TSUNAMI

Faced with international political tensions, disruptive weather and natural disasters and global economic woes, oil companies in the U.S. and Europe reported overall declining earnings for the fourth quarter, even as they earned. The good news is that the U.S. became a net energy exporter for the first time since 1949.

The risk to public health from a severe nuclear power plant accident in the United States is very small because reactor operators should have time to prevent core damage and reduce the release of radioactive materials, U.S. nuclear regulators said in a study on Wednesday.

At least 52 people are dead and nearly 600 injured after a massive snowstorm battered Japan, dumping some 10 feet of snow on its western coast. The storm, said to be the worst snowstorm in six years, caused at least one steel bridge to collapse and forced school closures in towns and cities across the region.

The health impact of last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan appears relatively small thanks partly to prompt evacuations, the chairman of a U.N. scientific body investigating the effects of radiation said on Tuesday.

Rescue efforts are underway to save abandoned pets in Japan's Fukushima prefecture, and the future isn't looking too bright for all of them, especially those that may be left behind.

Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has leaked more than 600 liters of water, forcing it to briefly suspend cooling operations at a spent-fuel pond over the weekend, but none is thought to have escaped into the ocean.

A quake of magnitude-5.1 quake hit the area on Wednesday.

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.

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.

A full list of the 2012 Oscar nominations.

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.

Hyundai said Tuesday that it was proud to rank highest among automotive brands in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Consumer Retention Study, attributing the honor to an expanding model lineup and better perceptions of Hyundai's quality and appeal across the board in recent years.

DETROIT -- Three years ago at the North American International Auto Show, Nissan North America vice president Al Castignetti watched as most companies dismissed perhaps Nissan's biggest risk -- its electric concept vehicle, the Nissan Leaf.

Japan's Nikkei average edged higher on Tuesday and recovered its footing after better-than-expected Chinese economic data and solid demand at a French treasury bill auction reassured investors in the wake of European debt downgrades.

Acura made noise last week at the Detroit Auto Show, as Honda unveiled the return of the NSX and boldly dubbed it the return of the supercar. And that certainly caught the most eyes on the first day of the press preview at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Ontario's economy expanded 0.7 percent in the third quarter, reversing a 0.2 percent decline in the second quarter and steering Canada's manufacturing heartland away from another recession.

The Jarawa people may be at risk from outsiders but interestingly the primitive tribe is said to have survived the greatest of natural disasters. Not a single Jarawa died from the devastating tsunami of December 2004.