AP National Business

LONDON (AP) — A British parliamentary committee scrutinizing draft online safety legislation has invited Elon Musk to discuss his plans to buy Twitter and the changes he’s proposing for the social media platform. Parliament’s digital committee asked the Tesla CEO on Wednesday to give evidence about his proposals “in more depth.” Musk said it’s too

By MILES BRANMAN Edmunds The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been redesigned for 2022, boasting greater off-road capability and more creature comforts, but is the refreshed Honda Passport the better buy? Edmunds takes a look at both, weighs the pros and cons, then picks a winner. Will it be the current off-road champ the Grand Cherokee

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer COVID-19 vaccines and tests for the virus continue to boost CVS Health and the health care giant raised its annual forecast after a strong first quarter. The drugstore chain and pharmacy benefit manager said Wednesday that it now expects earnings of $8.20 to $8.40 per share this year. The

By The Associated Press The European Union’s executive commission has proposed phasing out imports of Russian oil within six months. That’s one way to stop paying into the Kremlin’s war chest as it wages war against Ukraine. Europe is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s biggest customer for the oil shipments that support his budget. But Europe

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s central bank has raised its key interest rate to 4.4% from 4% to try to contain fast-rising inflation. Governor Shaktikanta Das said India’s headline consumer price index surged to 7% in March from 6.1% in February, largely reflecting rising costs for imports of oil, coal and other commodities. Das said

ROME (AP) — The United Nations says the number of people without enough to eat on a daily basis reached all-time high last year and is poised to hit “appalling” new levels as the Ukraine war affects global food production. The U.N. said in a report published on Wednesday that almost 193 million people in

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — State-owned Equinor ASA of Norway says one if its plants in the Arctic that had been under repairs since a 2020 fire “is on track for a safe start-up on May 17.” The Stavanger, Norway-based company presented its its first quarter results on Wednesday. Equinor posted revenue of $36.4 billion, up

By JOSH BOAK and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday highlighted new figures showing the government’s red ink will grow less than expected this year and the national debt will shrink this quarter as he tried to counter criticism of his economic leadership amid growing dismay over inflation going

By LORNE COOK and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s chief executive has called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia in a sixth package of sanctions over the war in Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told EU lawmakers on Wednesday that she envisions member

By KRUTIKA PATHI and ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India is selling shares in its largest state-owned insurer in its biggest initial public offering ever. The IPO for Life Insurance Corp. is expected to raise up to $2.74 billion, part of plans by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to privatize some industries and

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher on Thursday after the Federal Reserve chairman downplayed the likelihood of bigger rate hikes following the U.S. central bank’s biggest increase in two decades. Shanghai, Hong Kong, Australia and Southeast Asian markets advanced. Markets in Japan and South Korea

By JON GAMBRELL and CARA ANNA Associated Press LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Complaining that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons,” Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply-line targets across the country, as the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war Wednesday by proposing a ban on oil imports. Heavy fighting also

By BRIAN WITTE and TERENCE CHEA Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Norman Mineta, who broke racial barriers for Asian Americans serving in high-profile government posts and ordered commercial flights grounded after the 9/11 terror attacks as the nation’s federal transportation secretary, died Tuesday. He was 90. John Flaherty, Mineta’s former chief of staff, said

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers have passed legislation that would hike the state’s minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2028, potentially the highest in the nation. Advocates say the raise is badly needed in a state that routinely tops lists for most expensive housing and cost of living. But

By ELLIOT SPAGAT and BERNIE WILSON Associated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Leonard Ignelzi, who produced breathtaking images of Hall of Fame careers, wildfires and major news events over 37 years as an Associated Press photographer in San Diego, has died. He was 74. Ignelzi was a gifted storyteller and a highly versatile photojournalist, but

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The mother of a man killed in December when a tornado slammed into an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, is speaking out against the company. At a press briefing in Edwardsville, Deon January said DeAndre Morrow was only working because he was called in on his day off. And her attorney

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Federal regulators are recommending that the Army Corps of Engineers decline to reissue a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine. The Environmental Protection Agency says the project could raise levels of mercury and other pollutants downstream from the site in northeastern Minnesota. It’s just a recommendation, but Minnesota

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — CBS declared itself the most popular prime-time television network for the season, even though there are still more than three weeks to go. CBS’ announcement on Tuesday came despite a close race with second place NBC — CBS is averaging 6.35 million to NBC’s 6.25

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Months into a complex trial over their role in flooding Washington with highly addictive painkillers, the nation’s three largest opioid distributors agreed Tuesday to pay the state $518 million, with the vast majority being directed toward easing the addiction epidemic. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the deal,

