A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.
A quake of magnitude-5.1 quake hit the area on Wednesday.
The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in 1-1/2 years in the fourth quarter, but a strong rebuilding of stocks by businesses and weak spending on capital goods hinted at slower growth in early 2012.
Japan's core consumer prices fell for the third consecutive month in the year to December, and mild deflation is expected to persist this year as energy prices stabilize and worries about Europe's debt crisis suppress wage growth and economic activity.
California was rocked by an earthquake Thursday morning, about two miles from The Geysers.
What started as simple game for smartphones and tablets turned into a huge sensation. And now the megahit Angry Birds will be making its way onto Facebook.
A new survey conducted by Deloitte suggested Gen Y consumers, generally between the ages of 19 and 31, prefer hybrids or electric vehicles -- vehicles with some electrified elements.
Japan's Nikkei average retreated from a three-month high on Thursday as disappointing results from Fanuc and Fuji Electric weighed, though the Federal Reserve's signal of its readiness to further stimulate the U.S. economy provided support.
The owner of Japan's stricken nuclear reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co, will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout, sources said on Thursday, even as the country debates the future of nuclear power.
Two buildings collapsed in downtown Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, in the latest incident highlighting the failure of authorities to improve the city's infrastructure amid preparations to host soccer's World Cup and the Olympics.
The owner of the stricken Fukushima nuclear reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co, will agree to be taken over by the government in a near-$13 billion bailout, sources said Thursday, even as Japan debates the future of nuclear power.
Asian shares rose on Wednesday, underpinned by strong earnings from U.S. technology giant Apple, stabilizing European money markets and falling eurozone debt yields, with investors shifting their focus from Europe to the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Japan logged a trade deficit of 2.49 trillion yen ($32 billion) for 2011, Ministry of Finance data showed on Wednesday, the first annual deficit since 1980.
Japan has already suffered one earthquake in 2012. But the New Year's Day rumble caused little damage because it was centered deep below the surface. A new study warns, however, that the Tokyo region has a 70 percent chance of experiencing a major earthquake within four years.
There is a 75 percent likelihood of at least a magnitude-7 quake striking the capital within the next four years.
Hawaii's first major earthquake of 2012, a 4.7 on the Richter scale, hit Big Island on Sunday, though no damage or injury was reported.
Kim Schmitz, founder of Megaupload and otherwise known by his alias Kim Dotcom, was arrested by the Department of Justice Thursday for content piracy and losses to copyright owners that amount to $500 million. Schmitz was found by police in his New Zealand mansion's safe room, with what looked like a sawed-off shotgun Detective Inspector Grant Wormald said.
Volkswagen AG, which sold 8.16 million vehicles last year comes second.
General Electric, the U.S.'s largest industrial manufacturer, is expected to report a 22.3 percent fourth-quarter profit increase when it announces its earnings Friday, driven by strong equipment order and pricing trends and growth in the aviation and energy infrastructure sectors. It marks the seventh straight quarter of operating earnings growth.
Japan's Nikkei average hit a five-week closing high on Thursday, soaring past its 75-day moving average as the euro climbed on news that the International Monetary Fund is seeking to bolster its funds to stem the euro zone sovereign debt crisis.
Two policy wonks standing outside the Senate Office building, just to be safe, after a small earthquake hits Washington, D.C. strike up a conversation about what might have caused it.
A 2.5-magnitude earthquake hit south of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning, causing no reported damage, but resulting in two aftershocks.
