The event has gained particular signi. cance in the city given fears of another earthquake hitting the city. A computer simulation will recreate the event, showing the areas that were hit hardest by the 'quake.

According to Mary Lou Zobak, one of the simulation's creators, "We hope by making this information available easily the public can become better aware and they need to be asking questions and . nding out more about where they live, where they work, that sort of thing, " she said.

At 5.12am - the exact time the earthquake struck - next Tuesday, the dozen survivors of the disaster will gather at a landmark fountain that served as a place where people met to await news about their families. A minute's silence will be observed. A conference to be held next week in the city will see experts give their views on how San Francisco would cope if a similar disaster were to strike again.

The Queen is amused Queen Elizabeth II of England will celebrate the . rst of her two 80th birthdays on Friday (21 April). This will mark her actual birthday while her of. cial birthday falls on 17 June. A 41-gun Royal Salute will be . red by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park, London at midday to mark the event. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen will meet members of the public on a walkabourt outside Windsor Castle on the morning of her birthday.

"Your majesty's guards are ready to march off, Ma'am" are the words addressed to the Queen by the . eld of. cer commanding the annual parade on Elizabeth R's of. cial birthday. This is followed by the moment when the British monarch moves out and takes position at the head of the Queen's Guard. However this won't take place until her second birthday in June so she's more likely to partake in some nodding, smiling and waving at the crowds during Friday's birthday celebrations.

After all the celebrations next weekend, the Queen will have to take some time out from her hectic schedule as a top monarch and relax ahead of her next birthday bash in June.

Her of. cial birthday is marked each year by a colourful and historic military parade and march-past, known as Trooping the Colour. She also announces her annual birthday honours list on the day. The Queen's birthday is celebrated in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and other Commonwealth countries.

Yesterday's news, tomorrow's winners The winners of the most famous awards in journalism - the Pulitzers - will be announced along with the nominated finalists tomorrow. The 18 judges gathered in Columbia University's journalism building last week to discuss who will get the 14 awards in memory of Hungarian Joseph Pulitzer (far right). The selection and decision process is notoriously secretive. The three finalists in each category are not revealed until the winners are announced. But as usual, blogs and online newspapers are reporting on leaks from judges and confirmations from nominees.

"I am a tomb." - Kathleen Carroll, executive editor of the Associated Press, responding to requests to talk about the winner selection process.

"There is no Jimmy and no family. It was a fabrication. I did so much work on it, but it's a composite. I want to give the prize back. . . I prayed I wouldn't get it, but I never told anybody that." - Janet Cooke (above) from the Washington Post two days after she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for an article about an eight-year-old heroin addict entitled 'Jimmy's World'. The story was a fake.

Among the nominees we know about, reports on Hurricane Katrina feature widely. The Washington Post gets a nod in the investigative category for its revelations about corrupt Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In international news, The New York Times is nominated for its reports on China, while the LA Times is in the running for work on Muslims in Europe, and Steve Fainaru in the Washington Post is also up for an award for his coverage on the war in Iraq. The most intriguing element of this year's nominations is the changing format of journalism, with online material featuring in some categories for the first time.