CHINA

Was the famous T. rex a feathered predator? A new fossil discovery in China points to yes.

Ford Motor Co has raised its forecast for total 2012 U.S. auto sales after the industry's solid first quarter, Ford President for the Americas Mark Fields said on Wednesday.

Shocking photos of black-market cooking oil produced from garbage, food scraps, and even dead animals have Chinese citizens worried. And now authorities are cracking down on the recycled-oil underground industry.

A $1.9 million car, an eco-friendly Batomobile and a flying car all sat under one roof at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. The NY Auto Show kicked off on Wednesday at with brands like Maserati, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Land Rover and more showing off their up-and-coming vehicles for 2013 as well as concept cars that some might not even dream could exist. Here are some of the hottest cars of the event.

India has promised not to arm the submarines with nuclear weapons, only cruise missiles, in honor of international non-proliferation and security treaties.

China's rise has unsettled many Westerners, especially Americans who fear Chinese influence could overwhelm that of the U.S. As the U.S. struggles through economic recovery, will China seize its chance to lead the world?

China’s Premier Wen Jiabao called the country’s state-owned banks a “monopoly” that has to be broken to allow freer flow of capital to loan-hungry smaller businesses, as the world’s second largest economy appears to have skidded to its slowest growth in three years.

Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), the top provider of Internet gear, announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in new initiatives in Brazil and India.

BTG Pactual, the largest independent investment bank in Latin America, said it is planning to raise up to $2.24 billion in a public offering that could signal the revival of Brazil's IPO market.

Yahoo Inc., the No. 2 search engine, said it will fire 2,000 employees starting Wednesday and incur a charge as high as $145 million in the second quarter.

Thus far, western countries have refrained from suggesting they want to send weapons to Syrian dissidents, although Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already urged such measures.

- China's premier called the country's big banks a monopoly that needed to be broken to get money flowing to cash-starved private firms, as the nation's economy appears to have skidded to its slowest growth in three years.

People all across the globe can now take a 360-degree tour of the White House from the comfort of their own homes as the Google Art Project has collaborated with the historic house to create a virtual Google Maps-like tour of the place.

China's state banks make money far too easily and their monopoly on financial services has to be broken if cash-starved private enterprises are to get timely access to capital, state media cited Premier Wen Jiabao as saying on Tuesday.

China has sent election monitors to check on Myanmar's recent parliamentary elections. The irony of a country without free democratic elections monitoring ballots has not been lost on the Chinese.

Apple Inc shares set a record high on Tuesday after Piper Jaffray supported Topeka Capital Market's assertion that the stock should breach $1,000 in a year or two, propelled by emerging markets growth and new products that could include a revolutionary TV set.

The Saudis are reportedly greatly concerned by Iran’s alleged nuclear power ambitions and the impact of such a development on the Persian Gulf.

A recruiter for Foxconn, the largest manufacturing partner of Apple products, told reporters from TV Tokyo's World Business Satellite that Apple's sixth-generation iPhone, presumably called the iPhone 5, will be released in June. He added that Foxconn is hiring about 18,000 workers to kick production of the new smartphone into high gear before summer.

Global auction house Sotheby's kicked off its spring sales in Hong Kong by selling all lots in a two-day wine sale, outstripping expectations, but the picture was less clear for its Asian and Chinese art sales as buyers became more selective.

Ongoing fiscal troubles in the 17-state currency area have cut share prices of numerous European companies, making them attractive to suitors from abroad.

China's state banks make money too easily and their monopoly on financial services has to be broken if cash-starved private enterprises are to get access to capital when they need it, state media cited Premier Wen Jiabao as saying on Tuesday.