JAPAN

The abrupt exit of Jasjit Bhattal, the highest-ranking ex-Lehman executive at Nomura Holdings, marks a crucial juncture for Japan's top brokerage as it decides whether to replace him with an experienced global banker to foster expansion, or with an in-house local to focus on the home market.

Barclays Capital reiterated its belief that China is a big growth opportunity for Apple Inc. and could be bigger than even the U.S., within a few years.

DETROIT -- Soon after the earthquake and tsunami pummeled Japan last March, Nissan sent executives to their suppliers in Japan. They reported what parts had not been affected in what quantities.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered 7.3 magnitude, striking off the coast of teh Aceh province just after midnight early Wednesday. The earthquake's center was 18 miles beneath the ocean floor, the USGS said.

The hands of a symbolic doomsday clock fell back one minute Tuesday to five minutes to midnight, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group that monitors global threats such as climate change, nuclear proliferation and human-caused disasters.

DETROIT -- John Mendel is looking for a big difference in his top-selling model. Due to a variety of factors and circumstances in 2011, Mendel -- Honda's executive vice president of North America -- saw sales of Honda Accord plunge while competitors grew in sales and market share.

Tiffany & Co. (TIF) cut its full-year earnings forecast after sales growth weakened in the U.S. and Europe during the holiday season, raising fear that the economic uncertainty might be reining the demand of luxury shoppers.

When Hollywood's top stars, including George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Steven Spielberg, attend the Golden Globe Awards next week they will sip vintage champagne and nibble edible gold.

It is unclear how many prisoners would be released or their identities or which types of crimes will be pardoned.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, the second-largest U.S. bank by assets, is cutting around a fifth of its managing directors across its Asia investment banking division, sources said on Monday, in a bid to cut costs as the outlook sours in a once-booming region.

The Nikkei share average edged up on Tuesday after revenue at U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa beat expectations, while Olympus jumped 20 percent on reports it would remain listed, but the benchmark remained stuck below key resistance ahead of events in Europe.

In

Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp is suing 19 current and former executives, including its current president, for up to almost $50 million in compensation, as it struggles to recover from one of the nation's worst accounting scandals.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch is cutting around a fifth of its managing directors across its Asia investment banking division, sources said Monday, in a bid to cut costs as the outlook sours in a once-booming region.

Olympus said Tuesday it was suing 19 current and former executives, including President Shuichi Takayama, for up to 3.6 billion yen in compensation and that all current board members subject to the lawsuit would resign in March or April.

Olympus Corp said on Tuesday it was suing 19 current and former executives including President Shuichi Takayama for up to 3.6 billion yen ($46.84 million) in compensation and that all current board members subject to the lawsuit would resign in March or April, as the firm struggles to recover from one of Japan's worst accounting scandals.

DETROIT -- When Joe Baker was doing research for the new concept car he was designing for Chevrolet, one piece of information stood out. Baker, who designed the Code 130R concept, looked most at United States Census data that said 80 million American consumers are approaching the age of 30.

They are apparently on a hunger strike as well.

Good intentions. They come around every year and are practically synonymous with champagne toasts on December 31.

Japan's Olympus Corp has sued its current president and three ex-directors for several million dollars in compensation, sources told Reuters on Monday, as the company seeks to draw a line under one of the nation's worst accounting scandals.

The birth of a Royal baby would likely soar above either Beyonce and Aishwarya in terms of media coverage and public interest.