AP National Business

By KRISHAN FRANCIS and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s prime minister says the island nation’s debt-laden economy has “collapsed” as it runs out of money to pay for food and fuel. The country is seeking help from neighboring India and China and from the International Monetary Fund. Prime Minister

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and MIKE CORDER Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union agreed Thursday to put Ukraine on a path toward EU membership, acting with uncharacteristic speed and unity to pull the embattled country further away from Russia’s influence and bind it more closely to the West. Meeting at a summit in Brussels,

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany has activated the second phase of its three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies, saying the country faces a “crisis” and warning that storage targets for the winter are at risk due to dwindling deliveries from Russia. The government said Thursday that the decision to raise

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Firefighting crews are battling a wind-driven wildfire that has blackened swaths of pine forest near a popular resort in southwestern Turkey and driven hundreds of people from their homes. More than 2,500 firefighters, aided by water-dropping planes and helicopters, were deployed on Thursday. The blaze erupted late on Tuesday in the

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer DETROIT (AP) — High gas prices have Wallace Reid looking for a new career. Reid, who drives for Uber and Lyft in New York, fills up his Lexus at least three times a week. He pays around $95 each time, about double what he was paying last year. To

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said the conflict in Ukraine has “sounded an alarm for humanity,” but proposed no solutions. China continues to assume a position of neutrality while backing its ally Russia by refusing to criticize its invasion of Ukraine or even to refer to it as an invasion in deference

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco police say one man was killed and another was wounded in a shooting on a commuter subway train. Two San Francisco supervisors say the deceased victim and gunman appeared to know each other and got into an altercation. The shooting

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing stubbornly high gas prices that average about $5 a gallon nationwide, President Joe Biden has urged Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months. If savings from the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal tax on gas are fully passed along to consumers, drivers would save

The Associated Press Stocks gave up an afternoon gain and ended slightly lower on Wall Street Wednesday. Energy companies helped pull the market lower after crude oil prices sank. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% and the Nasdaq lost 0.1%. The price of U.S. crude oil fell 4%. Investors

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines says passengers with PreCheck can now pass through security checkpoints at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with a face scan and phone app. They won’t need to show their driver’s license or passport. The airline said Wednesday that it plans to expand the service later this year to other

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Sonoco Products, Korn Ferry rise; Chevron, Altria fall.

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — The first storm of the new hurricane season hit Cuba in mid-June and collapsed or damaged dozens of homes in the capital — tearing off pieces of roof, balconies and facades. That highlighted one of Cuba’s main social problems: a shortage of quality housing caused by decades

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain is facing the second of three national railway strikes after new negotiations between union and employers ended in deadlock. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union accused the government of “wrecking” Wednesday’s talks. It said the 24-hour walkout by 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Houston dredging company has been ordered to pay a $1 million fine for an oil spill that occurred when a subcontractor cut through a pipeline during Louisiana barrier island restoration work in 2016. A news release says Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company was sentenced last week for violating the

By FRANK BAJAK Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — Microsoft says “strategic espionage” by state-backed Russian hackers has targeted government agencies, think tanks, businesses and aid groups in 42 countries supporting Ukraine. Microsoft says in a report that hacking has been successful 29% of the time and that data was stolen in at least one-quarter of

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Dozens of Serbian car factory workers have blocked a key motorway in the capital Belgrade to protest layoff and relocation plans. The workers traveled from the central town of Kragujevac, where the factory is located, to Belgrade, saying they wanted to press for their demands for better severance deals for the

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is expanding health care coverage for employees who want to enlist the services of a doula, a person trained to assist women during pregnancies, to address racial inequities in maternal care. After first offering doulas to employees in Georgia last year, the nation’s largest

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s Groundhog Day at the IRS. After digging out of a daunting backlog from 2021, the agency has an even bigger backup for this tax season than it did a year ago and its pace for processing paper returns is slowing down, according to a watchdog report

By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing logistical support to import the equivalent of about 16 million 8-ounce baby formula bottles from Mexico starting this weekend, as part of its efforts to ease nationwide supply shortages caused by the closure of the largest U.S. manufacturing

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The head of the European Space Agency says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the need for the continent to become less dependent on other nations. Josef Aschbacher told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that the collapse of a joint Mars mission with Russia was “a

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers are requiring deeper emission cuts from power plants, factories and planes in Europe while endorsing an unprecedented import tax to step up the fight against global warming. The European Parliament on Wednesday advanced draft climate legislation that would slash the EU’s greenhouse gases by at least 55% in 2030

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he wants to discuss the outlines of a “Marshall plan for Ukraine” with the leaders of the Group of Seven countries at their upcoming summit. Scholz hopes for a united front on long-term support for Ukraine when he hosts the annual G-7 summit in Bavaria next week.

