AP National Business

By SYLVIE CORBET and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press ROME (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have stuck to rival positions in their countries’ post-Brexit dispute over fishing in the English Channel. The two leaders addressed the escalating tensions over the granting of fishing licenses as they held separate news

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a story published Oct. 31, 2021, The Associated Press identified Paul Barrett as teacher of a seminar in law, economics and journalism at New York University. The story should also have noted that his title is deputy director of NYU’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. 

LONDON (AP) — Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha has called on Instagram to take racism more seriously after being targeted with abuse after scoring in a 2-0 win at Manchester City on Saturday. The Ivory Coast international posted screenshots on Instagram of racist abuse he had received by direct messages following the match that saw

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden heads to a United Nations climate conference Monday energized by a new legislative framework that would be the largest action ever taken by the United States to address climate change. The $555 billion plan for climate spending is the centerpiece of a sweeping domestic

By NICOLE WINFIELD, DAVID MCHUGH and KARL RITTER Associated Press ROME (AP) — Leaders of the world’s biggest economies have agreed to stop funding coal-fired power plants in poor countries. They’ve also made a vague commitment to seek carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century.” The commitments came as the Group of 20 biggest economies wrapped

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The world’s largest oil company, Saudi Aramco, has reported $30.4 billion in third-quarter net income, bolstered by a surge in oil prices and recovery in demand as the coronavirus pandemic eases. Saudi Arabia’s majority state-owned oil giant Aramco said Sunday its net income rose

By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AP Science Writer NEW DELHI (AP) — India and the U.K. will launch a project that aims to create a solar grid connecting countries in different parts of the world at the upcoming U.N. climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland. The plan hinges on the idea that the sun is always shining in

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press ROME (AP) — President Joe Biden has wrapped up his time at the Group of 20 summit trying to convince Americans and the wider world that he’s got things under control, if only Russia, China and Saudi Arabia would get on board. On climate change, he’s got

ROME (AP) — Britain is naming a thinning Antarctic ice mass the Glasgow Glacier. It says the name symbolizes the vast implications for the world of a climate conference that starts Sunday in the Scottish city. More than 120 world leaders will join British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Glasgow for the COP26 summit. Britain

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Democrats say party leaders are hoping for House votes as soon as Tuesday on the two pillars of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The push marks Democrats’ latest effort to finally move both long-delayed measures through Congress. Top Democrats would like a final House-Senate compromise on

The Associated Press To the dismay of millions of children — and the parents trying to keep them busy and cope with their anguish — the popular gaming platform Roblox crashed Friday, and the company was still trying to restore service Saturday. In a statement Friday on social media, San Mateo, California-based Roblox apologized and

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer ROME (AP) — Leaders of the Group of 20 countries have expressed support for a deal that makes sweeping changes in how big global companies are taxed. The goal is to deter global companies from stashing profits in nations where they pay little or no tax — countries often

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press ROME (AP) — The U.S. and European Union have reached an agreement to settle their diplomatic rift over Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs. The White House made the announcement Saturday as President Joe Biden was in Rome attending the Group of 20 summit. In 2018, the Trump

The Associated Press Farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. reached a tentative labor agreement Saturday with the United Auto Workers union.  But a UAW strike that began Oct. 14 will continue — and details of the proposed contract will not be released — while workers study the terms of the agreement in advance of a

By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Hundreds of people opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates have rallied at the Kansas Statehouse and pushed state lawmakers to quickly counter them. The rally kicked off ahead of a rare weekend legislative committee hearing on mandates from President Joe Biden that affect as many as

By LISA RATHKE and THOMAS PEIPERT JAY, Vt. (AP) — Ski resorts are expecting a more normal season on the slopes this winter with many virus restrictions lifted. But skiers and snowboarders are advised to keep a mask in their pocket in case they’re required to wear one inside lodges and restaurants. Any virus-related protocols

By ANGELA CHARLTON and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Britain and France are facing calls to sort out their latest post-Brexit spat over fishing rights in the English Channel. The dispute threatens to escalate within days into a damaging French blockade of British boats and trucks. French President Emmanuel Macron warned Saturday that

By DAVID McHUGH, FRANCES D’EMILIO and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press ROME (AP) — Leaders of the world’s biggest economies have endorsed a global minimum tax on corporations as part of an agreement on new international tax rules. That step, taken on Saturday at a G-20 summit in Rome, is seen as building more fairness amid

