AP National Business

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The stock market’s blockbuster gains in 2021 helped pad savers’ retirement accounts, lifting the average balance on some popular investment plans to new highs. The average 401(k) plan balance stood at $130,700 at the end of last year, a 7.6% increase from 2020, according to

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ Associated Press Grocery shopping has become an increasingly costly and arduous struggle for many people in Cuba. The pandemic, inefficient production, government controls and U.S. economic sanctions have aggravated an economic crisis. A drastic drop in crucial tourism income caused by COVID-19 helped spur the government last year to adopt reforms it

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a cruise ship passenger who jumped from her balcony into the sea and is missing in the Gulf of Mexico. An airplane had been conducting search patterns, but Coast Guard officials said Thursday night that the search had been called off. The

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled former President Donald Trump must answer questions under oath in a New York investigation into his business practices. State Judge Arthur Engoron made the decision Thursday. It is likely to be appealed. New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office issued subpoenas

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Experts say you may be paying more for your avocado toast in the short term, and distributors may be looking beyond Mexico to guard against future supply disruptions. Mexico is negotiating security guarantees for U.S. inspectors who certify avocados for export in western Mexico, where avocado

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization, has been named the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s commencement. The school announced Thursday that the Nigerian economist and MIT alumna will address graduates at a ceremony on May 27. MIT President L. Rafael

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s top auction house says it is putting up for sale Rubens’ 17th century masterpiece “Portrait of a Lady” next month. It is valued between 18 million and 24 million zlotys ($4.5 million-$6 million). The painting — owned by a British citizen — will go on

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s highest court says a business executive who was investigated over suspected fraud had a right to keep his identity private. The Supreme Court ruled that Bloomberg News had breached the businessman’s “reasonable expectation of privacy” with a 2016 story about a U.K. law enforcement probe into

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, but remain near historically low levels, reflecting relatively few layoffs across the economy. Jobless claims rose by 23,000 to 248,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average for claims, which compensates for weekly volatility, fell

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart muscled through rising inflation, surging costs related to COVID-19 sick leave and snarled global supply chains to put up strong fiscal fourth quarter results. The Arkansas company reported Thursday that its quarterly profit reached $3.56 billion, or $1.28 per share. Per-share earnings adjusted for

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged for a second consecutive month despite soaring inflation that has left many in the country struggling to purchase food and basic goods. The bank said Thursday that it decided to keep its policy rate at 14%. Last month, it put its rate-cutting

The Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — Airbus booked a record profit of 4.2 billion euros ($4.8 billion) last year as it delivered more planes with the global economy rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first annual profit for the French manufacturer since 2018, before the spread of COVID-19 reduced air travel to levels

By HAL M. BUNDRICK of NerdWallet The rise in consumer prices, or inflation, is a slow erosion of your money over time. And supply chain issues are a part of the inflation equation too. How can you protect yourself? Small financial moves can make a difference in helping to preserve your spending power. Things like

By COSTAS KANTOURIS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press TYRNAVOS, Greece (AP) — Economists, farmers and charity workers agree about a cost-of-living crisis in Europe: Inflation may ease later this year but the impact of the spike in food and energy prices will last. In Greece, farmers are threatening a nationwide highway blockade, worried that rising

BEIJING (AP) — China has rejected a U.S. accusation that Beijing is failing to live up to its market-opening commitments in a new round of complaints as companies wait for the two governments to restart talks on ending a tariff war. The Ministry of Commerce criticized the Biden administration for saying it is developing new

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can stop on roads for no apparent reason. The government says it has 354 complaints from owners during the past nine months about “phantom braking” in Tesla’s Models

By MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is launching a new initiative aimed at identifying companies that exploit supply chain disruptions in the U.S. to make increased profits in violation of federal antitrust laws. The program is being unveiled Thursday by the Justice Department’s antitrust division and the FBI. The program

By NINIEK KARMINI Associated Press JAKARTA (AP) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo told financial leaders of the Group of 20 industrial economies that countries must avoid tensions and cooperate to support a recovery from the pandemic. Widodo said the pandemic was far from over and “winter is coming.” The G-20 gathering comes as many economies

By GRANT PECK and JIM GOMEZ Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — New Zealand says it will not deal with Myanmar under a major 15-nation trade agreement, the world’s largest that took effect this year, citing the deadly violence and democratic setbacks in the Southeast Asian country after the military seized power. Two diplomats told The

