EARTHQUAKE

Taiwan and Japan have an awkward relationship that is compromised and complicated by various intractable issues - namely, Mainland China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has compelled most nations of the earth to deny diplomatic recognition of the island.

Google's decision to cut 20 percent of Motorola's workforce, totaling 4,000, reignited fears that Google valued Motorola's patents dearly when it acquired the mobile manufacturer in May.

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 hit the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia's eastern Pacific coast early Tuesday, but no casualties were reported, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Earthquakes are a recurring phenomenon in Iran as the country is home to major fault lines, covering 90 percent of the nation.

Japan's economic growth slowed down in the April-June quarter compared to the first three months of the year, indicating that the country is losing growth momentum affected by soft global demand and weak consumer spending.

The toll from the two earthquakes that struck northwestern Iran Saturday stands at 250 to 300 people dead and more than 2,000 injured, Iranian state television said Sunday.

Two strong earthquakes struck northwest Iran Saturday, killing 87 people, injuring hundreds and scaring thousands into fleeing their homes as aftershocks continued to hit the area, state media said.

Brazil's former president, Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva, is not on trial himself, but his legacy may be destroyed.

As the Japan observed the 67th anniversary of the atom bomb being dropped on Nagasaki, Japanese officials promised they would strive to have a society that is much less reliant on nuclear energy. The Associated Press reported that around 6,000 people met at a park that was the central point of the 1945 attack.

The Bank of Japan Thursday kept its key policy rate unchanged and refrained from announcing any monetary easing measures citing that the country's economy is picking up moderately.

A 4.1 earthquake hit near Yorba Linda, Calif., at 9:33 a.m. The quake is the latest in a series of earthquakes to hit the Southern California area.

Dormant for over 115 years, Mount Tongariro on New Zealand’s North Island erupted Monday night, spewing ash more than four miles high and hampering travel both on the ground and in the sky.

As Japan struggles to define its approach to nuclear power after Fukushima, today's Hiroshima anniversary recalls just how risky nuclear technology can be.

Each week, we pick the biggest, most dramatic, or most captivating winners and losers in the world of money and business. Here are the winners and losers for July 29-Aug. 4.

Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) reported on Wednesday July U.S. sales rose 45.3 percent to 116,944 as the Japanese automaker continues its robust recovery from last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand.

Nissan Motor Co. (Tokyo: 7201) reported on Wednesday U.S. July Car sales up 16.2 percent over the year before on strong demand for cars, particularly the Altima and Rogue models.

Asian shares fell Wednesday after four days of gains, as expectations of stimulus action this week by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank fade, and following signs of deepening Asian economic stress.

Japan’s industrial output declined in June, which is the third consecutive month showing a fall, indicating that the weakening global demand and the debt burden faced by the euro zone are affecting the country’s economy.

Women in Hong Kong are living longer than those in Japan according to the latest annual report from the Japanese health ministry.

Japan’s retail sales growth slowed down in June as compared to May, indicating that private consumption being affected by the faltering global economic conditions.

A group of U.S. Congress members demanded on Friday that the United Nations take responsibility for the cholera outbreak that hit the nation of Haiti beginning in 2010. The UN has so far not implicated itself in the incident.