Japanese disaster
March 23, 2011
Japan is struggling to recover from the devastating effects of the worst earthquake it has ever experienced and an ensuing tsunami that killed thousands of people and demolished entire towns.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake on March 11 and the waves of water that followed damaged at least four nuclear reactors and raised fears of reactor meltdowns in a country that gets about 30 percent of its energy from nuclear plants.
The economic impact will take weeks to judge, according to analysts, but will certainly be considerable as the natural disasters damaged and closed key port and airports and crippled transportation infrastructure along the country's northeastern coast.
Have a look at Deutsche Welle's coverage of the disaster in Japan and some of the effects it's having around the world.