NEW YORK (AP) — Visa Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have agreed to allow customers to use Visa cards on Amazon sites worldwide without additional fees. Visa said the companies also agreed to collaborate on product and technology initiatives for “innovative payment experiences.” Under the agreement, Amazon’s amazon.co.uk site in Britain will no longer turn off

By MALLIKA SEN Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — The five members of the International Olympic Photo Pool all employ robotics to augment their wire offerings. But good old-fashioned photography skills and instinct are integral to making them. The use of robotics began out of necessity, when there were to be no catwalks at the 2012

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan will ease its tough COVID-19 border controls by increasing the number of people allowed to enter each day and reducing quarantine requirements following criticism that its current policy is unscientific and xenophobic. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the daily entry cap will be raised to 5,000,

By ZEN SOO AP Technology Writer The Winter Olympics are being held in Beijing, but most of the population is shut out because of coronavirus restrictions. The lack of interaction with visiting foreign athletes and spectators has intensified the sense that the Games are taking place several degrees removed from the daily life of the

By CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press / Report for America ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (AP) — Dozens of National Guard Army and Air Force troops in New Mexico have been stepping in to fill a shortage of teachers in schools. It’s the only state in the U.S. calling on its national guard soldiers to put down mission briefs

By KATHY GANNON Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Journalists in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan say they operate in a climate of fear and uncertainty. Since taking power six months ago, the Taliban have issued directives admonishing journalists to adhere to Islamic principles when reporting. Some journalists have been detained, interrogated and beaten. The Committee to Protect

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A long-haul Emirates flight heading to Washington in December failed to properly climb and flew incredibly low and fast over the city-state before later gaining altitude over the sea. That’s according to a new investigative report released Thursday by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. No one was injured

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Shares have mostly fallen in Asia as investors remain anxious over the possibility that Russia could invade Ukraine. Benchmarks were moderately lower in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney and Seoul. Oil prices fell and U.S. futures were higher. In New York on Thursday, the S&P 500 fell

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP Political Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mayor’s race in Los Angeles is being dominated by a homeless crisis and rising crime rates. At issue is whether frustrated voters in the heavily Democratic city of 4 million could look for a new direction at City Hall. One of the leading

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and SHONAL GANGULY Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — The use of rapid home tests has surged in India on the back of omicron cases, which have recently begun to decline. But experts have voiced caution, saying home tests are less accurate than lab-run PCR tests and that since not all results

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Japan has reported its trade deficit rose to an eight-year high in January as the cost of energy imports soared. The Finance Ministry said the trade deficit jumped to 2.2 trillion yen ($19 billion) as imports surged nearly 40%. Exports climbed 9.6%. It was the sixth

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer The leader of the Federal Aviation Administration, Stephen Dickson, says he will resign at the end of March. Dickson said Wednesday that he wants to spend more time with his family. Dickson took over at the FAA in August 2019, when the agency was already under fire for what

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — CNN’s parent company says its investigation into circumstances surrounding the firing of anchor Chris Cuomo and ouster of network chief Jeff Zucker is complete. Yet there are still unanswered questions regarding the case, and WarnerMedia said it would not be releasing details about what was

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Funds that raise money to aid women get abortions say they would need more donations this year if the U.S. Supreme Court makes seismic changes to the nationwide right to abortion. Some of the funds, called abortion funds, provide money to women to pay for abortions. Others cover transportation,

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer DoorDash has posted better-than-expected sales for its fourth quarter thanks to its growing active-user base and an expansion of its delivery options. The San Francisco-based delivery company said its revenue grew 34% to $1.3 billion in the October-December period. That surpassed Wall Street’s forecast. DoorDash said its DashPass members

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — California-based investment company Silver Lake Partners has agreed to buy a stake in the commercial operations of New Zealand’s governing rugby body, which includes the famous All Blacks national team. New Zealand Rugby said Silver Lake will invest $134 million to set up a new commercial entity “that will house

The Associated Press Stocks shook off an early slump and ended mixed on Wall Street Wednesday after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting showed policymakers still leaning toward moving decisively to fight inflation. The S&P 500 wound up with a slight gain, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq edged lower. Treasury

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: ViacomCBS, La-Z-Boy fall; Generac, Owens Corning rise.

