AP National Business

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s urban water users and farmers who rely on supplies from state reservoirs will get less than planned this year. State water officials said Friday they’ll only give 5% of requested water supplies to contractors of the State Water Project, which provides water for 27 million

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An official with the U.N. food agency says that with Russia’s war in Ukraine taking an increasing toll on the global economy, the ripples of that conflict will further increase food and fuel prices in the desperately poor Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been sinking deeper into poverty

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president and South Korea’s prime minister have inaugurated a massive suspension bridge over the Dardanelles Strait that connects the European and Asian shores of the key waterway. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the “1915 Canakkale Bridge,” with a 2,023-meter (6,637 feet) span

By MARIA DI MENTO of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy MacKenzie Scott has donated $281 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and 62 local Boys & Girls Clubs around the country, the 160-year-old nonprofit announced Thursday. It is the largest public gift Scott has given so far. Scott directed $25 million

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — India is buying discounted Russian oil, allowing it to increase its energy supplies while Russia looks to cut deals to boost its beleaguered economy. But India’s decision conflicts with President Joe Biden’s goal of isolating Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The situation is

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — High energy costs are stoking unrest in parts of Europe. Spain is deploying more than 23,000 police amid a truckers’ strike Friday, while farmers in France and Greece are snarling traffic with their protests. Russia’s war in Ukraine has further pushed up costs for oil and

By MATTHEW BROWN and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s move last week to ban oil from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was met with calls to boost U.S. production to help bring down soaring gasoline prices. But political rhetoric about quickly ramping up U.S. crude output is

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Mario Draghi has hosted leaders from three fellow Mediterranean countries to push for a common European response to the energy crisis that has been worsened by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The prime ministers of Spain and Portugal participated in person Friday in Rome, while Greece’s

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell in February as competition for a near-record low number of properties on the market drove prices higher and rising mortgage rates kept would-be buyers on the sidelines. The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing home sales fell 7.2% last month

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Peter Paul Rubens’ 17th century masterpiece “Portrait of a Lady” has sold for the equivalent of $3.4 million  at a Warsaw auction, becoming the most expensive artwork ever bought on the Polish art market, the auction house said. The painting sold for 14.4 million zlotys, auction fee included, at an Old

FREEPORT, Maine (AP) — Growing interest in the outdoors during the pandemic continues to give a boost to L.L. Bean. The outdoors retailer reported double-digit revenue growth Friday, allowing the board to provide a healthy bonus for workers. CEO Steve Smith says the company had a “fabulous” year with 14% growth in sales in the

BERLIN (AP) — The International Energy Agency says the world could quickly reduce global oil demand by 2.7 million barrels a day by cutting down on car and plane travel. The Paris-based agency says it would help ease the supply crunch caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The IEA said in a report Friday that

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of protesting farmers have blocked traffic in central Athens to demand that the government grant them additional concessions to cope with high energy costs. Some of the protesters were in tractors and they gathered outside the Agriculture Ministry in Athens on Friday. They were planning to head to parliament in

BERLIN (AP) — Lawmakers in Germany have voted to abolish most of the country’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions despite a surge in infections,  with almost 300,000 new daily cases reported. The Bundestag passed an amendment to the pandemic rules in a 364-277 vote with two abstentions. The upper house of parliament also approved the measure. The

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has been freed from custody following an investigation by prosecutors, who failed to come up with enough evidence to press charges. His supporters earlier had taken to the streets to protest his detention. The 62-year-old Borissov was detained for 24 hours

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — A Belgian businessman sanctioned by the U.S. over allegations of illicit gold trade in Congo said Friday the action undermines efforts to improve transparency in a region seeing rising official exports of the mineral. The U.S. announced sanctions late Thursday targeting Alain Goetz and African Gold

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Volkswagen is recalling more than 246,000 SUVs in the U.S. and Canada because faulty wiring harnesses can make them brake unexpectedly, sometimes while in traffic. The recall comes three days after The Associated Press reported that 47 people had complained to U.S. safety regulators about the

By JILL LAWLESS and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Unions are protesting at British ports after major ferry operator P&O Ferries fired 800 U.K. crew members to replace them with cheaper contract staff. P&O has canceled all its ferry crossings between Britain and continental Europe, threatening to disrupt the movement of travelers and

