AP National Business

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s president says AirSerbia will go back to one flight a day to Moscow after criticism that the Serbian national carrier is busting a European Union-wide ban on flights to Russia and profiting from the war in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion started over two weeks ago, AirSerbia has doubled the

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer MILAN (AP) — Italian paper mills that make everything from pizza boxes to furniture packaging have ground to a halt as the Russian war in Ukraine sent natural gas prices skyrocketing. Likewise, Italian steel mills turned off electric furnaces last week. And fishermen, facing huge spikes in oil prices,

The Associated Press Citing record-high prices for gasoline, Uber is charging customers a new fuel fee to help offset costs for ride-hail and delivery drivers. The company announced Friday that the temporary surcharge will be either 45 cents or 55 cents for each Uber trip and either 35 cents or 45 cents for each Uber

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former chief executive officer has agreed to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium after audits concluded that improper spending and questionable business practices cost the institution more than $630,000. The zoo’s board of directors on Friday announced approval of a settlement with former CEO

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — A long-delayed and costly new nuclear reactor has gone online in Finland after a wait of over 12 years. The reactor is expected to boost the Nordic country’s electricity self-sufficiency and help to achieve its carbon neutrality targets. Finnish operator Teollisuuden Voima said the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear

By MEAD GRUVER Associated Press LANDER, Wyo. (AP) — There truly is an app for everything, including roadkill in Wyoming. A new phone app is making it easy for folks to claim and get permission to salvage and eat freshly killed animals struck by vehicles. More than half of U.S. states allow people to claim

By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — After a historic Houston theater seemingly closed for good last year due to the pandemic, its supporters, including film lovers, preservationists and directors Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson, tried to revive it. But they also grappled with whether they should be doing this amid a worldwide

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thousands of Russian tourists are stranded in Thailand’s beach resorts because of the war in Ukraine, many unable to pay their bills or return home because of sanctions and canceled flights. Thai tourism authorities say there are about 6,500 Russian tourists stuck in Phuket, Surat Thani, Krabi

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer The Premier League has disqualified Roman Abramovich from running Chelsea after the club owner was sanctioned by the British government over Russia’s war on Ukraine. The announcement that Abramovich had been disqualified from being a club director was made by the league’s board on Saturday. The team is

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Thousands of Albanians have staged a protest in the capital Tirana against recent fuel and food price hikes that authorities blame on the war in Ukraine. Albanians from across the country converged on the main Skanderbeg Square Saturday before marching in front of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office with banners and

By The Associated Press Hundreds of foreign brands have suspended operations in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began. Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated he favors bringing in outside management and potentially transferring the ownership of companies whose foreign owners shut down production. A draft law could allow Russian courts to appoint external administrators

WASHINGTON (AP) — Several congressional Democrats are raising doubts about the proposed merger of Frontier and Spirit airlines. They said it would reduce competition among budget airlines and lead to higher airfares. They want the Biden administration to examine the deal closely and consider blocking it on antitrust grounds. The group of lawmakers raising objections

The Associated Press Stocks fell again after another bumpy day of trading on Wall Street Friday, marking the fourth losing week in the last five. Uncertainty about the war in Ukraine and persistently high inflation have continued to knock markets around. The S&P 500 gave up an early gain and ended 1.3% lower. Oil prices

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: DocuSign, Zumiez fall; Pfizer, Pearson rise.

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — With Congress voting to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban the importation of its oil, President Joe Biden’s action to tighten the U.S. squeeze on Russia’s economy now can intensify. The action by the House and Senate to revoke Moscow’s “most favored nation” trade

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

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — Lavish spending, sustained only by Roman Abramovich’s investment, funded Chelsea’s 21 trophies during his 19 years as owner. Now there are fears the Premier League club could run out of money after the British government sanctioned the Russian oligarch and froze his assets. The European

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a plan that would restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with air pollution they can’t control. The federal plan announced Friday is intended to help more than two dozen states meet “good neighbor”

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Demonstrators have marched through Albania’s capital, Tirana, and tried to block streets in other cities, in a third day of protests against recent price hikes that authorities blame on the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government imposed price controls on fuel, and has urged Albanians to use their cars