By MATTHEW BROWN and AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (AP) — Throngs of tourists gleefully watched the legendary Old Faithful geyser shoot towering bursts of steaming water while others got stuck in “bison jams” on picturesque valley roads as visitors returned Wednesday for the partial reopening of Yellowstone National Park after destructive

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell sought Wednesday to reassure the public that the Fed will raise interest rates high and fast enough to quell inflation, without tightening credit so much as to throttle the economy and cause a recession. Testifying to the Senate Banking Committee, Powell

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A strike by government workers in North Macedonia has disrupted services over a pay dispute between unions and the country’s center-left government fueled by high inflation. Police associations, health care workers, municipal employees and others joined Wednesday’s strike,. It left essential services running with emergency staffing levels. The National Federation

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank has raised its key interest rate significantly as it tries to combat soaring inflation. The hike of a percentage point and a quarter brought the interest rate to 7.00%, the highest level since early 1999. It was the ninth straight increase since

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds Tesla isn’t the only player in the all-electric sport sedan market anymore. BMW and Polestar have recently introduced their own Model 3 rivals: the i4 and Polestar 2. But which of the two performed better in Edmunds’ real-world testing and has more to offer? We compare the BMW i4 and Polestar

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s prime minister says a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose will be offered to nursing home residents and people age 50 and over in Denmark this fall. There is a rise in cases of the BA.5 coronavirus variant in Europe. And Denmark’s government wants to move swiftly to avoid potential restrictions or

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy’s political landscape has shifted after Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio formalized his departure from the 5-Star Movement. Di Maio announced his departure after Premier Mario Draghi briefed the Senate on Italy’s continued commitment to helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia. The president of the lower Chamber

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — More than a thousand firefighters, aided by water-dropping planes and helicopters, are battling a wildfire that erupted overnight near a popular resort in southwestern Turkey forcing dozens of home evacuations. An official voiced hope Wednesday that the blaze — one year after the worst wildfires in

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors have barred dozens of people connected to Terraform Labs from leaving the country as they expand an investigation into a $40 billion collapse of the company’s cryptocurrency that devastated traders around the world. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday it plans to summon them for

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA Associated Press STROE, Netherlands (AP) — Thousands of farmers have gathered in the central Netherlands to protest the Dutch government’s plans to rein in emissions of nitrogen oxide and ammonia. They drove their tractors across the country in slow-moving convoys and snarled traffic on major highways Wednesday. The protest was organized after

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s inflation rate hit 9.1% in May, a new 40-year high and up slightly from the previous month. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that consumer price inflation rose slightly from 9% in April, itself the highest level since 1982. Chief economist Grant Fitzner said “continued steep food price rises and

By DENG MACHOL Associated Press JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — Some young girls are still auctioned off into marriage for cows in South Sudan — one of the social challenges that activists had hoped to highlight during Pope Francis’ now-postponed visit. The price of a daughter, determined in negotiations between her father and would-be husband,

By SUZAN FRASER and AYSE WIETING Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and Saudi Arabia have declared their readiness to start a “new era of cooperation.” The declaration came Wednesday during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — his first to Turkey since the brutal slaying of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi

By CIARÁN GILES and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Extended drought conditions in several Mediterranean countries, a heat wave last week that reached northern Germany and high fuel costs for aircraft needed to fight wildfires have heightened concerns across Europe this summer. And it’s only June. “Much of the continent is in drought,”

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty in New Zealand to their involvement in running the once wildly popular pirating website Megaupload. The pleas by Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk at the Auckland High Court ended their 10-year legal battle on charges that included racketeering.