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Norway-based Telenor says authorities in military-ruled Myanmar have approved its plan to sell its telecoms business in the country to the M1 Group, a Lebanese-based investment firm. Telenor Group announced in July that it would sell its businesses in Myanmar after a military takeover last year

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks rose for a fourth day in a row Friday, closing out their biggest weekly gain since November 2020. The S&P 500 added 1.2%, bringing its weekly gain to 6.2%. The Nasdaq climbed 2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8%. Investors have welcomed

ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian official says state-run Indian Oil Corp. bought 3 million barrels of crude oil from Russia earlier this week to secure its energy needs, resisting Western pressure to avoid such purchases. The official said India will be looking to purchase more oil from Russia despite calls

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Samoa will go into lockdown from Saturday as it faces its first outbreak of COVID-19 after a woman who was about to leave the country tested positive during a routine test. Although health authorities have so far found just a single case, it is the

By DAKE KANG and HUIZHONG WU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Even as authorities lock down cities in China’s worst outbreak in two years, they are looking for an exit from what has been a successful but onerous COVID-19 prevention strategy. Public health experts caution that any plans to ease zero COVID measures are still

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA and DÉBORA REY Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s Senate has given final legislative approval for President Alberto Fernández’s administration to refinance the government’s $45 billion debt with the International Monetary Fund and avoid a default. The lawmakers voted 56 to 13, with three abstentions, on Thursday to approve the

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press FUTABA, Japan (AP) — Until recently, Futaba, home to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has been entirely empty of residents since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. A tiny section of the town has reopened for the first time since all 7,000 residents had to flee. Only seven

In a story published March 16, 2022, about the U.S. Department of Energy approving additional liquefied natural gas exports, The Associated Press erroneously reported that producer Cheniere Energy Inc. would now be allowed to export the equivalent of 0.72 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day. That amount is in addition to what it

By SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press Conservationists in Connecticut are hoping a last-minute deal can be reached to protect a sprawling 252-acre camp owned by a regional council of Boy Scouts. They want to prevent the picturesque property that’s been a summer destination for generations of families from being sold to a private developer. The Trust

By JIM MORRIS Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Canadian government’s announcement it is dropping the requirement for vaccinated travelers to show a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the country was greeted with relief by tourism and business groups on both sides of the border Thursday. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said tests

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers have voted to make abortions much cheaper for people on private health insurance plans. The Assembly voted on Thursday to ban private health plans from charging things like co-pays or deductibles for abortions. The bill is headed for a Senate vote before heading to

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal labor board wants to reinstate an Amazon employee who was fired from his New York City warehouse job after leading a protest in the early days of the pandemic calling for better COVID-19 protections. Gerald Bryson got into a dispute with another worker while off the job during the

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added a contaminated island on the Columbia River to the Superfund list of toxic waste sites. That starts the process for eventual cleanup of the uninhabited Bradford Island. It is part of the federal Bonneville Dam complex on the

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: PagerDuty, Cheniere rise; SecureWorks, Bioceres fall.

The Associated Press Wall Street extended a rally into a third day on Thursday, even as oil prices jumped back above $100 per barrel. The S&P 500 climbed 1.2% after drifting between small gains and losses in the early going. The index surged more than 2% in each of the prior two days for its

By TALI ARBEL AP Business Writer As the war in Ukraine drags on, international companies still in Russia are coming under increasing pressure to leave. Some seem to be determined to stay on. Some say they are reconsidering or trying to figure out an exit. Some aren’t speaking at all, a testament to the fraught

By DAN PARKS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers called Thursday for restoring the charitable deduction for donors who don’t itemize their taxes, a priority for nonprofits nationwide, but a key senator was noncommittal on the question of whether to support legislation designed to boost payout from foundations

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — Italy, where the pandemic first erupted in the West, is easing some restrictions, including workplace vaccination and mask requirements over the coming weeks. Health Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Thursday that quarantine won’t be required for those coming in contact with someone testing

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The energy startup SPARKZ says it plans to build an electric battery factory in West Virginia in 2022 that will employ at least 350 people. The company will partner with the United Mine Workers of America to recruit and train dislocated miners to work at the

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The first year of the pandemic saw fewer Americans smoking. U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to a new all-time low in 2020, with 1 in 8 adults saying they were current smokers. That’s according to survey data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — PayPal says that its users will now be able to send money to Ukrainians, both in the war-ravaged country as well as those now refugees across Europe. Previously, people in Ukraine were only able to use the payments platform to send money out of the