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Yale University has begun removing the Sackler name from its campus several years after announcing it would no longer accept donations from the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. The Ivy League university is the latest institution to distance itself from the family amid growing outrage over its role

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — Companies operating in the most active oilfield in the United States are the latest opponents of plans to store spent nuclear fuel from commercial power plants in the Permian Basin. There are plans to build interim storage facilities for the radioactive waste — one in West Texas and the other in

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press VERSAILLES, France (AP) — The European Union says it will continue applying pressure on Russia by devising a new set of sanctions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine while stepping up military support for Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron said all options are on the

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — CNN announced that its CNN+ streaming service will start operating on March 29. The subscription-based service will have programs by some familiar CNN stars in different roles — Anderson Cooper will host a parenting show and Jake Tapper will interview authors. CNN+ has also poached

By ALAN SUDERMAN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies critical to U.S. national interests will have to report when they’re hacked or they pay ransomware. The new rules approved by Congress are part of a broader effort by the Biden administration and Congress to shore up the nation’s cyberdefenses after several high-profile

By The Associated Press Russian regulators say internet users will be blocked from accessing Instagram because it’s being used to call for violence against Russian soldiers. The move is Moscow’s latest to restrict the reach of foreign social-media platforms. Russian communications and media regulator Roskomnadzor said Friday it’s tightening access to Instagram because it says

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — At least 1.4 million households and other residential customers are behind on electric and gas bills in New York, and consumer advocates are calling on the state to pay off ballooning debt with federal funding. New York passed the nation’s most sweeping utility shut-off moratorium. It

By EMILY HAYNES of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy A new qualitative study of 113 millionaires of color found that nearly all had experienced racial or ethnic bias. “It’s so obvious, but it’s also very profound,” says report co-author Hali Lee, founding partner at Radiant Strategies and a co-founder of the Donors of

BEIJING (AP) — China has ordered a lockdown of the 9 million residents of the northeastern city of Changchun amid a new spike in COVID-19 cases attributed to the highly contagious omicron. Residents are required to remain home with one family member permitted to venture out to buy food and other necessities every two days.

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press A Texas judge is blocking the state from investigating as child abuse gender confirming care for transgender youth. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary injunction Friday preventing the state from enforcing Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive that compels the Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate. The

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Associated Press ROME (AP) — The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is warning that poorer countries in northern Africa, Asia and the Middle East that depend heavily on wheat imports risk suffering significant food insecurity because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. A report from the agency Friday noted that Ukraine and Russia

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentine lawmakers have approved an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to refinance a $45 billion debt. The vote is meant to avoid economic turmoil but it has divided the governing party. The overwhelming approval early Friday followed a marathon debate through the night while protesters

By SYLVIE CORBET and SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press VERSAILLES, France (AP) — European Union leaders on Friday agreed to phase out our dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal imports “as soon as possible.” They also decided to soon draw a plan to support the continent’s economies as they face skyrocketing energy prices amid a

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s No. 2 leader says the government hopes to generate as many as 13 million new jobs this year to help reverse a painful economic slump but faces “many difficulties and challenges.” Forecasters say the ruling Communist Party is likely to struggle to meet its official

By RAF CASERT and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — British and European regulators have threatened to crack down on an agreement between Google and Facebook parent Meta for online display advertising services, saying the deal may breach the bloc’s rules on fair competition. The EU’s competition watchdog opened a probe into a 2018

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s top automaker Toyota will scale back domestic production over the next three months because of a supply crunch in chips and other parts that have slammed the global auto industry. Company spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto says vehicle production in Japan will be lower by about 20%

By JENNIFER PELTZ and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A sense of closure is mixing with anger and pain for some of the nearly two dozen people who told their personal stories to members of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. It happened via video Thursday at an extraordinary bankruptcy

By JOSH BOAK, CHRIS MEGERIAN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Friday that along with the European Union and the Group of Seven countries, the U.S. will revoke “most favored nation” trade status for Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. He said the U.S. will also ban imports of

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press OKUMA, Japan (AP) — Eleven years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was ravaged by a meltdown following a massive earthquake and tsunami, most of the radioactive debris blasted by hydrogen explosions has been cleared and torn buildings fixed. The plant now looks like a sprawling construction site. But