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — An Oklahoma man claiming to be a film financier has been convicted in South Florida of participating in a scheme to steal more than $60 million from investors and producers seeking financing for movies and Broadway shows. Court records show a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Jason Van Eman

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The career-networking service LinkedIn has agreed to pay $1.8 million in back wages to hundreds of female workers to settle a pay discrimination complaint brought by U.S. labor investigators. The U.S. Labor Department announced Tuesday that it has reached a settlement agreement with LinkedIn to resolve allegations of “systemic, gender-based pay

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Starbucks’ sales climbed to a record $7.6 billion in its fiscal second quarter, but its profits took a hit from climbing labor costs. And those costs are set to go even higher as the company tries to head off a growing union movement. Starbucks said Tuesday it will spend

The Associated Press Stocks closed modestly higher on Wall Street Tuesday as investors await Wednesday’s decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq rose. The Fed is expected to raise its benchmark rate by twice the usual amount this week as it steps up

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: BP, Clorox rise; Chegg, Expedia fall.

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue. For weeks,

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery fell $2.76 to $102.41 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for July delivery fell $2.61 to $104.97 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for June delivery fell 1 cent to $3.50 a gallon. June heating oil fell 12 cents to $4.08 a gallon. June natural gas rose 47

NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of Macmillan Publishers, Don Weisberg, will step down at the end of the year. Jon Yaged, currently the company’s president, will succeed him. Weisberg has been in publishing for more than 40 years. He joined Macmillan as president in 2016 and had been CEO since early 2021. Macmillan authors

By SAM METZ Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. officials announced what they called extraordinary steps on Tuesday to keep hundreds of billions of gallons of water stored in a reservoir on the Utah-Arizona line to prevent it from shrinking more amid prolonged drought and climate change. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government is snubbing Texas and moving a proposed border rail link to New Mexico, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott backed up border crossings with state truck inspections in April. Mexican diplomats met Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and touted a rail

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s main opposition party is demanding a no-confidence vote aimed at ousting the Rajapaksa-led government. It blames Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Cabinet for failing to provide decent living standards amid the nation’s economic crisis. Protesters have been demanding Rajapaksa and his brother,

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says the rates of people who are obese and overweight in Europe have hit “epidemic proportions.” Nearly 60% of adults and a third of children are in one of those categories.. The U.N. health agency’s European office said in a report issued Tuesday that the prevalence of obesity

By DAN PARKS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy A Senate hearing on Wednesday is likely to produce fireworks as Republicans and Democrats square off over the role that foundations and nonprofits are playing in elections. The Senate Finance subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight offers no description of the hearing beyond the

By The Associated Press Russia appeared to dodge default on its foreign debt by dipping into its scarce dollar reserves. But Moscow’s debt drama is far from over. Russia’s finance ministry abandoned its proposal to use rubles instead of dollars to make overdue payments on two government bonds, saying Friday that it had transferred the

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s businesses and inaugural committee have reached a deal to pay Washington, D.C., $750,000 to resolve a lawsuit that alleged the committee overpaid for events at his hotel and enriched the former president’s family in the process, according to the District of Columbia’s attorney

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Employers posted a record 11.5 million job openings in March, meaning the United States now has an unprecedented two job openings for every person who is unemployed. The latest data released Tuesday by the the Bureau of Labor Statistics further reveals an extraordinarily tight labor market

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s government says it has nothing to hide amid mounting unease over national security controversies involving Pegasus spyware. The incidents include the hacking of the prime minister’s cellphone and spying on Catalan separatists by unknown agents. A Cabinet spokesperson promised Tuesday that the Socialist-led coalition government will engage in “the utmost collaboration

LONDON (AP) — BP posted its highest quarterly profit in more than a decade thanks to surging oil and gas prices. The earnings report Tuesday renewed calls for a U.K. government tax on energy companies’ windfall earnings to help households struggling with rising energy bills. The British energy giant said that underlying profit more than

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has told an Italian newspaper that he has offered to travel to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, and suggested the invasion might have been provoked by NATO’s eastward expansion. Francis said he made the offer about three weeks into

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and treatment pushed the drugmaker well past expectations in the first quarter, as profit grew 61%. The coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty brought in more than $13 billion in sales, and the treatment Paxlovid added another $1.5 billion as company revenue swelled 77%. Overall, Pfizer posted

By LAUREN SCHWAHN of NerdWallet You lent money to a friend or family member in need and they haven’t repaid the debt. Collecting money that a loved one owes you can be difficult and uncomfortable. What’s the best way to handle the situation? There are a few strategies you can explore to help you find