MIAMI (AP) — Recently consolidated TelevisaUnivision Inc. will launch a ViX streaming service that will offer more than 50,000 hours of Spanish-language entertainment, sports and news content in its first year. ViX will include programs from Mexican broadcaster Televisa and U.S. broadcaster Univision, plus access to an extensive library. The service includes ViX, a free

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York is proposing a $200 million fund to help people of color, women and some others start marijuana businesses. It’s an ambitious plan to make the pot industry more equitable. But officials haven’t yet nailed down some components that experts say are crucial to making

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

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve policymakers concluded last month that they would accelerate their tightening of credit if inflation failed to slow in the coming months. Most officials agreed that faster interest rate hikes would be needed “if inflation does not move down” as the Fed’s policymaking committee expects,

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hispanic farmers and rural residents in New Mexico are concerned legislation that would allow small cannabis producers to boost their plant counts lacks a provision to ensure the producers have valid water rights. The arid state already is struggling to meet its water demands. Supplies are expected to dwindle even more

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kevin Costner wants Utah lawmakers to pass legislation that would give more tax rebates to film productions that shoot in Utah. Costner told the Deseret News this week that he hopes lawmakers pass a proposal to exempt rural productions from an existing cap on the amount of taxes productions can

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — When New York state started taking mobile sports bets last month, everyone assumed it would take a big chunk out of New Jersey’s nation-leading market. And although New York instantly became the top market in the U.S. in terms of the amount bet on sports

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president has announced a set of measures aiming to bring relief to households and businesses reeling from high inflation and soaring electricity bills. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that authorities would readjust the level under which higher electricity tariffs for households using more energy kick in, while some 4

By DAVID KLEPPER The Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Online harassment has become so common that it can be hard to imagine the internet without it. From teen cyberbullying to authoritarian governments who use harassment to silence dissent, toxic conversations are a fact of life for everyone, with women, teens and religious and racial

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — While the Ukraine crisis presents the U.S. with a foreign policy threat, it’s also pushing gasoline prices higher at home. And that’s a growing political problem for President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats. With this year’s congressional elections in sight, inflation has become an albatross for the

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s avocado producers have used clever Super Bowl ads, an irresistible fruit and apparently insatiable appetite from U.S. consumers to separate their product from the conflictive landscape that produces it. At least that was the case until a threat to a U.S. agricultural inspector essentially shut

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Government investigators say former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a Montana development project and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement. The Interior Department’s inspector general said Wednesday that Zinke continued working on the commercial project even after he

By TOM HAYS Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A former top banker at Goldman Sachs has testified that he and other corrupt executives at the firm built a “house of cards” to try to conceal an audacious scheme to ransack a Malaysian state investment fund. Tim Leissner told a New York City jury on

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Canadian rescuers have recovered more bodies from a Spanish fishing vessel that sank in rough seas off Newfoundland, bringing the confirmed death toll to nine. But the search for 12 missing sailors was called off Wednesday afternoon. A Canadian official said high winds and 10-metre seas

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s leaders have announced plans to end most of the country’s coronavirus restrictions by March 20. The decision coincided with moves by neighboring Austria and Switzerland to drop many of their virus curbs sooner. A three-step plan was endorsed Wednesday by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the country’s

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a bolder European space policy, warning that Europe’s sovereignty is at stake if it falls behind rival powers in a key field for technology, science and military competitiveness. He said recent events had shown how crucial it is to be

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s navy says 22 crew members are being evacuated from a large cargo ship that caught fire near the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands. The Portuguese Navy said the Felicity Ace sounded the alarm after a fire broke out in the hold on Wednesday. Online vessel trackers show the 200-meter-long (650-feet-long) ship was

By DAVID McHUGH and COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — It’s not simple for Europe to plan sanctions against Russia in case it invades Ukraine. Sanctions would seek to maximize the pain for the Kremlin, its key banks and energy companies but also avoid jeopardizing the continent’s Russian-dependent energy supplies or inflicting too

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Fueled by pay gains, solid hiring and enhanced savings, Americans sharply ramped up their spending at retail stores last month in a sign that many consumers remain unfazed by rising inflation. Retail sales jumped 3.8% from December to January, the Commerce Department

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is visiting a historically Black university in South Carolina this week to tout what the Biden administration says is a commitment to funding nuclear engineering at such institutions. Officials tell The Associated Press Granholm will tour the nuclear engineering program at

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Leaders of the world’s most consequential energy bodies have gathered for a forum to discuss the uncertain future of oil. It comes as demand rebounds and prices climb to their highest in years even as nations pledge to transition to cleaner forms of energy.

