BEIJING (AFP) ― Pedestrians are flattened by trucks as they walk along China’s highways, cyclists are flipped high in the air by speeding cars and sudden death haunts the anything-goes intersections in cities.Global automakers may be salivating over massive car sales in the world’s most populous nation, but hundreds of people die on China’s roads each day ― and some of their deaths are shown in gruesome detail on television.The carnage in Beijing alone is staggering, prompting a local television

Top U.S. financial regulator issues recommendations to implement controls on banksRegulators should carry out a “robust implementation” of the Volcker rule by forcing banks to wind down or sell trading desks that don’t comply with the law, the U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council said.Government agencies should require banks to perform “quantitative analysis to detect potentially impermissib

Tunisia announces new national unity government after one-party rule, but protesters want moreTUNIS (AP) ― Tunisia took a step toward democracy and reconciliation Monday, promising to free political prisoners and opening its government to opposition forces long shut out of power ― but the old guard held onto the key posts, angering protesters.Demonstrators carrying signs reading “GET OUT!” demande

DETROIT (AP) ― Sharp designs with pizzazz, power and elegance helped pull in crowds during the public opening Saturday of the North American International Auto Show, with U.S automakers doing their best to impress consumers looking for signs of the industry’s recovery.Thousands of people from around the world filed from exhibit to exhibit inside the sprawling Cobo Center in Detroit. They perused t

Japanese borrowing costs may rise if the country’s fiscal condition remains “unhealthy,” with bond sales exceeding tax revenue, the country’s new economy and fiscal policy minister said.“If the unhealthy situation continues for a long time, long-term interest rates will inevitably rise and hurt Japan’s global credibility,” said Kaoru Yosano at a news conference late Saturday in Tokyo after being a

MADRID (AFP) ― Real Madrid fought back from a goal down to defeat city rivals Atletico 3-1 in the first leg of the Spanish Cup quarter-finals Thursday.Atletico were ahead after just seven minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu when Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan was on target following a bright burst from Sergio Aguero which was ended by goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ clumsy challenge.But Sergio Ramos powere

 AUSTIN, Texas (AFP) ― U.S. Olympic hero Michael Phelps returns to the competition pool for the first time since late August when he races in the Austin Grand Prix long course meeting that starts here Friday.USA Swimming said Phelps was slated to compete in the three-day event, the second of seven events in the domestic Grand Prix series.Ryan Lochte, who earned six short course world titles and se

SYDNEY (AFP) ― Two-time champion Kim Clijsters will play China’s Li Na in the final of the Sydney International after a marathon three-set victory on Thursday.Clijsters struggled early in the heat before storming home in a final set tiebreaker to overcome unseeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) in 2hr 39min.The Belgian third seed will now take on Li, who earlier wore down Serbian qu

Demand strong for bond, but bailout worries lingerLISBON (AFP) ― Portugal said it passed a key test on Wednesday with a successful bond sale but analysts were cautious, arguing that a bailout remains a real possibility to ease its debt problems ― and those of the eurozone.The government raised 1.25 billion euros ($1.6 billion), the maximum it sought, attracting strong interest and slightly lower r

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Intel Corp. is paying $1.5 billion to end a fight it started with Nvidia Corp. over a key computer technology.The legal battle centered Nvidia’s ability to make “chipsets” that are compatible with Intel’s latest processors ― a fight that has implications for many of the world’s computer users, since Intel and Nvidia’s chips are ubiquitous.Nvidia is a top maker of graphics chip

Portuguese bond yields hit record highs as fear of spreading debt contagion risesLISBON (AP) ― Borrowing rates for Portugal briefly spiked after reports over the weekend that Germany and France are pushing it to accept outside help to keep the debt crisis in Europe from spreading.The yield on Portuguese 10-year bonds, a key gauge of investor sentiment, rose to 7.18 percent at one point on Monday,

Bernanke: 4-5 years to reach normal unemployment; $600b support program still neededWASHINGTON (AP) ― Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sketched a more optimistic view of the economy Friday but said the Fed’s $600 billion bond-buying program is needed because unemployment will likely stay elevated for up to five more years.Bernanke told the Senate Budget Committee that there’s rising evidence

China’s economy expanded at about 10 percent in 2010, according to an estimate by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, the official Xinhua news agency reported, a pace forecast to slow as policy makers seek to stem inflation.Li, on a nine-day tour of Spain, Germany and the U.K., also estimated that retail sales in the world’s most populous nation climbed 18.5 percent last year from a year earlier, Xinhua also

Private-payroll report lifts hopes for more hiring despite skepticism over ADP's dataWASHINGTON (AP) ― Companies added nearly 300,000 jobs in December, according to an unofficial count by a private payroll firm ― more than in any month in the past decade. The news raised hopes that the government’s official report Friday on last month’s job creation could be a blockbuster.While there were reasons

Technology becoming important to restaurants and tabletop ordering devices only stand to multiplyCHICAGO (AP) ― The bar is buzzing on a busy night at Chicago Cut steakhouse as regulars Keith and Peg Bragg sit at a high table scanning the wine list.Within seconds, they have all bottles under $40 at their fingertips using an iPad supplied by their server.“You can very quickly look through to see the

The yuan’s appreciation may slow this year after the currency strengthened beyond 6.6 per dollar for the first time in 17 years, as China seeks to stem inflows that may fuel inflation, the most-accurate forecasters for 2010 said.The yuan will advance 4.6 percent to 6.3 per dollar, after climbing 3.6 percent in just over six months, said Yen Ping Ho, the head of Asian foreign-exchange strategy for

PHNOM PENH (AFP) ― Grieving families in Cambodia were due to pay their last respects Wednesday to relatives among the nearly 380 victims killed in a massive stampede at a water festival in the capital.The annual three-day celebration ended in tragedy Monday, with survivors recalling scenes of fear and panic as crowds surged on an overcrowded bridge, crushing and trampling people underfoot.Relatives were left with a harrowing search through hospitals and makeshift morgues in the capital Phnom Pen