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A Chinese court has sentenced a man to 18 months in prison after an Alibaba employee went public about being sexually assaulted at a business dinner. The man represented a supermarket in talks for business dealings with the Chinese e-commerce giant and met the Alibaba employee

By KRUTIKA PATHI and BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, the worst in its history, has completely recast the lives of the country’s once galloping middle class. For many families that never had to think twice about fuel or food, the effects have been instant and painful, derailing

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Firefighter groups are applauding the Biden administration’s steps to raise pay but warn that the temporary wage hikes won’t be enough to combat staffing problems, as federal agencies compete with local fire departments and big box stores in a tight labor market. “It’s an effort

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. officials are pledging to be good neighbors to those in rural west Tennessee who live near the automaker’s planned electric truck factory, a project expected to create thousands of jobs and change the face of the region. More than 200 people attended a

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, ANDI JATMIKO and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese man accused of defrauding the government of $7.3 million intended for small Japanese businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic has been arrested on board a flight after being deported from Indonesia. Police confirmed the arrest of Mitsuhiro Taniguchi. He was

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer The National Labor Relations Board is asking a federal court to order Starbucks to stop interfering with unionization efforts at its U.S. stores. It’s the third time the board has filed a case in federal court against Starbucks since December, when a store in Buffalo, New York, became the

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — There’s a shortage of pilots at many airlines, and pilot unions are demanding higher pay in contract negotiations. On Tuesday, hundreds of uniformed Southwest Airlines pilots picketed at the Dallas airport to protest the lack of progress on a new contract. The picketing is taking place

RANDALIA, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa farmer has pleaded not guilty to livestock neglect after 3,000 hogs died on his property. Derek David Smith filed the written plea Monday in Fayette County District Court. Court records say the 41-year-old Smith was hired by Valley Farms to care for the hogs on his property near

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A Google executive is warning the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that cyberattacks, disinformation and other forms of information warfare being waged in Ukraine are a “crystal ball” for future problems elsewhere. Jared Cohen addressed the council Tuesday. He heads Jigsaw, a part of Google that aims to build technology to combat

By HALELUYA HADERO Two Black executives at Amazon are leaving the company. The e-commerce juggernaut confirmed the news Tuesday hours after CEO Andy Jassy named a new head for the company’s troubled retail business. That unit has been burdened with a glut of warehouse space after a massive expansion during the pandemic. John Felton, an

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell won praise for his deft leadership during the maelstrom of the pandemic recession. As threats to the U.S. economy have mounted, though, Powell has increasingly struck Fed watchers as much less sure-footed. Inflation has proved higher and far more persistent than

By ARLEIGH RODGERS and CLAIRE SAVAGE Associated Press/Report for America INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Manager Ashley Ford strode the perimeter of one of Indianapolis’ five open swimming pools, monitoring kids as they jumped off a diving board or careened into the water from a curved slide. Four lifeguards, whistles at the ready, watched from their tall

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed for the fourth consecutive month in May as climbing mortgage rates and prices discouraged many would-be buyers. The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that existing home sales fell 3.4% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.41

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected Bayer’s appeal to shut down thousands of lawsuits claiming its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The justices on Tuesday left in place a $25 million judgment in favor of Edwin Hardeman, who says he developed cancer from using Roundup for decades to treat

By THALIA BEATY and GLENN GAMBOA Associated Press Charitable giving in the United States reached a record $485 billion in 2021, though the increase did not keep pace with inflation. That’s according to a report Tuesday that offers a comprehensive look at American philanthropy. The Giving USA report says donations in 2021 were 4% higher

MILAN (AP) — Neither inflation nor war in Ukraine seem to be threatening to take a bite out of the luxury fashion market. While much of the world frets over higher fuel and energy prices, a new study of global luxury by Bain & Company consultancy released Tuesday indicates that high-end market sales of personal

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister says the current security crisis in Europe shows that Europe cannot defend itself without the United States. But he also argued Tuesday that NATO members in Europe should take more responsibility for their own defense. Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau told a gathering of Polish ambassadors said that Poland

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter’s board is recommending that shareholders approve the proposed $44 billion sale of the company to billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk reiterated his desire to move forward with the acquisition last week during a virtual meeting with Twitter employees, though shares of Twitter remain far below his

By YURAS KARMANAU, JOHN LEICESTER and DAVID KEYTON Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks are laying down a curtain of fire across areas of eastern Ukraine where pockets of resistance are denying Moscow full military control of the region. A regional official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that “everything that can burn

By MATT OTT and DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writers Kellogg Co., the maker of Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies and Eggo, will split into three companies focused on cereals, snacks and plant-based foods. Kellogg’s, which also owns plant-based food maker MorningStar Farms, said Tuesday that the spinoff of the yet-to-be named cereal and plant-based foods companies