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been one year since President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan. The $1.9 trillion package of relief measures was designed to fight the coronavirus pandemic and help the economy rebound. Although it was heralded as an early success for Biden,

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, recently banned camping on the sides of certain roadways, and officials are exploring other aggressive options to combat homelessness. An increasing numbers of liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York are cracking down on encampments after years of

By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell again after another bumpy day of trading on Wall Street Friday, marking the fourth losing week in the last five. Uncertainty about the war in Ukraine and persistently high inflation have continued to knock markets around. The S&P 500 gave

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia says a drone attack started a small fire at an oil refinery in the capital, Riyadh, but it didn’t cause any injury or affect supplies. The energy ministry said the attack occurred before dawn on Thursday but didn’t say from where the drone strike was launched. Yemen’s rebel

By JENNIFER PELTZ and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A sense of closure is mixing with anger and pain for some of the nearly two dozen people who told their personal stories to members of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. It happened via video Thursday at an extraordinary bankruptcy

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The woman whose DNA from a sexual assault case was used by San Francisco police to arrest her in an unrelated property crime plans to sue the city. Attorney Adante Pointer said Thursday he filed notice of a possible federal lawsuit on the woman’s behalf. District Attorney Chesa Boudin said last

By KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — A top Chinese leader has warned of “rising uncertainties” and pledged tax cuts to shore up growth. The potential economic and geopolitical fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine loomed over an annual meeting of China’s ceremonial legislature. Premier Li Keqiang described the situation in Ukraine as “grave”

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas are getting together in hopes of becoming one of four “hydrogen hubs” supported by $8 billion in last year’s federal infrastructure bill. Govs. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas announced their plans Thursday. Edwards says all three states

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s highest court says it won’t interfere with local officials finalizing results of referendum blocking efforts to build a launch pad for commercial rockets. The Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday denied a request by county commissioners seeking to halt certification of the special election while they

By TALI ARBEL AP Business Writer A shrinking number of well-known companies are still doing business in Russia even after hundreds of others have announced plans to curtail ties. The pace of businesses exiting Russia accelerated over the past week as the deadly violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsened, and as Western governments ratcheted

By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have approved legislation that would allow local police departments to use facial recognition technology in some circumstances, including when they have reasonable suspicion a person has committed a crime. The legislation would repeal one of the most restrictive bans in the country passed last

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Build-A-Bear, Peloton fall; Amazon, Genesco rise.

The Associated Press Stocks slipped on Wall Street Thursday as markets remain choppy amid uncertainty about where inflation, interest rates and the global economy are heading. The S&P 500 had its fifth drop in the last six days. The slide marks another reversal for U.S. stocks, which just a day earlier surged to their biggest

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press The Justice Department has named a chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud, following through on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union promise to go after criminals who stole billions in relief money. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco says Kevin Chambers, an associate deputy attorney general, will lead efforts to combat

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is announcing plans to hire 10,000 new workers to help reduce a massive backlog that the Biden administration says will make this tax season the most challenging in history. The IRS plan to work down the tens of millions of filings includes speeding up the

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

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA Associated Press BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina lawmakers have begun debating a bill needed to approve Argentina’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund on refinancing a $45 billion debt, while protesters opposed to the deal clashed with police outside the Congress building. There’s been widespread criticism of the agreement, which would refinance

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese judge has imposed travel bans on the heads of the country’s five largest banks over suspicions related to a possible transfer of billions of dollars abroad during the nation’s economic meltdown. The state-run National News Agency gave no details about the decision by an investigating judge for the Mount Lebanon

By The Associated Press A virtual hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court gave survivors of opioid addiction and people who lost loved ones to the crisis what they have long desired — the chance to confront members of the family behind OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma. They blamed the Sackler family members for helping fuel the

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Drug cartels in Mexico are increasingly turning to the internet, bitcoin and e-commerce to launder money and sell drugs. That’s according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The report released Thursday says the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel are increasingly using