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer World leaders have been trying to do something about climate change for 29 years but in that time Earth has gotten much hotter and more dangerous. The first big climate negotiations were in 1992. The world has warmed more in the past 29 years than in the previous 110

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex will begin fining shipping companies if they let cargo containers stack up as the nation’s busiest twin harbors deal with an unprecedented backlog of vessels. The Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor commissions voted Friday to implement a joint program that sets time limits on

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Chinese company that sold millions of faulty dehumidifiers to U.S. customers will pay $91 million for failing to tell regulators the devices could overheat and catch fire. The U.S. attorney’s office announced Friday that Gree Electric Appliances and its Hong Kong subsidiary submitted to an agreement filed in Los Angeles

By MARK GILLISPIE Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) — One of the four retail pharmacy companies on trial for their alleged roles in fostering an opioid crisis in two Ohio counties announced Friday it had settled a lawsuit with 10 government entities in the state. The settlement announced Friday by Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle includes Ohio’s Lake

By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana has become the latest state to temporarily stop making license plates because of a disruption in the U.S. aluminum supply. Montana Correctional Enterprises, which makes the plates, ran out of aluminum this week and another shipment isn’t expected until December. Administrator Gayle Butler says

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. governors are taking a seat at the table as international leaders gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet’s temperature rise. At least a half dozen Democratic governors are planning to attend parts of

By SARA CLINE Associated Press/Report for America PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tourism officials from Oregon’s largest city are calling Portland’s reputation “badly damaged” by months of destructive protests, a homeless crisis and a record year for homicides. Travel Portland is the main tourism promotor for the city and presented data to elected city officials this

The Associated Press Stocks are ending higher Friday as Wall Street closed out a milestone-setting week. Every major index closed higher. Health care, communication services and technology companies rose. The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq all set records.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: Apple, Amazon fall; US Steel, Newell rise

By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has paved the way for children ages 5 to 11 to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The agency authorized the kid-size doses on Friday. But there’s one more regulatory hurdle. Next week, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and

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

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press ROME (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson has renewed Britain’s threat to break from part of the Brexit divorce deal it signed with the European Union unless differences over Northern Ireland trade are resolved. The U.K. has threatened to trigger an emergency break clause in the deal that lets either

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. government regulators for the first time will analyze greenhouse gas emissions from federal oil and gas lease sales on a national scale as the Biden administration steps up efforts to address climate change. The announcement Friday came as officials released a report saying fossil fuel

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors have asked a judge to order California lawyer Michael Avenatti to begin serving a 2 1/2-year prison term. The request Friday comes a year after Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike. Later Friday, Avenatti’s lawyers responded

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has hit Iran with a fresh set of sanctions as President Joe Biden prepares for a key weekend meeting with European leaders to discuss the possible resumption of nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic. The Treasury Department announced the penalties Friday against two senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Toyota says it is investing $461 million into its first U.S. plant to add new technology, increase production flexibility and reduce its carbon footprint. The announcement Friday didn’t include new jobs at the central Kentucky facility, but officials said 1,400 temporary jobs would be converted into permanent positions. The company said

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A state appeals court says Louisiana’s largest health system can’t fire or otherwise discipline employees who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 until the mandate’s legality is decided. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal ruled one day before Ochsner Health’s Friday deadline. A state district judge

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Four weeks after an oil spill off Southern California’s coast, surfers have been allowed to return to the waves and people can play in the surf. But fishermen still can’t put lines in the water along the coast. California has prohibited fishing in an area

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Wages and salaries jumped in the three months ending in September by the most on records that date back 20 years as companies are forced to offer higher pay to fill a near-record number of available jobs. The Labor Department said Friday that pay increased 1.5%

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — American consumers slowed their spending to a gain of just 0.6% in September, a cautionary sign for an economy that remains in the grip of a pandemic and a prolonged bout of high inflation. At the same time, a key inflation barometer that is closely followed

By HUZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The U.S. wants to deepen its relationship with Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by China, which has become a major point of conflict in the strained U.S.-China relationship. Sandra Oudkirk, the new director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy, reiterated the U.S.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government is proposing a record budget for 2022 to bolster an economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic, with industrial incentives and cash handouts for the poor and a one-time tax for high-income companies. Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz introduced the $80.2 billion proposed budget, up from $77.4 billion in the