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s economy shrank by 4% compared with a year earlier in the quarter ending in March after the Chinese territory shut restaurants and other businesses to fight a spike in coronavirus infections. Government data showed growth plunged from the previous quarter’s 4% expansion. Hong Kong closed amusement parks and imposed

By KAREL JANICEK, JUSTIN SPIKE and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Slovakia and Hungary say they won’t support sanctions against Russian energy that the European Union is preparing over the war in Ukraine. The countries said Tuesday that they are too reliant on those supplies and there are no immediate alternatives. The

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Using a helicopter to catch a falling rocket is such a complex task that Peter Beck likens it to a “supersonic ballet.” Rocket Lab, the company that Beck founded, partially pulled off the feat Tuesday as it pushes to make its small Electron rockets reusable.

By KRUTIKA PATHI and ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — An unusually early and brutal heat wave is scorching parts of India, with acute power shortages affecting millions as demand for electricity surges to record levels. Supplies of coal at many thermal power plants are running perilously low, spawning daily power outages in

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s central bank has lifted its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than 11 years. The cash rate rose to 0.35% from 0.1% in a move potentially damaging to a government that will seek reelection on May 21. Tuesday’s decision by the Reserve

BEIJING (AP) — Rescuers have found two more survivors in the rubble of a building in central China that collapsed more than three days ago. The official Xinhua News Agency says a man and a woman were pulled out on Monday afternoon and early Tuesday morning. The woman, whose rescue came after being buried for

By CARA ANNA and YESICA FISCH Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces Tuesday began storming the steel mill containing the last pocket of resistance in Mariupol, Ukrainian defenders said, just as scores of civilians evacuated from the bombed-out plant reached relative safety and told of days and nights filled with dread and despair

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Wednesday, with markets in China, Japan and some other markets still closed for holidays. Hong Kong and Seoul fell more than 1% and oil prices were higher. On Tuesday, stocks closed modestly higher on Wall Street as investors waited for Wednesday’s decision

By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Georgia and local governments will give Rivian Automotive $1.5 billion of incentives to build a 7,500-job, $5 billion electric vehicle plant. That’s according to documents the company and state signed Monday. That’s by far the largest incentive package Georgia has ever offered to a

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — In a court appeal, lawyers for Donald Trump say it is “unconscionable and indefensible” for the ex-president to be held in contempt and fined $10,000 a day for failing to turn over documents he doesn’t possess. The lawyers made the argument Monday in a submission to

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — New lobster fishing rules intended to protect a rare species of whale are now in effect, but enforcement has yet to begin. The rules are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers less than 340 in the world and is vulnerable to lethal entanglement in fishing gear. The

The Associated Press A late rally in big technology stocks erased an afternoon slump on Wall Street Monday and left major indexes moderately higher. The uneven start to May followed a brutal April in which widespread technology sell-offs dragged down major benchmarks. Facebook’s parent company and chipmaker Nvidia each rose more than 5%. On Monday:

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for June delivery rose 48 cents to $105.17 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for July delivery rose 44 cents to $107.58 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for June delivery rose 7 cents to $3.51 a gallon. June heating oil rose 18 cents to $4.20 a gallon. June natural gas

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Officials have announced that California’s population shrank in 2021 for the second year in a row. The drops mark the first time ever that the population of the nation’s most populous state has declined. That’s according to a new estimate from the California Department of Finance.

NEW YORK (AP) — Automaker Stellantis says it will invest $3.6 billion Canadian dollars, about $2.8 billion, to upgrade two Canadian assembly plants and expand a research center as it accelerates its long-term electrification strategy. Combined with a March announcement of a joint venture battery plant with LG Energy Solution, the investment gives the company

By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota is challenging the federal government’s awarding of lucrative mineral rights under a Missouri River reservoir to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, otherwise known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The state attorney general’s office said Friday that it notified the U.S. District Court in

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is poised this week to accelerate its most drastic steps in three decades to attack inflation by making it costlier to borrow — for a car, a home, a business deal, a credit card purchase — all of which will compound Americans’ financial

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany and India have signed a series of bilateral agreements that will see the South Asian nation receive 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion) in aid by 2030 to boost the use of clean energy. The accords were signed Monday during a visit to Berlin by India’s Prime

By KERSTIN SOPKE and FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Swimmers at Berlin’s outdoor pools need to brace themselves for chillier water this summer. The German capital’s public baths have said they are lowering water temperatures by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit due to the war in Ukraine. The move is intended to save on sky-high