By JOSH FUNK and MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three directors at newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises have been reelected over the objections of the hedge fund that has been trying to buy the company since last fall. Lee says its chairman, CEO and lead independent director were all reelected as expected

By DAVID KOENIG and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation through mid-April while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule. The mask mandate was scheduled to expire March 18, but the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that it will

CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines is bringing back workers who were put on unpaid leave for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline told employees Thursday that workers who claimed a medical or religious exemption from the vaccines will be allowed back starting March 28. The company’s vice president of human relations says United

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — The decision to sanction Roman Abramovich and freeze his assets has left Chelsea to continue playing only with the approval of the British government under special conditions. The 55-year-old Abramovich is among seven wealthy Russians punished by Boris Johnson’s administration on Thursday for their close

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Gyo Obata, an architect whose designs included sports and entertainment arenas, airports and a presidential library, has died. His family says Obata died Tuesday in St. Louis at age 99. A cause of death was not announced. Obata was born in 1923 in San Francisco and earned a master’s degree at

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week but remain at historically low levels, just as the Federal Reserve prepares to raise its main borrowing rate. The average rate on a 30-year loan rose to 3.85% this week from 3.76% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Would-be homeowners are increasingly opting to pay sellers more than their asking price in hopes of edging out rivals as heightened competition for the few homes on the market fuels bidding wars. A greater share of homes sold above asking price in January — 52%

By GLENN GAMBOA AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — This year’s Love Rocks, which takes place at The Beacon Theatre in Manhattan Thursday night, boasts enormous star power – including headliners Melissa Etheridge, Keith Richards, with his “other” band The X-Pensive Winos, Mavis Staples, and others. But for Karen Pearl, God’s Love We Deliver’s

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs have settled to the low, pre-pandemic levels before 2020′s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims rose by 11,000 to 227,000 for the week ending March 5, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s number was 216,000.

By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A U.N. official says the crisis in Ukraine and Russia, one of the world’s main sources of grain, fertilizers and energy, is presenting new challenges in securing food supplies on top of a prolonged pandemic. Gabriel Ferrero de Loma-Osorio, head of the Committee on World Food

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer Colleges across the U.S. are pulling students from study abroad programs in Russia, ending research partnerships and cutting financial ties to condemn the invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, colleges have promised to support Russian students on their campuses, opposing calls from some in Congress to remove them

By AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Social media users are suggesting soaring fuel prices in the U.S. are part of a government scheme to get drivers into electric vehicles. The conspiracy theory posts are spreading across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The posts ignore that rising gas prices are actually the result of increased

By AMANDA BARROSO of NerdWallet Mapping out planned expenses like vacations, holiday gifts and membership renewals in advance gives you time to save in smaller chunks. “Sinking” your funds into buckets created for each savings goal is one way to avoid feeling overwhelmed as the deadline approaches. Once you set your deadline for a particular

By The Associated Press Sanctions are hitting Russia’s economy hard. The ruble is plunging, and major foreign companies are fleeing. There’s little question Russia will see a hit to economic growth, while ordinary people are going to see higher prices on top of already high inflation. Yet the longer-term prospects are uncertain, and forecasts vary

By The Associated Press The European Central Bank says it will make an early exit from its economic stimulus efforts as it combats record inflation. The move Thursday was a tough choice because the invasion also has exposed Europe to a potential hit to economic growth. But the bank chose higher inflation as the bigger

BEIJING (AP) — China is easing government exchange rate controls to let the Russian ruble fall faster in value against the Chinese yuan in a move that would help to insulate Beijing from economic sanctions on Moscow. The China Foreign Exchange Trade System announced the margin by which the ruble is allowed to fluctuate against

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer BOSTON (AP) — Ukraine’s attempt to get Russia kicked off the internet has failed. A diverse group of experts proposes a more narrow approach to sanctioning the Kremlin for invading its neighbor: Consider creating a mechanism that could technically blacklist individual Russian military and propaganda websites. In an open

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have fallen in Asia as uncertainty over the war in Ukraine and persistently high inflation keep their sway over markets. Hong Kong fell 3.6% and Tokyo was 2.4% lower. Investors are fretting over how the world economy may struggle with price pressures and slowing growth.