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Exxon Mobil swung to a hefty profit in its third quarter, thanks to increased demand for oil and higher prices. The oil and natural gas company company earned $6.75 billion, or $1.57 per share, reversing last year’s loss. Smaller rival Chevron also swung to a profit, and the two

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch data protection watchdog has issued a damning report on the country’s tax office, saying it breached the country’s privacy law for years by keeping a list of potential fraudsters. It was another blow for the scandal-plagued Dutch tax office that is embroiled in

BEIJING (AP) — China’s internet regulator plans to require companies to obtain government approval to transfer data deemed important abroad. Rules announced by the Cyberspace Administration of China would tighten Beijing’s control over information and might disrupt operations for international corporations. The agency said the measure is needed to “safeguard national security.” President Xi Jinping’s

By DANICA KIRKA and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to calm stormy waters over fishing with France on Friday as he flew to Rome for a G-20 summit, where he is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. France has threatened  to block British boats and tighten checks

BEIJING (AP) — More than 2,000 tourists visiting China’s Inner Mongolia region have been sent to hotels to undergo two weeks of quarantine. The move follows reports of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the vast, lightly populated region that attracts visitors with its mountains, lakes and grasslands. An announcement from the regional government on Friday

BEIJING (AP) — A newspaper reports a troubled Chinese developer whose struggle to avoid a multibillion-dollar debt default has rattled global financial markets made an overdue $45.2 million payment on a bond one day before it would have been declared in default. The South China Morning Post says Evergrande Group made the payment on a

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Consumer prices across the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency have spiked to the highest level in over 13 years. Inflation in the 19 countries, like elsewhere in the world, has been soaring amid rising energy prices, supply chain backups and labor shortages tied

By ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s often-strained relations in past years with European economic powerhouse Germany have taken center stage during a visit to Athens by outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel as both the country’s president and prime minister aired past grievances. President Katerina Sakellaropoulou was Merkel’s first official meeting during

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei’s sales fell 32% from a year earlier in the first nine months of 2021 under U.S. sanctions and following the sale of its Honor smartphone brand. The chairman of Huawei Technologies Ltd. says its smartphone and other consumer-oriented businesses have been significantly

By DAVID McHUGH and JOSH BOAK Associated Press ROME (AP) — The global economy is giving leaders of the Group of 20 countries a lot to talk about at their summit this weekend in Rome. The presidents and prime ministers representing 80% of the global economy will confront a recovery hampered by an energy crunch

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks are ending higher Friday as Wall Street closed out a milestone-setting week. Health care, communication services and technology companies rose. The three major indexes all set records: The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3% and Nasdaq closed 0.3%

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Tonga is among the few remaining nations in the world that have avoided outbreaks of the virus. Like many of its neighbors, Tonga’s isolation has

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s big, messy and complicated as the Democratic leaders in Congress try to muscle President Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic policy package into law. Fallout was brutal Friday after Biden’s announcement of a $1.75 trillion framework, chiseled back from an initial $3.5 trillion plan, still

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare. The blueprint Biden released Thursday fulfills a campaign promise to help poor people locked out of Medicaid expansion across the

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on a movie set has put a microscope on an often-unseen corner of the film industry where critics say the pursuit of profit can lead to unsafe working conditions. With a budget of around $7 million, the Western “Rust”

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Filled with pink and fuzzy things and cuddly bears, 6%DOKIDOKI, a tiny store in the heart of Tokyo’s Harajuku district, is bursting with “kawaii,” the Japanese for “cuteness.” What it doesn’t have enough of, as in zero, are foreign tourists. And it could sure use some.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term mortgage rate rose this week as inflation pressures, the coronavirus pandemic and some supply shortages linger. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage jumped to 3.14% from 3.09% last week. In contrast, the key rate stood at 2.81% this time last year. The rate

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A company that made and operated casino-style games used for illegal gambling will pay $3.5 million and permanently stop its California operations under a court settlement announced Thursday. Pong Game Studios Corp. agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged it provided software to gambling dens that offered slot- and poker-style computer

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Workers at three Starbucks stores in Buffalo, New York, will hold union elections next month after winning a case before the National Labor Relations Board. If the effort is successful, the stores would be the first of Starbucks’ 8,000 company-owned U.S. stores to unionize. The Seattle coffee giant opposes

