QUAKE

You felt it from the floor through the chair, and all the windows started rattling, Steve Lang, a retired AT&T manager who lives in Danville, Va., about 150 miles from the epicenter, told IBTimes.

An earthquake sent tremors from Washington to New York City Tuesday afternoon, and U.S. geological officials and other authorities said it was a 5.9 magnitude earthquake based in Virginia. As of 3 p.m. EDT, there were no reports of any casualties.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northeastern Japan off Fukushima prefecture on Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, although no damage was reported and a tsunami advisory for the area was lifted after no waves were sighted.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 jolted northeastern Japan off Fukushima prefecture Friday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, but no damage was reported and a tsunami advisory was lifted after no waves were sighted.

U.S. industrial output recorded its best gain in seven months in July as the auto sector bounced back from supply disruptions wrought by Japan's devastating earthquake in March.

Japan's economy contracted 0.3 percent in April-June, slower than the decline in the previous quarter as output recovers from the devastating earthquake in March, Cabinet Office data showed on Monday.

James Tabuteau has been living in a ramshackle tent camp in Haiti's capital since last year's catastrophic earthquake wrecked his home, struggling to find enough unskilled temporary work to feed his young family.

On a recent trip to Japan's devastated northeast coast, venture capitalist Yoshihito Hori chanced upon a group of fishermen outside an evacuation center collecting wood from the debris where homes once stood. They were pulling out the nails and cutting it up to sell as firewood for 500 yen ($6.37) a bundle.

Toyota Motor Corp slumped to its first quarterly loss in two years after the March 11 disaster virtually halted production, and the Japanese auto giant warned the stronger yen was hobbling it in the battle against South Korean rivals.

Toyota Motor Corp raised its annual profit forecast to a level well below market estimates, warning the stronger yen was hobbling it in the battle against South Korean rivals as it races to restore quake-hit production.

Toyota Motor Corp reported its first quarterly loss in two years on Tuesday as Japan's biggest earthquake hammered production and a strong yen hit export profits, and the company raised its profit forecast on a speedy recovery.

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> reported its first quarterly loss in two years on Tuesday as Japan's biggest earthquake on record hammered production and the yen's rise hit profitability on exports. The company raised its annual forecast.

Japan's biggest consumer electronics makers are expected to show quarterly earnings slumped due to the March earthquake, but investors will focus on whether these companies can meet their forecasts for a swift recovery, given a fragile global economy.

Car makers showed the impact of the Japan disaster with France's PSA Peugeot Citroen warning 2011 profits would be hit and Japan's Nissan Motor <7201.T> posting a 10 percent profit fall.

Nippon Steel Corp <5401.T>, Japan's top steelmaker, forecast profits to rise this year as a slow global economic rebound bolsters demand, outperforming smaller rival JFE Holdings Inc <5411.T> which expects earnings to dwindle on tough competition in Asia's export markets.

Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> reported a smaller-than-expected 10.4 percent decline in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday as it recovered swiftly from a parts shortage that hammered the industry after the March 11 earthquake.

Nissan Motor Co <7201.T> reported a 10 percent fall in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday as a shortage of parts after the March 11 earthquake peaked during the quarter and slashed vehicle production.

Canon Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly profits and raised its annual forecast after it staged a rapid recovery from supply chain woes sparked by the March 11 earthquake.

Quarterly earnings at Asian automakers will show Japanese automakers at their worst after the March 11 earthquake disrupted parts supplies, while South Korean rivals charged ahead with sales gains in major markets.

Japan's major consumer electronics makers are expected to show April-June earnings collapsed due to the March earthquake, but focus is turning to whether they can meet their forecasts for a swift recovery, given a fragile global economy.

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson swung to a second-quarter loss after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan weighed on its earnings more than expected.