Company to block dissenting tweets in specific countriesNEW YORK (AP) ― Twitter, a tool of choice for dissidents and activists around the world, found itself the target of global outrage Friday after unveiling plans to allow country-specific censorship of tweets that might break local laws.It was a stunning role reversal for a youthful company that prides itself in promoting unfettered expression, 140 characters at a time. Twitter insisted its commitment to free speech remains firm, and sought t

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ― Economist Nouriel Roubini, nicknamed “Dr. Doom” for his gloomy predictions in the run-up to the financial meltdown four years ago, says the fallout from that crisis could last the rest of this decade.Roubini, widely acknowledged to have predicted the crash of 2008, sees tough times ahead for the global economy and is warning that without major policy changes things can still get much worse.Until Europe radically reforms itself and the U.S. gets serious about its own deb

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ― Chinese investment abroad is drawing scrutiny as global leaders increasingly look to China to prop up the world economy, even though some remain wary of the country’s dominance.The head of one of China’s biggest private equity firms said at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that foreign prejudice about Chinese investment is unfair and that Chinese investors are still learning a game that much of the world has been playing for decades.With China’s “state capitalism” b

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) ― A four-year economic crisis has left societies battered and widened the gap between the haves and have-nots, financial leaders conceded Wednesday ― with one suggesting that Western-style capitalism itself may be endangered.As Europe struggles with its debt crisis and the global economic outlook remains gloomy at best, there’s a sense at the heavily guarded World Economic Forum that free markets are on trial.Many at the elite economic gathering in the Swiss Alps accept t

LISBON (AP) ― The yield on Portuguese bonds in the secondary market climbed to euro-era records Wednesday amid market fears that the bailed-out country won’t be able to break free of its financial crisis in the near future. The yield on 3-year bonds reached 19.4 percent Wednesday. The rate on 5-year bonds was 18.7 percent and on 10-year bonds was 14.6 percent. Portugal needed a 78 billion-euro ($101 billion) rescue package last year as its high debt load and feeble growth pushed it towards bankr

German chancellor warns Germany cannot be relied on to bailout all European countriesBERLIN (AP) ― German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stuck to her agenda of reform for Europe’s debt-troubled countries, warning that her country doesn’t have an infinite ability to help.Speaking in an interview with six European newspapers published Wednesday, Merkel also dismissed increasing pressure for the 17 countries that use the euro to beef up their financial firewall, clashing with comments made by Interna