TOKYO (AP) ― A rebound in Japan’s exports in January failed to keep pace with growth in imports, leaving a record 1.63 trillion yen ($17.4 billion) trade deficit. The provisional data released Wednesday show exports for the world’s third-biggest economy rose 6.4 percent to 4.8 trillion yen ($51.2 billion) in January from a year earlier while imports jumped 7.3 percent to 6.43 trillion yen ($68.6 billion) .A weakening in Japan’s currency over the past few months has helped boost export shipments

ATHENS (AP) ― Unions have launched another general strike against austerity measures in Greece, amid predictions unemployment in the crisis-hit country will reach 30 percent this year.The 24-hour protest Wednesday by unions representing private and public sector workers has disrupted flights, halted ferries and crippled public services, in a renewed confrontation between labor groups and the conservative-led government over policies aimed at curbing Greece’s overspending. State-run schools, most

WASHINGTON (AP) ― Ten days before a new deadline for broad, automatic government spending cuts, the sense of urgency that surrounded other recent fiscal crises is absent. Government agencies are preparing to absorb an $85 billion hit to their budgets, and politicians, at least for now, seem willing to accept the consequences.President Barack Obama, back from a Florida golfing weekend, warned Tuesday that “people will lose their jobs” if Congress doesn’t act. But lawmakers weren’t in session to h

PARIS (AFP) ― European data protection agencies intend to take action against the U.S. Internet giant Google after it failed to follow their orders to comply with EU privacy laws, a French agency said on Monday.In October the data protection agencies of the 27 EU states warned Google that its new confidentiality policy did not comply with European law and gave it four months to make changes or face legal action.“At the end of a four-month delay accorded to Google to comply with the European data

PARIS (AFP) ― Swiss food giant Nestle has become the latest retailer hit by Europe’s horsemeat scandal, announcing it is removing pasta meals from supermarket shelves in Italy and Spain due to contamination.“Our tests have found traces of horse DNA in two products,” the world’s biggest food company said in its statement Monday.“The mislabelling of products means they fail to meet the very high standards consumers expect from us,” it added. Therefore the company is “voluntarily removing” two chil

Boeing Co. may suggest a temporary fix to improve the 787’s ability to withstand overheating of its lithium-ion batteries as soon as this week, the Seattle Times reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the plan. The plan calls for a titanium or steel box to be put around the battery cells, and high-pressure tubes to be installed to vent gases outside the aircraft in case of a fire, the newspaper said, citing the people. If the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration were to agree to Boei

Retail sales in China during the weeklong Lunar New Year festival rose at the slowest pace in four years as a crackdown on extravagant spending by officials and state-owned companies limited outlays on food and drink. Sales at shops and restaurants monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased 14.7 percent in the Feb. 9 to Feb. 15 period from the year-earlier break to 539 billion yuan ($86 billion), the ministry said. That was down from a 16.2 percent pace in 2012 and the least since a 13.8 pe

LONDON (AP) ― Tests have found horsemeat in school meals, hospital food and restaurant dishes in Britain, officials said Friday, as the scandal over adulterated meat spread beyond frozen supermarket products. Results were coming in after U.K. food safety officials ordered supermarkets and suppliers to test all processed meals labeled as beef for traces of horsemeat. Whitbread PLC, Britain’s largest hotel and restaurant company, said horse DNA had been found in lasagna and burgers on its menus. T