WASHINGTON - U.S. police officers cleared tents from an "Occupy" protest site in downtown Washington on Sunday, but demonstrators said even without the camp they would continue to fight for economic equality and other issues. About two dozen protesters in Freedom Plaza, just blocks from the White House, watched calmly as the National Park police and sanitation workers in hazmat suits dismantled protesters' tents, packed bedding and personal belongings into plastic bags and cardboard boxes, citing violations of rules against living in the park.

PARIS - The French and German leaders meet on Monday in Paris for annual talks in which they will seek further economic coordination in the crisis-hit European Union and discuss the escalating violence in Syria.

NEW YORK - A surge in hiring in the world's largest economy last month drove the Nasdaq to an 11-year high as optimism grew that the labor market is on a steady path to recovery. Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 153.49 points, or 1.21 percent, at 12,858.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 19.12 points, or 1.44 percent, at 1,344.66

In a long-awaited surge of hiring, companies added 243,000 jobs in January — across the economy, up and down the pay scale and far more than just about anyone expected. Unemployment fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years.

- At its January policy meeting, the Federal Reserve said it would likely keep interest rates "exceptionally low" until late 2014 in view of the slow pace of the recovery, and adopted for the first time an explicit inflation target. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke also said the U.S. central bank "should be looking to do more" to help the economy if inflation continues to stay low and unemployment stays high.

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday, with all major indexes up more than 1 percent, as upbeat economic data from China and Germany eased concerns about the global economy, while Greece neared a long-delayed deal on a debt swap

BEIJING - China should be able to maintain real economic growth of about 8 percent a year for the next two decades with the right mix of technological innovation and structural reform, World Bank chief economist, Justin Lin, said on Monday. Historical precedent from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea showed sustained high growth was within China's grasp and delivering on it was the most important contribution the world's second biggest economy could make to helping tackle the global fallout from Europe's debt crisis, Lin told Reuters. ...

SHANGHAI - China intends to establish Shanghai as the global centre for yuan trading, clearing and pricing over the next three years as part of broader plans to make the commercial hub an international financial centre by 2020. The plan for Shanghai's financial innovations through 2015, published jointly by the country's economic planning agency and the Shanghai government on Monday, set goals on a wide range of areas aimed at further developing Shanghai, though some analysts said many of them appeared ambitious. ..

NEW YORK - January has turned out strong for equities with just two trading days to go. If you're afraid to miss the ride, there's still time to jump in. You just might want to wear a neck brace.

LOS ANGELES - Hotel companies and real estate firms are optimistic that deal transactions will pick up this year despite concerns about Europe's economy and challenges in obtaining debt financing. While a business-led economic recovery has helped lift U.S