Chile's Senate unanimously approved a 10 percent wage increase for public workers on Thursday, ending a strike by 400,000 state employees that had halted garbage collection, and affected health and school services. After the 32-0 vote in the Senate, union...

Researchers said Thursday they have identified the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus by comparing DNA from a skeleton and hair retrieved from one of the 16th-century astronomer's books. The findings could put an end to centuries of speculation about the exact...

The California Department of Fish and Game has agreed to stop adding millions of hatchery-raised trout to many of the state's mountain rivers and lakes. The agreement was reached between the state and two environmental groups as part of a 2006 lawsuit over...

The $25 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, desperately sought by Detroit's beleaguered Big Three, collapsed Thursday as Congress drew the line at one more bailout and Democrats said they wouldn't even consider it until the companies produced a...

Against a background of economic turmoil, Bay Area home sales soared and the median price plummeted in October as buyers snapped up bargain foreclosures, according to a real estate report released today. A total of 5,624 resale homes changed hands in the nine-...

PC maker Dell Inc. said Thursday its third-quarter profit fell 5 percent as businesses around the world bought fewer computers and other technology products. Dell's earnings dipped to $727 million in the quarter that ended Oct. 31, down from $766 million a...

Global warming could be a boon to Russia, a European country could be overrun by organized crime and the U.S. and its dollar could further decline in importance during the next two decades, says a U.S. intelligence report with predictions for the world in...

Microsoft Corp. is giving an early holiday gift to people who pay for all-you-can-listen access to the Zune digital music store: 10 songs to keep each month, included in the $14.99 monthly subscription fee. The decision may appeal to people who have been...

A $1 billion network of electric car recharging stations will dot San Francisco Bay area highways under a plan unveiled Thursday that aims to greatly expand the number of electric vehicles on the road. Palo Alto-based Better Place along with San Francisco...

A Northern California congressman who hunts, fishes and grows wine grapes is being promoted for Interior secretary by two prominent fellow lawmakers. California Democratic Reps. George Miller and Anna Eshoo sent a letter to the incoming administration in the...

If Google delivers useless search results, just erase them and you won't see them again. That's possible under a new system Google Inc. unveiled Thursday. Hoping to give its search engine a more personal touch, Google now lets users reshuffle results so their...

Boise State coach Chris Petersen raises a scary prospect as his ninth-ranked and undefeated Broncos prepare for a Saturday shootout with Nevada with an eye on their second trip to a BCS bowl game in three years. He says the Wolf Pack's "pistol" offense _...

Stocks plunged for a second straight day Thursday, falling to levels not seen in at least five years, as financial and energy stocks tumbled while demand for the safety of government debt spiked. Wall Street saw the most intense selling late in the session...

A federal judge says environmentalists' request to stop flows from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to a group of farms farther south isn't the right approach to protect a native fish. A coalition of environmental groups had asked U.S. District Judge Oliver...

Argentina's plan to nationalize $23 billion in private pension funds might protect retirees from the international financial crisis in the short run, but will limit the benefits of an economic recovery by putting all their savings in one government-run...

The number of new and resale homes sold in October and median prices, with annual percentage changes, in selected California counties: COUNTY Units Sold Percent Change Median Price Percent Change San Francisco 414 -21.3 $699,000 -12.1 San Mateo 530 3.5 $...

Banco do Brasil SA plans to spend 5.4 billion reals ($2.3 billion) to boost its stake in Nossa Caixa, expanding its reach a month after losing its spot as Brazil's biggest bank. The deal gives it a 71.3 percent share in Banco Nossa Caixa SA, which is owned by...

A real estate tracking firm says the median price of a home in California plunged about 34 percent last month from a year ago, reflecting a surge in the sale of foreclosed homes. Figures released Thursday by MDA DataQuick show the statewide median home price...

A presidential commission on Thursday recommended that Ecuador default on almost 40 percent of its $10 billion foreign debt, accusing former officials and bankers of profiting from "illegitimate" bond deals. President Rafael Correa, a leftist U.S.-trained...

PepsiCo plans to invest up to $3 billion in Mexico in the next five years to grow its beverages and food brands Sabritas and Gamesa there. The Purchase, N.Y.-based maker of Frito-Lay's and Pepsi says it will spend $2 billion on manufacturing, marketing and...