News in brief

BEIJING. China’s inflation almost climbed to a 12-year high in April, swamping official efforts to cool surging living costs that could provoke unrest ahead of the Beijing Olympics. The government, which took further steps yesterday to tame the inflation, faces the possibility of more sharp price hikes, some analysts warned.    AP

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL. The automobile maker Renault-Nissan has announced a tie up with an Indian company to produce a car costing just $2,500. The car, which has the codename ULC and which will be produced in collaboration with Bajaj Motors, is expected to become the world’s cheapest, taking that title from the Nano, which is produced by Tata Motors.    METRO