BALTIMORE (AP) — The operator of a cargo ship that ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay says the Ever Forward’s hull wasn’t damaged and there’s no fuel leakage. Evergreen said in an update Thursday that it arranged for divers to inspect the ship and its propeller and rudder are fully functional. The U.S. Coast Guard

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — U.S. industrial conglomerate Textron Inc. has signed a deal to acquire Pipistrel, the Slovenian ultralight aircraft maker and pioneer in electrically powered aviation. The Slovenian plane maker posted on Twitter Thursday that the partnership will combine the expertise of both companies and “accelerate Pipistrel’s  development and certification of sustainable aircraft.” Textron

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Deadline day is Friday for bids to be submitted to buy Chelsea and end the 19-year ownership of Roman Abramovich. This is a sale enforced on the Russian billionaire after being sanctioned by the British government for his close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin

LONDON (AP) — Russia’s Finance Ministry said it transferred a $117 million bond interest payment in an attempt to avoid a default on government debt but left it open if the money actually reached foreign investors by the deadline. A ministry statement carried on Russian state media said Thursday the money had been transferred to

RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada man could face more than 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that he groped a woman who had fallen asleep during a flight to Las Vegas. Federal prosecutors say Daniel Parkhurst pleaded guilty this week to one count of interference with a flight crew and one

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Koch Industries is planning to continue running two glass manufacturing facilities in Russia, saying it doesn’t want to hand over the plants to the Russian government. Dave Robertson, president and COO of Koch Industries, said Koch doesn’t want to turn the plants over to the Russian government “so it

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week as the key 30-year loan vaulted over 4% for the first time since May 2019. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate on the 30-year loan this week jumped to 4.16% from 3.85% last week. That’s a sharp contrast from last year’s

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A long-delayed plan to build a giant lake in Northern California has received a big financial boost. The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday signaled its intent to loan the project nearly $2.2 billion. That would cover about half of the project’s total cost. Officials with the

By DAVID PITT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has been trying for a decade to make it illegal for animal rights groups to sneak cameras into livestock barns to report animal abuse, but courts frequently rule the laws unconstitutional. On Monday, a federal judge again struck down an Iowa law

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s government says it is mobilizing more than 23,000 police to crack down on striking truck drivers blamed for attacks on colleagues who haven’t joined the walkout. Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez claimed Thursday that “a group of extremists bent on blackmailing this country” is behind the attacks, saying they were linked to

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — A once-powerful cardinal has told a Vatican court that he donated 125,000 euros ($140,000) of Vatican money to a Sardinian diocesan charity for purely charitable reasons. He is rejecting prosecutors’ claims that the money benefitted his brother, who ran the charity. Cardinal Angelo Becciu concurred Thursday

By KAREL JANICEK Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic has launched a tender to build a new reactor at the Dukovany nuclear power plant as the country aims to increase nuclear power generation. Three companies – Westinghouse, France’s EDF and Korea’s KHNP – that have passed a Czech government security appraisal are expected

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Efforts to propel Kansas’ renewable energy future are mired in legislative stalemate. At its center is a former TV weather personality who is using his chairmanship of a key committee to promote questionable claims about green energy and to spotlight complaints from opponents of wind

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Americans angered by Russia’s war on Ukraine are taking it out on Russian businesses, brands or anything that sounds Russian. Some are pouring out vodka, boycotting Russian restaurants and even leaving threatening voicemail messages at Russian businesses. Experts say it’s the most

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — The British government has unveiled its online safety bill in Parliament, which is aimed at protecting internet users from harm. Tech bosses would face up to two years in prison if they fail to comply with the British rules introduced Thursday. The ambitious but controversial bill

Associated Press Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Hollywood studio MGM, two days after European regulators said the deal “would not significantly reduce competition” in European markets. MGM is one of the oldest studios in Hollywood. The retail giant said in a blog post Thursday MGM has more than 4,000 film titles, 17,000

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian official say Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to strengthen their partnership in view of China’s growing footprint in the region. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ties with China are expected to figure prominently in their discussions

By ZEYNEP BILGINSOY Associated Press ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s central bank has kept interest rates unchanged for a third month as consumer prices surge at an eye-popping pace. The decision Thursday comes after a series of rate cuts last year triggered a currency crisis that has made it difficult for people to buy basic goods.