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was banned from Twitter for a second time after attempting to use a new account to access the social media platform. Lindell set up a new account Sunday on Twitter under @MikeJLindell. The account was quickly suspended. Twitter said Monday that Lindell’s new account was

By DAVID KOENIG and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers Spirit Airlines’ board still supports Frontier Airlines’ $2.9 billion takeover bid for the airline, saying it determined JetBlue’s competing $3.6 billion offer isn’t a superior proposal. Spirit said Monday that it’s concerned regulators won’t approve a deal with JetBlue. Last month, Spirit said it believed JetBlue’s

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Food-delivery drivers protesting wage cuts and grueling working conditions have gone on an extremely rare strike in Dubai. The mass walkout started on Saturday, paralyzing one of the country’s main delivery apps and reviving concerns about labor conditions in the emirate. The strike ended

BEIJING (AP) — The COVID-19 outbreak that has shut down most of Shanghai appears to be waning, with the number of new cases falling below 10,000 a day over the weekend. Authorities have begun a limited easing of a citywide lockdown that has disrupted the lives of millions of residents and dealt at least a

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says it believes Apple has abused its dominant position by limiting access to rivals to its mobile payment system Apple Pay. The EU’s executive arm has been investigating the technology company since 2020. The European C|ommission’s preliminary view is that Apple is restricting competition

By HALELUYA HADERO and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon workers at a warehouse on New York City’s Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected a union bid on Monday, dealing a blow to organizers who last month pulled off the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the e-commerce giant’s history. This time around,

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet February food prices were 7.9% higher compared with a year ago and are expected to increase 4.5% to 5.5% in 2022. As a result, it can feel harder than ever to keep grocery spending under control. But budgeting and cooking experts say there are strategies you can apply to save

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Vera Rasnake laughed as she led a trio of barking, jostling dogs into the Iowa Greyhound Park, but her smile faded when she acknowledged that after 41 years of being around the sleek animals, her sport was teetering on extinction. After the end of a truncated

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Police in Armenia’s capital have detained 180 anti-government demonstrators that were blocking streets to protest against the country’s prime minister. The demonstrators were detained Monday morning. Protests demanding that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan step down reignited in Armenia last month. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-old conflict over

By ARITZ PARRA Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Spanish officials says the cellphones of the prime minister and the defense minister were infected last year with Pegasus spyware that is only available to government agencies, in an operation that was not authorised by the government. A government minister said Monday that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s

The Associated Press The Federal Reserve delivers an economic and interest rate policy update Wednesday. Kellogg reports quarterly results Thursday. The Labor Department issues its April tally of hiring by nonfarm employers Friday.

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Blazers in knit fabrics, pants with drawstrings or elastic waists, and polo shirts as the new button-down. Welcome to the post-pandemic dress code for the office. After working remotely in sweats and yoga pants for two years, many Americans are rethinking their wardrobes to balance

By CARA ANNA and INNA VARENYTSIA Associated Press ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russia resumed pulverizing the Mariupol steel mill that has become the last stronghold of resistance in the bombed-out city, Ukrainian fighters said Monday, after a brief cease-fire over the weekend allowed the first evacuation of civilians from the plant. Meanwhile, a senior U.S.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Asian shares are mixed in light “Golden Week” trading with markets in China, Japan and some other countries closed for holidays. Investors are watching to see what the U.S. Federal Reserve does as it accelerates efforts to curb inflation. The central bank is expected to raise short-term interest rates

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan and more than 50 other countries for the first time in more than two years Monday after dropping most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions. The country has long been renowned for its breathtaking scenery

BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has met with his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan-ocha, for talks on economic, security and geopolitical issues, including political upheaval in Myanmar and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two leaders also oversaw the signing of three agreements covering financial cooperation, the transfer of defense equipment and technology, and

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dr. Morton Mower, a former Maryland-based cardiologist who helped invent an automatic implantable defibrillator that has helped countless heart patients live longer and healthier, has died at age 89. Funeral services were held Wednesday for Mower, who died two days earlier of cancer at Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver, The Baltimore Sun

BERLIN (AP) — Germany says it’s making progress on weaning itself off Russian fossil fuels and expects to be fully independent of Russian crude oil imports by late summer. Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck said Sunday that Europe’s largest economy has reduced the share of Russian energy imports to 12% for oil, 8% for

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk has laid out some bold, if still vague, plans for transforming Twitter into a place of “maximum fun” once he buys the social media platform for $44 billion and takes it private. But enacting what at the moment are little more

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon and the nascent group that successfully organized the company’s first-ever U.S. union are headed for a rematch Monday, when a federal labor board will tally votes cast by warehouse workers in yet another election on Staten Island. A second labor win could give workers