By JACKIE VELING of NerdWallet Buy now, pay later” loans typically offer a simple, zero-interest payment structure that can make keeping up with installments easy and affordable for some borrowers. But unlike other types of financing, such as credit cards, these plans aren’t currently reported to the major credit bureaus. That means borrowers can sign

LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the United Kingdom has risen at the fastest rate in almost 30 years as increased costs for energy, housing and transportation squeezed household budgets. The Office for National Statistics said Wednesday that the consumer price index ticked up to 5.5% in the 12 months through January, from 5.4% the previous

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds The small luxury SUV market is seemingly packed with as many automotive all-stars as there are athletes in the Winter Olympics. Yet among the field there’s been one model that’s consistently won more Edmunds gold than any other: the Mercedes-Benz GLC. Since the current-generation GLC debuted for the 2016 model year,

LONDON (AP) — Red Bull’s Formula One team has signed what it described as the most lucrative annual cryptocurrency sponsorship in sports. The deal with Bybit is worth more than $100 million across three years for the team that is home to reigning world champion Max Verstappen. Red Bull says Bybit will work with the

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German vaccine maker BioNTech unveiled plans Wednesday to establish manufacturing facilities in Africa that would boost the availability of much-needed medicines on the continent. BioNTech developed the first widely approved shot against COVID-19 together with Pfizer. The modular design of the facility consists of shipping containers fitted

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has accused China of failing to meet its commitments to the World Trade Organization. It says will explore new ways to combat aggressive Chinese trade practices. In its annual report on Chinese compliance with WTO rules Wednesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street higher after Federal Reserve policymakers indicated they are leaning toward more decisive action on inflation but set no firm targets. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose while the Dow Jones Industrial Average

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Kirin is selling its China joint venture to an investment fund, shortly after the Japanese beer and beverage maker decided to pull out of Myanmar, where it had a beer brewery. The sale to Plateau Consumer, a Chinese fund, for 115 billion yen ($994 million) covers

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN Associated Press TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The arrest of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández and the images of a leader shackled and paraded before cameras like a common criminal are a stunning reversal for a man who for years seemed impervious to growing allegations of corruption. While president

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California companies that must pay to emit greenhouse gases have saved up so many pollution credits it could hurt the program’s ability to reduce emissions. California runs one of the world’s largest carbon markets, known as cap-and-trade. It requires companies to buy, trade or sell “allowances”

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will distribute free coronavirus rapid test kits at schools and senior care facilities starting next week as it weathers an unprecedented wave of infections driven by the fast-moving omicron variant. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye said schools will be getting enough kits for students

By ZEKE MILLER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is telling Congress it needs an additional $30 billion to press ahead with the fight against COVID-19. Two people familiar with the details tell The Associated Press that the request includes $17.9 billion for vaccines and treatments, $4.9 billion for testing,

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Altria says an administrative law judge dismissed a federal lawsuit alleging that its investment into vaping company Juul violates anticompetitive laws. The preliminary decision by a federal agency judge is subject to review by the Federal Trade Commission and will likely be appealed. The FTC sued

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two California Democratic lawmakers are targeting pandemic disinformation they say has received a broad audience and misplaced credibility through social media. Both legislators rejected concerns Tuesday that their legislation might carry free speech or business privacy considerations. Sen. Richard Pan’s proposal would require online platforms like

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer Airbnb has reported its second-straight quarterly profit and it says its revenue is now higher than it was before the pandemic. Airbnb said Tuesday that it earned $55 million in the fourth quarter. That’s a turnaround from a loss of $3.9 billion a year ago. Airbnb says the omicron

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer There has been a surge in guns being discovered at airport checkpoints. That’s leading some security experts to suggest higher fines and even putting violators on a no-fly list to prevent guns from getting on planes. The Transportation Security Administration says airport screeners found 5,972 guns at checkpoints last

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Legal betting on this year’s Super Bowl was heavy in the first five states to report results. Nevada saw nearly $180 million in bets, New Jersey saw nearly $144 million, Illinois saw over $60 million, Mississippi saw nearly $6.4 million and Montana saw nearly $700,000.

By GLENN GAMBOA AP Business Writer Nonprofits battling child marriage are looking for more support during the COVID-19 pandemic and have found some help from an unexpected source – the $100 billion wedding industry. With 2022 expected to be a record-setting year for weddings – an estimated 2.5 million ceremonies, according to Shane McMurray, CEO

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Questions about Donald Trump’s business practices are piling up. Whether the former president must answer them could be decided in a matter of days. New York’s attorney general will go to court Thursday seeking to enforce a subpoena for Trump’s testimony under oath in a

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press LIMA, Peru (AP) — Dozens of beaches near Lima are deserted and thousands of fishermen remain without work, one month after an oil spill at a refinery created what the United Nations called the worst ecological disaster in Peru’s recent history. Clean up of the oil is going slowly, with

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: MoneyGram, Arista rise; Leidos, Fidelity National fall.