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of railway workers have walked off the job in Britain, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike in three decades. Tuesday’s action could be a precursor to a summer of labor discontent. About 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday depicted former Theranos executive Ramesh “Sunny”” Balwani as an instrumental accomplice in a fraud hatched by his secret lover, former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. In turn, his lawyers depicted him as a loyal soldier who tried to save the blood-testing

By LAUREN SCHWAHN of NerdWallet Heading into the second half of 2022, it’s a good time to pause and check in on your financial life. But what should your midyear money checklist include? While you may not be able to address every financial matter, there are a few items that are worth some extra attention.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A Native American is being appointed U.S. treasurer, a historic first. The White House on Tuesday announced President Joe Biden’s intent to appoint Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba as his administration establishes an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department, which will be overseen by the

By ALBERT AJI Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s state news agency says a flight by a private Syrian airline has landed at an airport used by Russia’s military in the country’s coastal province of Latakia. The Cham Wings flight from the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday was the first to land in at

By CARA ANNA Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ukraine’s leader has told the African Union that the continent has been “taken hostage” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid catastrophically rising food prices. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s closed-door speech Monday followed weeks of requests for him to address African nations. Many of them retain close ties

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press The trade association for U.S. nuclear plant operators says it hopes to nearly double their output over the next three decades. Those plans hang on the functionality of a new type of nuclear reactor that’s far smaller than traditional reactors. The industry is generating less electricity as reactors retire. Even

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant has capsized in the South China Sea less than a week after it was towed away from the city, its parent company said Monday. The restaurant encountered “adverse conditions” on Saturday as it was passing the Xisha Islands, also known

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal officials and tribal nations have formally reestablished a commission to oversee land management decisions at a national monument in Utah — among the first such joint governance agreements signed by Native Americans and U.S. officials. Leaders from agencies including the Bureau of Land Management

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers say they’ll investigate why the state’s gas prices are the highest in the U.S. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced a bipartisan committee on Monday to investigate gas price gouging. The average price per gallon was $6.40 in California on Monday compared to the national

NEW YORK (AP) — JetBlue is boosting its offer to buy Spirit Airlines, raising the stakes again in the bidding war over the nation’s biggest budget airline. JetBlue said Monday that it offered $33.50 per share, or $2 per share more than its last bid two weeks ago. JetBlue is trying to outbid Frontier Airlines,

LONDON (AP) — Paramount+ flexed the star power of its shows as it prepares to launch in the United Kingdom with a London event attended by Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, Kevin Costner, Jessica Chastain and more. The expansion delivers overseas popular programs like Costner’s “Yellowstone” and “Star Trek Discovery” to U.K. audiences. Subscribers will also

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have finally sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill that would bar police from making arrests on a charge of loitering for prostitution, nine months after it passed the Legislature. Sen. Scott Wiener took the unusual step of holding his bill until Monday. It passed

DENVER (AP) — A Nebraska man has pleaded guilty in federal court to making death threats against Colorado’s top elections official. Officials say it’s the first such plea obtained by a federal task force devoted to protecting elections workers across the U.S. who have been subject to increasing threats since the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — East Africa’s leaders have responded to the threat of war between Rwanda and Congo by instructing a new regional force to deploy in eastern Congo and ordering an immediate cease-fire. A statement after the meeting in Kenya’s capital does not give details on the date of deployment of the force or

By MAURICIO SAVARESE Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — The chief executive of Brazil’s state-run oil giant Petrobras resigned amid political pressure from top lawmakers and President Jair Bolsonaro. José Mauro Coelho held the job for less than two months. A filing of the oil giant to Brazil’s security authority said that Coelho chose to

By AAMER MADHANI and JOSH BOAK Associated Press REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that he will decide by the end of the week whether he would support a federal gasoline tax holiday, possibly saving U.S. consumers as much as 18.4 cents a gallon. “Yes, I’m considering it,” Biden told reporters

By ANDREA ROSA and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Holed up in a bombed-out house in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops keep a careful accounting of their ammunition, using a door as a sort of ledger. Scrawled in chalk on the door are figures for mortar shells, smoke shells, shrapnel shells, flares. Despite

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Circle is the company behind USD Coin, the second-largest so-called “stablecoin” in the crypto industry. Unlike more popular cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, stablecoins are typically backed by gold, government bonds, cash or other assets, and are typically priced on a 1:1 ratio with the U.S. dollar.

BERLIN (AP) — The German government says it remains committed to its goal of phasing out coal as a power source by 2030, despite deepening worries about a cut in Russia’s gas supplies. Russia’s Gazprom announced last week that it was sharply reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany for what it