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Prices are rising at the fastest rate in generations, and have already proven many economists wrong by continuing to rise far longer than they expected last year. If households across the country start to see high, persistent inflation as the new normal, they could ramp

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, as layoffs continue to decline amid a strong job market rebound. Jobless claims fell by 15,000 to 214,000 for the week ending March 12, down from the previous week’s 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications for

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Railway authorities in Poland and Italy say major malfunctions in the electronic control systems have caused significant delays and cancellations on train routes in both countries. In Poland, government official in charge of cybersecurity, Janusz Cieszynski, said a team for Critical Incidents will meet Thursday to

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government says companies in Shenzhen, a major business center, will be allowed to reopen while efforts to contain outbreaks there progress. That follows a shutdown of the city of 17.5 million people that rattled financial markets. A deputy mayor said testing of every resident

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet Daily housekeeping has been getting the ax from several hotel chains, whether as a means to manage staffing shortages, out of respect for social distancing or maybe just to pad the bottom line. Here’s what to expect during your stay in terms of what hotels do or don’t offer, how

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — One of the largest ferry operators in the United Kingdom has fired 800 crew members without notice and plans to replace them with cheaper staff. Thursday’s announcement by P&O Ferries sparked a furious response from workers and criticism from British authorities. Many workers were fired by Zoom

By The Associated Press The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is warning that Russia’s war in Ukraine will disrupt commerce and clog up supply chains, slashing economic growth and pushing prices sharply higher around the globe. In a grim assessment out Thursday, the 38-country OECD said that over the next year the conflict would

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England has raised its key interest rate for the third time since December as it pushes ahead faster than other central banks in combating a global wave of inflation that is set to accelerate following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bank boosted its key

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Emirati-flagged cargo ship has sunk in the Persian Gulf. The operations manager of the Salem Al Makrani Cargo company confirmed the Al Salmy 6 had sunk Thursday off Iran. He said that rescuers had saved 16 crew members. Another 11 had made it

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares are mostly lower in Asia after Wall Street extended a rally into a third day on Thursday. Oil prices pushed higher, surpassing $105 per barrel. Tokyo, and Sydney advanced while Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul declined. The Bank of Japan kept its ultra-low interest rate

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Washington has expelled another state-owned Chinese phone carrier from the U.S. market over national security concerns amid rising tension with Beijing. The Federal Communications Commission revoked authorization for Pacific Networks Corp. to provide domestic and international service. The U.S. is reducing Chinese access to American markets

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Drivers of bigger vehicles such as pickup trucks and SUVs are more likely to hit pedestrians while making turns than drivers of cars. That’s according to a new study released Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It points to the increasing popularity of larger

By AAMER MADHANI and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden set out to be the U.S. president who finally completed the “Asia pivot,” Washington lingo for a long-sought adjustment of U.S. foreign policy to better reflect China’s rise. But Biden’s ongoing recalibration has been jarred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although it

By ALICE FUNG and ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — As a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms Hong Kong, it’s hard for its 7.4 million residents to know what’s next. Uncertainty is the only certainty as store shelves are stripped of goods, mainland Chinese companies are throwing up sprawling isolation and testing centers and the

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Banking Committee has approved Jerome Powell’s nomination to a second four-year term as chair of the Federal Reserve. The vote came Wednesday just hours after the central bank began what will be a difficult effort to combat inflation. Fed governor Lael Brainard was also

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A Florida couple has pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $900,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Court records show Amber Bruey pleaded guilty Wednesday in Fort Myers federal court to multiple fraud charges. Her husband, Anthony Bruey, pleaded guilty to the same charges last month. According to court documents, the Brueys conspired

The Associated Press The U.S. Department of Energy has given a liquefied natural gas exporter operating in Louisiana and Texas permission for additional sales to every country in Europe as they seek to move away from Russian supplies amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. Cheniere Energy Inc. owns the Sabine Pass facility in Louisiana and its

The Associated Press Stocks shook off an afternoon stumble and ended higher on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate hike since 2018. Bond yields also rose Wednesday as the Fed started to shift its policy to fighting inflation. As markets had anticipated, the Fed raised its short-term rate by 0.25

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Engineers have linked Ukraine to an electricity grid spanning much of continental Europe, allowing the country to decouple its power system from Russia. The Belgium-based group representing dozens of transmission system operators in Europe said the electricity grids of Ukraine and its smaller neighbor Moldova were successfully

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Former prime time anchor Chris Cuomo on Wednesday asked an arbitrator to award him $125 million for what he called his “unlawful” firing. Former CNN chief Jeff Zucker fired Cuomo in December, saying he hadn’t been aware of the extent the anchor had helped his

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Starbucks, Jabil rise; NortonLifeLock, Lockheed fall.