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Nielsen company estimates that 101.1 million people watched the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl on NBC and Telemundo. That’s an increase over last year’s game won by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which had 95.2 million television viewers. Another close finish capped a

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in two years for many people, the American workplace is transforming into something that resembles pre-pandemic days. Tyson Foods said Tuesday it was ending mask requirements for its vaccinated workers in some facilities. Last week, Walmart and Amazon said they’ll no

The Associated Press Stocks ended broadly higher on Wall Street Tuesday as investors welcomed signs that tensions might ease in Ukraine. Moscow said some troops near Ukraine’s borders would begin returning to their bases, however U.S. President Joe Biden said that claim remains unverified. Bond yields rose after another indicator on inflation came in higher

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has lost her libel lawsuit against The New York Times. A jury in New York on Tuesday rejected the Republican’s claim that the newspaper maliciously damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass

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

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Starting this week, this masks are coming off for vaccinated visitors to Walt Disney World in Florida. The theme park resort announced Tuesday that face coverings will be optional for fully-vaccinated visitors in all indoor and outdoor locations, with one exception. Face masks still will be needed for visitors ages 2

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Fashion Writer MILAN (AP) — Dolce&Gabbana has become the first Italian fashion house to bring its beauty division in-house, a move that the CEO said Tuesday would strengthen the link between beauty and fashion, and help build inroads with younger consumers. CEO Alfonso Dolce said developing products with a new team

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government says it will scrap virtually all its remaining coronavirus restrictions by the end of the month as infection rates begin to decline and pressure on health care services eases. Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said Tuesday that the European Union country “is opening

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for the family of a cinematographer shot and killed on the set of the film “Rust” are suing Alec Baldwin and the movie’s producers for wrongful death. Lawyers for Halyna Hutchins’ family announced a lawsuit filed in the name of Hutchins’ husband and their

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee boycotted a vote on President Joe Biden’s five nominees to the Federal Reserve, delaying indefinitely the confirmation of Chair Jerome Powell to a second four-year term. Democrats control the committee, but because no Republican attended the session, votes couldn’t

By MATTHEW PERRONE and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has narrowly confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, filling a position that had been open for more than a year. Most Democrats joined with a handful of Republicans to overcome political obstacles that threatened to sink

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc. has settled a decade-old class action lawsuit over the company’s use of “cookies” in 2010 and 2011 that tracked people online even after they logged off the Facebook platform. As part of the proposed settlement, which must still be approved by a judge, Meta

By YURAS KURMANAU and FRANK BAJAK Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A series of cyberattacks on Tuesday knocked the websites of the Ukrainian army, the defense ministry and major banks offline, Ukrainian authorities said, as tensions persisted over the threat of a possible Russian invasion. Still, there was no indication the relatively low-level, distributed-denial-of-service

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk says in a regulatory filing that he donated about 5 million shares of company stock worth roughly $5.7 billion to an unidentified charity in November. The shares were donated from Nov. 19 to Nov. 29. In late October, Musk, the world’s richest man, tweeted that he would sell

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Lee Enterprises’ effort to repel a hostile takeover got a boost this week when a judge ruled the newspaper publisher could ignore two director nominations from the Alden Global Capital hedge fund. But Alden said it will press the fight by urging shareholders to vote

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — America’s commercial casinos won $53 billion in 2021, their best year ever according to figures released Tuesday. The American Gaming Association says in-person gambling continues to be the main source of revenue for the gambling industry, even as internet and sports betting continue to grow

By DAVID PITT Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farms that raise turkeys and chickens for meat and eggs are on high alert, fearing a repeat of a widespread bird flu outbreak in 2015 that killed 50 million birds across 15 states and cost the federal government nearly $1 billion. Indiana officials said Tuesday

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — At a time when calls to the IRS have reached record levels, a private company lets those who are willing to pay jump to the front of the line to get their phone calls answered. That has attracted the attention of lawmakers who want the IRS to

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer Champions League organizer UEFA is being criticized by supporter groups for monetizing engagement by partnering with a company that sells fan tokens through largely unregulated cryptocurrencies. The commercial deal was announced a day after the Football Supporters Europe group praised UEFA for giving away 10,000 tickets to the