By TOM KRISHER and HOPE YEN Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — The government has reported that the number of U.S. traffic deaths in the first half of 2021 hit 20,160, the highest first-half total since 2006. The estimated number was 18.4% higher than the first half of last year. That percentage increase was the biggest

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has declined to validate a contract granting permanent access to federally controlled water for the nation’s largest agricultural water supplier. A state court needs to approve the deal for the U.S. government to be bound by its terms. Environmentalists had blasted the deal

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Apple’s iPhone sales soared yet again in the past quarter, but didn’t grow as rapidly as analysts anticipated because of supply shortages that have made it more difficult to meet the demand for a wide range of products. Until recently, the shortages that affected

By MATT O’BRIEN and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press The term “metaverse” is the latest buzzword to capture the tech industry’s imagination _ so much so that one of the best-known internet platforms is rebranding to embrace the futuristic idea. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Thursday announcement that he’s changing his company’s name to Meta Platforms Inc.,

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Strong U.S. sales helped make up for weakness in other markets in Starbucks’ fiscal fourth quarter. The Seattle coffee giant said its North American same-store sales — or sales at locations open at least a year — jumped 22% in the July-September period. But same-store sales in China fell

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon isn’t just grappling with the easing of pandemic-induced splurges. The online retail behemoth is also contending with surging costs as it navigates a snarled supply chain and labor shortages. Those challenges resulted in Amazon reporting Thursday a shortfall in third-quarter profits and sales. It

The Associated Press Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Thursday, marking more record highs for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose but landed just shy of the record high it set on Tuesday. Small-company stocks rose more than the rest of the market, a sign that investors

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Ford, KLA rise; Twilio, eBay fall.

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that search warrants will be unsealed in an investigation into billionaire banker-turned philanthropist T. Denny Sanford for possible possession of child pornography. The unanimous ruling, dated Wednesday, upholds a lower court ruling that found the courts can’t seal the search

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

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook Inc. says it is changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc., joining a long list of companies that have tried to rebrand themselves over the years. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company will focus on the “metaverse,” a virtual computer-generated space where people can

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says his company is rebranding itself as Meta, an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future. Experts point out that it also appears to be an attempt to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, a document trove that

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Elon Musk isn’t happy. With a personal fortune that is flirting with $300 billion, the Tesla CEO — the richest person on earth — has been lashing out at a Democratic proposal to tax the assets of billionaires like him. The idea behind the Democratic plan is to use

LONDON (AP) — Britain has removed the seven remaining countries on its travel “red list.” The change means that travelers who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel after arriving in the U.K. The government said Thursday that Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of restaurant owners, chefs, waiters and bartenders are protesting in cities across Bulgaria against the government’s decision to impose a mandatory COVID-19 health pass on people seeking to enter indoor venues. Restaurant and hospitality associations organized the protest, calling the health certificates “inadequate” and “discriminatory.”

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — GE Appliances has announced plans to add more than 1,000 jobs at its sprawling Kentucky operations. The company said Thursday the job growth is part of a $450 million investment to boost capacity and launch new products. The Kentucky-based home appliances business says it’s targeting upgrades

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s justice minister says the European Union member should not pay any of the total $1.8 million daily fines the EU’s top court has imposed for Warsaw’s ignoring its injunctions regarding changes to the judiciary and a lignite mine. Zbigniew Ziobro on Thursday called the European

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An independent Dutch government advisory panel says the government must urgently take more action to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases. The Council of States warned Thursday that climate targets set by the government are currently “out of sight.” The report comes just days before the start of a U.N.

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A company in the United Arab Emirates hopes to sell its electric pod transit system that it now tests in Sharjah. However, the firm uSky has ties back to a Belarusian investment company called SkyWay that has seen multiple nations in Europe and elsewhere

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market has announced an agreement to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season. J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc. said Thursday

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Energy prices are soaring in 2021 and oil and gas stocks are the clear winners, but the losers might just turn out to be businesses and consumers. The energy sector has far outpaced the broader market this year. The S&P 500’s energy stocks are up more than 50%,

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Hampered by COVID-19 cases and supply shortages, the U.S. economy slowed sharply to a 2% annual growth rate in the July-September period, the weakest quarterly expansion since the recovery from the pandemic recession began last year. The government estimate fell below expectations and would have been

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a pandemic low last week, another sign that the job market and economy continue to recover from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 281,000, lowest since mid-March 2020, the Labor Department said

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Merck fell out of the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year but could vault to head of the pack for treatments in 2022. Company executives told analysts on Thursday that the drugmaker’s potential antiviral,  molnupiravir, may generate $5 billion to $7 billion in sales through next year.