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer An American aircraft-leasing company with some of its planes stuck in Russia says it is making progress in getting planes back. But the chairman of Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation didn’t give any specifics on Wednesday — such as saying how many planes the company has recovered. Russian airlines

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans who have long enjoyed the benefits of historically low interest rates will have to adapt to a very different environment as the Federal Reserve embarks on a period of rate hikes to fight inflation. Record-low mortgage rates below 3%, reached last year, are already gone.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve launched a high-risk effort to tame the worst inflation since the 1970s, raising its benchmark short-term interest rate and signaling potentially up to seven rate hikes this year. The Fed’s quarter-point hike in its key rate, which it pinned near zero since the

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey officials will commission studies on the environmental impact of offshore wind energy projects. They’ll study animals as large as whales, and as small as clams. The $3.4 million in surveys are designed to address a major concern raised by opponents and even some

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Lyft will add a fuel surcharge of 55 cents to each ride given by drivers to offset surging gasoline prices. The company said earlier this week that it would be following Uber, which also announced surcharges this week, and this week it released details of its plan. The company

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president says his government is in discussions with the International Monetary Fund, other agencies and countries on deferring loan repayments. He also requested people’s support by limiting electricity and fuel consumption to cope with the worst economic crisis in memory. In his televised

Associated Press A labor organizer says more than 60 Amazon workers across three delivery stations staged a walkout on Wednesday to demand a $3 raise and a return to 20-minute breaks. The walkout is being organized by a group called Amazonians United, which said in a statement that its demands were first brought up in

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — BMW and Volkswagen have warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing shortages of some vital components, forcing them to reduce vehicle production in Europe. The two German carmakers said this week that the conflict is having a “negative” effect on auto supply chains. BMW said

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For years Americans have been told autonomous technology was improving and that driverless vehicles were just around the corner. Finally they’re here, but to catch a glimpse of them, you’ll need to go to a farm. Beginning this fall, tractors that can plow day or

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the jilted lover and business partner of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, will finally get a chance to defend himself against allegations that he was her accomplice in a  Silicon Valley ruse revolving around a ballyhooed blood-testing technology that flopped. Opening

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dominion Energy has received regulatory approval in Virginia for a series of solar projects expected to generate enough power to light up 250,000 homes. The State Corporation Commission approved the plan Tuesday. Dominion said the projects will result in a monthly rate increase of about $1.13 for the average residential customer.

By SAM METZ and FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A critical Colorado River reservoir has fallen to a record low level, raising new concerns about a power source for millions of people in the U.S. West. Federal water officials that Lake Powell on the Arizona-Utah border fell below 3,525 feet on

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney workers are planning walkouts during their breaks every day this week to protest CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response in publicly criticizing Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation. The group of Disney employees said this week on their website that the act of protest will culminate

BERLIN (AP) — German antitrust officials say they are closely watching oil market developments to determine whether the falling price for crude results in a similar drop at the pump. The Federal Cartel Office said Wednesday its probe will encompass the crude market, oil refineries, wholesalers and gas station operators. Some experts have expressed concern

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — The ownership of the Chicago Cubs says it will make a bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea. The Ricketts family went public with its interest in the buyout with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich forced to sell up after he was sanctioned by the British

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Any motorist who has filled up lately could be forgiven for wincing in disbelief. Fueled largely by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gas prices worldwide have skyrocketed. In the U.S., they’ve reached record highs above $4.30 a gallon. That’s 50%, or $1.43 per gallon, more than they

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After beginning the year in a buying mood, Americans slowed their spending in February on gadgets, home furnishings and other discretionary items as higher prices for food, gasoline, and shelter are taking a bigger bite of their wallet. Retail sales increased 0.3% after registering a