Toyota starts fixing Priuses recalled in Japan
TOKYO (AP) -- Prius owners in Japan are rushing to dealers Wednesday, a day after Toyota's president announced a global recall. Instead of screwdrivers and wrenches, what the mechanic is using to tackle the fix is a small laptop-like device that rewrites programming for the brakes....

World stocks rise as Europe debt crisis fears ease
BANGKOK (AP) -- World stock markets rose Wednesday on hopes a government debt crisis in Europe can be quarantined to smaller economies....

AP sources: FAA eyes hefty fines for American
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is close to wrapping up a two-year investigation of safety violations at American Airlines that could result in one of the largest fines in the agency's history, according to government and industry officials familiar with the investigation....

Honda adds 437,000 cars to global air bag recall
TOKYO (AP) -- Honda Motor Co. is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month-old global recall for faulty air bags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese automaker....

Sanofi-Aventis Q4 profit up on swine flu vaccines
PARIS (AP) -- Sanofi-Aventis reported a 10 percent increase in fourth quarter net profit Wednesday as strong sales of its swine flu vaccine drove full year earnings above expectations....

Latest plan to cut farm subsidies likely dead
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- If history and the political lineup are any guides, President Barack Obama's latest effort to cut subsidies for wealthy farmers likely will fare no better than his first try - or his predecessor's attempt....

Nordea profit drops 30 percent in Q4
STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Nordea Bank AB, the largest banking group in the Nordic region, reported Wednesday a nearly 30 percent drop in fourth-quarter net profit, due mainly to rising costs and loan losses....

China exports show trade recovery on track
BEIJING (AP) -- China's export growth accelerated in January and imports rose, adding to signs a recovery in global and Chinese demand is on track....

New report: Consumers spent modestly in January
NEW YORK (AP) -- Americans backed off from holiday spending in January, but retail sales rose for a third month in a row compared with a year earlier, largely because of gas price hikes, according to figures released Wednesday by a key data service....

Baidu posts jump in 4Q earnings as revenue climbs
BEIJING (AP) -- Baidu Inc., which operates China's most popular Internet search engine, said its quarterly earnings jumped 48 percent, beating expectations on strong revenue growth....