Our Great City

Labor unrest among police has led to questions about the ability of Brazil to safely put on Carnival, as well as play host to the World Cup and Olympic Games.

In an attempt to stop the spread of chaos throughout the country one week before Carnival, Brazil on Friday arrested leaders of a police strike in Rio de Janeiro before it got fully underway in that city.

Chinese imports fell 15.3% in January from a year earlier and exports dropped 0.5%, a potential reflection of worsening economic conditions.

Chinese imports and exports fell in January, the first declines in two years and a potential reflection of worsening economic conditions at home and abroad.

The anticipated arrival of a 3-D channel has spurred sales of 3-D-capable TV sets, but China's effort to eliminate 'vulgar' and 'immoral' influences has limited prime-time entertainment content.

Chinese consumers are buying 3-D television sets in record numbers. But they may have nothing more exciting than cooking shows to watch.

Rebels and the government of President Bashar Assad trade blame for the twin bombings in Aleppo, which killed at least 28.

A pair of car bombs killed at least 28 people and left hundreds injured in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, bringing the violence that has raged across much of the country to a pro-government commercial hub whose allegiance is regarded as vital to the survival of President Bashar Assad.

Four Cabinet members quit in protest of the European Union's demands for harsh spending cuts. Unions began a two-day general strike that brought a halt to public transportation.

Greece's precarious financial and political situation was shaken further Friday by a nationwide strike and a wave of Cabinet resignations over demands by the European Union for ever-deeper spending cuts.

Under the new labor rules, a bid to bring down Europe's worst unemployment rate, companies will be able to hire, fire and negotiate pay more freely, and severance packages will be cut.

Spain's new conservative government announced drastic changes to the country's labor system Friday, in some cases altering contract terms that have been untouched for 50 years, in a bid to bring down Europe's worst unemployment rate.

In-N-Out sued when a rival seemed to copy its signature burger. The menu names have changed, but not the drive for a California-style fast-food foothold in China.

Millions of Chinese have come to love Big Macs and Whoppers. So when a California-inspired chain put up signs in Shanghai announcing the coming of the Double-Double, local burger lovers rejoiced.

Bantu farmers may have played a role in transforming the Central African rain forest into drier grasslands, French scientists say.

Deforestation and climate change may sound like familiar concerns to the modern ear. But a team of French scientists is arguing that even 3,000 years ago, humans may have played a role in transforming the Central African rain forest into the savannas we see today.

The killing of Badar Mansoor comes as the United States steps up its pace of drone missile attacks following a six-week hiatus after Pakistani soldiers' death.

An apparent U.S. drone strike early Thursday in northwest Pakistan killed a top Pakistani Taliban commander also serving as a key Al Qaeda operative, local officials said.

European finance ministers want near-bankrupt Greece to prove it can deliver on pledges to slash spending before they approve a new $170-billion bailout.

Greece's political leaders on Thursday agreed to a fresh series of severe spending cuts, but the deal, strung with high drama and suspense, fell short of securing a new $170-billion bailout from foreign creditors that is needed to stave off a chaotic default.

The Spanish jurist, famous for going after dictators such as Chile's Augusto Pinochet, is convicted of overstepping his authority and barred from the bench.

Spain's most famous judge, heralded abroad for seeking to put dictators behind bars, was found guilty Thursday of overstepping his authority in a corruption investigation here.

The reports of new bloodshed come as diplomats grapple with the worsening crisis in Syria. The U.N. and Arab League are considering a joint observer mission.

 

It is unclear what charges the former Maldives president faces. The upheaval in the strategic Indian Ocean nation has sparked concern that China may exploit the unrest.

A criminal court issued an arrest warrant Thursday for deposed Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed amid fear of further violence in the Indian Ocean nation after rioting the day before. It wasn't immediately clear what the charges against him were in the confusing and fast-evolving political crisis.

Nationalists have been dreaming of divorce for years, but many Scots want to stay part of the United Kingdom. A referendum could be held in 2014.

This castled city where highlands and lowlands meet has been fought over many times by the Scots and the English, never more bloodily than in the 13th century battle depicted in the Oscar-winning movie "Braveheart."

Chinese brands, with their low prices, are selling like hot cakes as Latin America's consumer class expands amid rising incomes.

 

The nation says it has struck an agreement on adopting harsh new measures needed to avoid a disastrous bankruptcy.

The nation says it has struck an agreement on adopting harsh new measures needed to avoid a disastrous bankruptcy.

Greece has reached a tentative agreement on new austerity cuts demanded by creditors to release a (euro) 130 billion ($173 billion) bailout.

Greece has reached a tentative agreement on new austerity cuts demanded by creditors to release a (euro) 130 billion ($173 billion) bailout, hours before a crucial meeting of finance ministers in Brussels, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos' office said Thursday.

Greece's government leaders resolve all issues but one — creditors' demands for even deeper pension cuts. With a $170-billion bailout hanging on the outcome, they are due to meet again Thursday.

After seven hours of grueling nighttime negotiations, Greece's fractious coalition government failed to agree on new budget cuts needed to secure a $170-billion bailout intended to stave off default, ease the country's debt woes and pay off foreign creditors.

Chongqing Vice Mayor Wang Lijun disappeared after a visit to a U.S. Consulate. One website says he is under investigation and has been transferred to Beijing.

A crusading former police chief in the boomtown of Chongqing disappeared under unexplained circumstances and reportedly may have tried and failed to obtain political asylum at the nearest U.S. Consulate.

Even as casualties mount in Homs and elsewhere in Syria, a diplomatic impasse has largely blocked any international effort to stop the carnage.