By ANNA LIZ NICHOLS Associated Press/Report for America LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A program at the University of Michigan to combat struggles that low-income and first-generation college students can face is getting $40 million from the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation. Former New York Mets owner and real estate developer Fred Wilpon alongside his

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Construction demand drove third quarter sales higher at Caterpillar as did rising demand from miners and other heavy industry as the global economy emerges from the pandemic. Revenue climbed 25% to $12.4 billion. Despite falling just shy of Wall Street projections on revenue, shares of Caterpillar are up 2%

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian officials have praised the “steel friendship” with China during talks with China’s foreign minister. The talks come amid fears in the West that Beijing, by heavily investing in the Balkan state, is trying to exert its political influence in that part of Europe. Serbia, a

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Monika Bickert, Facebook’s head of global policy management, says the social media giant does not prioritize engagement and user growth over safety. That contradicts Senate testimony by whistleblower Frances Haugen, who claims Facebook knows its systems harm vulnerable people and hasn’t made meaningful changes to prevent it. Bickert spoke

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say an American Airlines flight from New York to California was diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. Flight 976 was heading Wednesday evening from Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when it landed at Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — European gas prices have dropped after Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the country’s major natural gas company to pump more gas into EU storages. During a call with officials late Wednesday, Putin told the head of state-controlled gas giant Gazprom, to start pumping gas into the company’s

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia has reported third-quarter profit above analyst expectations on increasing sales of 5G technology and trimmed costs. But the company warned on Thursday that the global shortage of semiconductors clouded the market outlook and could hamper growth. The Finland-based company reported net

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s National Statistics Institute says consumer prices increased this month by the country’s highest rate in 29 years as a result of soaring electricity costs. Preliminary data from the institute released on Thursday said consumer prices rose 5.5% in October compared to the same month in 2020. Regulatory measures so far haven’t

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Sony has reported its profit fell 54% in the last quarter, mainly due to a one-time tax-related gain that inflated last year’s number. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company managed to maintain results despite the coronavirus pandemic, reporting a 13% rise in quarterly sales. Tokyo-based Sony

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has decided to keep its pandemic stimulus efforts unchanged even as consumer prices spike and central banks in other parts of the world look to dial back support as their economies bounce back from the worst of the COVID-19 outbreak. The

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have grilled Facebook and other tech giants over how they handle online safety. The questioning comes as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. Facebook’s head of safety said Thursday that the tech giant supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an “unsafe experience.”

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Volkswagen has lowered its forecast for deliveries to customers and reported a decrease in operating profits for the third quarter. The global shortage of semiconductors disproportionately hit the company’s business in China despite strong demand for its cars there. The company said on Thursday that deliveries in 2021 would be in

By KEVIN FREKING and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Democrats are getting low marks from the public as they try to get a roughly $1.75 trillion spending package over the finish line. Fewer than half of Americans approve of how they’ve handled negotiations. And many say they know little

By DANICA KIRKA and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain says it will summon the French ambassador for a dressing-down, the latest move in a worsening dispute over fishing licenses that has stoked tensions following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union. Britain’s government warned France on Thursday that it would retaliate should

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Top executives of ExxonMobil and other oil giants have denied spreading disinformation about climate change while sparring with congressional Democrats over allegations that the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming. Exxon CEO Darren Woods said his company acknowledges the risks of climate change and

By DAVID RISING and EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesians are looking ahead warily toward the holiday travel season, anxious for crucial tourist spending but worried an influx of visitors could spread the coronavirus just as its pandemic situation seems to be subsiding. After seeing infection and death rates soar in July

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are slipping, despite recent signs of optimism about the global economy, including recent rallies on Wall Street. Benchmarks fell in morning trading in Japan, China, South Korea and Australia. Investors stepped to the sidelines to see the outcome of Japan’s parliamentary elections Sunday. The