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press VERSAILLES, France (AP) — European Union leaders have ruled out fulfilling Ukraine’s demand for a fast-track integration with the bloc as they discussed ways to help the eastern country in its war against Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU must send a “strong signal” of

BERLIN (AP) — German chemical and health care company Bayer says it is selling a U.S.-based pest control business to private equity firm Cinven for $2.6 billion. Bayer said Thursday the Environmental Science Professional business, which is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, had about 800 employees last year. It specializes in “environmental solutions” for pest,

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Some European countries watching Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine fear they could be next. Western officials say the most vulnerable could be those who are not members of the NATO or the European Union. That leaves them alone and unprotected including Ukraine’s neighbor Moldova and Russia’s

By GEOFF MULVIHILL and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Addiction and overdose survivors and those who have lost loved ones have unleashed their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the opioid epidemic. In a virtual hearing Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, more than two dozen speakers addressed members

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Propelled by surging costs for gas, food and housing, consumer inflation jumped 7.9% over the past year, the sharpest spike since 1982 and likely only a harbinger of even higher prices to come. The increase reported by the Labor Department reflected the 12 months ending in

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Pressure is building on the Biden administration to begin unwinding sanctions on Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro freed two American prisoners and promised to resume negotiations with opponents. Maduro’s followed a weekend trip to Caracas by senior U.S. officials. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

By AMY TAXIN and AMANCAI BIRABEN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. immigration authorities are turning to smartphones to keep tabs on immigrants and ensure they attend their deportation hearings. Increasingly, immigrants who are released from detention or stopped on the border are being required to snap a selfie or call to check in

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban Russian energy imports to the United States. The bill approved Wednesday night goes further than the ban on Russian oil that President Joe Biden announced earlier this week in response to the escalating war in Ukraine. It

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Two Americans imprisoned in Japan for helping former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn avoid trial and escape to Lebanon are hoping to serve the rest of their time in the U.S. Paul Kelly, the attorney for Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, said the elder man

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A man whose wife and two children were killed by mortar fire in Ukraine as they tried to flee has returned to Kyiv to bury them. But he says their funerals must be postponed because the morgues are full of civilians. Sergii Perebeinis held photos of his family in a Facebook

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bill advancing in Mississippi says anyone could cite religious objections to avoid a public or private employer’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. House Bill 1509 passed the Senate 36-15 Wednesday, with Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. One Democrat did not vote. A version of

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Twitter has launched a privacy-protected version of its site. Its aim is to bypass surveillance and censorship after Russia blocked access to its service in the country. Russia has blocked access to Facebook and has restricted Twitter in an attempt to try to restrict the flow of information about

By CAROLYN THOMPSON Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Employees at three more Starbucks stores in suburban Buffalo have voted to form unions. A count of ballots Wednesday showed workers at the stores narrowly approving organizing efforts. The results bring to six the number of unionized Starbucks shops and further advance organizing efforts that began

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The first licenses to sell recreational marijuana in New York will go to people who were casualties of the war on drugs. State officials said Wednesday that people with marijuana-related convictions will get dibs on the first 100 to 200 retail cannabis licenses awarded by the

NEW YORK (AP) — The Salvation Army is being accused in three lawsuits of violating federal labor law by not paying minimum wage to participants in its work-based rehabilitation programs. The lawsuits were filed Wednesday in federal courts in New York, Illinois and Georgia. They accuse the organization of working the programs’ enrollees full time

CHICAGO (AP) — A northern Illinois man who pleaded guilty to running a sports betting operation that involved a mayor pardoned by former President Donald Trump has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice on Wednesday and also ordered the Orland Park man to

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Officials in a Georgia county are blaming a “bare minority” for a referendum in which voters defeated plans to buy land for a rocket launch pad by a margin of nearly 3-to-1. Camden County officials who spent the past decade and $10.3 million pursuing development of

The Associated Press Stocks had their biggest jump since June 2020 Wednesday as a sharp drop in oil prices eased fears that inflation was about to get worse around the globe. The rally broke a four-day losing streak for stocks but wasn’t enough to erase their losses for the week. The price of U.S. crude

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: MongoDB, XPO Logistics rise; Stitch Fix, Yext fall.