profit of 55 billion yen, on weaker-than-expected game console and software sales in the yearend shopping season.

Chinese foreign minister

Chinese foreign minister

BEIJING, China - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a press conference in Beijing on Jan. 17, 2014.

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOYOOKA, Japan - Former pro baseball player Hideo Nomo holds a press conference in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014, after being elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame.

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in September 2002 shows Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nomo was elected to Japan's Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 17, 2014.

Fire at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal plant

Fire at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal plant

TOKYO, Japan - Photo from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fire having broken out at a steel plant of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 17, 2014.

Fire at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal plant

Fire at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal plant

TOKYO, Japan - Photo from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fire having broken out at a steel plant of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on Jan. 17, 2014.

Satellite on H-2A rocket

Satellite on H-2A rocket

KAGOSHIMA, Japan - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency unveils the main satellite for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 17, 2014. The satellite will be carried by the 23rd H-2A rocket to be launched in February.

State secrecy panel

State secrecy panel

TOKYO, Japan - Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman of a panel of seven experts on rules for how to designate and disclose state secrets, speaks as the panel began discussions on the issue at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2014. Watanabe heads newspaper group Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.

Inspection at elementary school

Inspection at elementary school

HAMAMATSU, Japan - Local health officials examine an elementary school kitchen in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2014, after 905 students at 14 schools in the city were absent due to vomiting and diarrhea suspected to be caused by a norovirus.

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

KOBE, Japan - Photo shows white flowers offered at a monument carrying the names of victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake at Higashi Yuenchi park in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2014, the 19th anniversary of the disaster that claimed the lives of more than 6,400 people.

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

KOBE, Japan - Lights forming 1.17 are seen at Higashi Yuenchi park in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on the early morning of Jan. 17, 2014, the 19th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 6,400 people.

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

19th anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

ITAMI, Japan - People stand in a circle around pictures made with candles and offer prayers for the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake at a memorial event in the city of Itami in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, on Jan. 16, 2014. The earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995, claimed more than 6,400 lives.