NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

US/ HAWAII'S KONA VILLAGE HIT HARD BY TSUMANI: The village of Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii suffered millions of dollars of damage when the tsunami generated from the Japanese earthquake struck on early on Friday morning. The Big Island's visitor industry was dealt a significant blow by the tsunami. Kailua Pier, where cruise ships unload passengers, has been condemned, a Coast Guard Petty Officer said. An amateur photographer, above, captured the ocean receding at Kailua Pier on Friday morning during one of the tsunami waves. Hotels along Alii Drive were damaged, as were stores and restaurants. King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel sustained heavy water to the lobby, restaurant and kitchen and will be closed an estimated 3 months.  Restaurants damaged included Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and the Kona Inn restaurant. A police spokesman saidd that the West Hawaii damage was concentrated in Kailua-Kona and South Kona, particularly in Napoopoo. Damage was also reported on the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Kauai and Oahu.

WORLD/ WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP MAY BE CANCELED: Germany announced today it will not send a team to next week's world figure skating championships in Tokyo, and international skating officials were weighing whether to even hold the event following the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country. Germany, the United States and several European countries have advised citizens not to travel to Japan, and the German Ice Skating Union said in a statement it would follow that recommendation. The 1st German skaters would have left Wednesday for worlds, which are scheduled to begin March 21 at Yoyogi stadium in Tokyo. US Figure Skating said it was monitoring developments in consultation with the International Skating Union and US Olympic Committee. The United States is sending 15 skaters to worlds, with Meryl Davis and Charlie White favorites to become the 1st Americans to win a world title in ice dance. The ISU initially said Yoyogi stadium had been undamaged by Friday's earthquake, and the worlds would begin as planned. But it said today it was considering canceling the event because of the "very worrisome" nuclear crisis. The ISU said it is waiting for more information from Japanese authorities, and would have another statement by Monday morning at the latest. The last time the world figure skating championships were canceled was in 1961 following the plane crash that killed the entire US team.