AP National Business

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer FedEx, Rivian Automotive, and DraftKings have joined a growing list of U.S. corporations announcing job cuts. FedEx said Wednesday in an announcement sent to its employees that it is reducing the size of its officer and director team by more than 10% and consolidating some teams and functions. Rivian

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Before the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT was unleashed into the world, the novelist Robin Sloan was testing a similar AI writing assistant built by researchers at Google. It didn’t take long for Sloan, author of the bestseller “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” to realize that the

LIMOURS, France (AP) — Ukraine’s defense minister says Ukrainian lives will be saved by a sophisticated air-defense radar that France is supplying. France says the Ground Master 200 is powerful enough to spot incoming missiles and exploding drones in the skies over all of Ukraine’s capital and its surrounding region. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — A top U.S. health official has urged the World Health Organization to address allegations that one of its doctors repeatedly engaged in sexual misconduct. An AP investigation unearthed previous allegations against the same doctor that did not result in significant consequences. At the time of the

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — AMC Entertainment Holdings has decided to exit Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing market amid heavy competition less than five years after the lifting of a decades-long ban on movie theaters. The world’s biggest cinema chain, which announced the decision on Tuesday, said it had always planned to eventually hand operations over

PRAGUE (AP) — Officials in the Czech Republic say the government will end checks on the country’s border with Slovakia that were renewed last year amid a new increase in migration. The government announced the move on Wednesday. The measure has been in place since Sept. 29 at 27 border crossings and was initially supposed

By WANJOHI KABUKURU Associated Press Local climate activists in Congo are hoping Pope Francis’ visit will help spur action to protect the country’s rainforest from oil and gas interests. The Pope’s call to protect Congo’s “great green lungs of the world” on Tuesday was welcomed by campaigners who see the papal visit as a fresh

BOSTON (AP) — The founder of a cryptocurrency and virtual payment services company who authorities say cheated dozens of investors and customers out of about $7.5 million has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison. My Big Coin Inc. founder Randall Crater was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Tuesday. Prosecutors say

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings rose to 11 million in December, a sign the American labor market remains hot and a blow to the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool it off. The Labor Department said Wednesday that openings were up from 10.4 million in November. Economists had expected

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has traveled to Rabat along with 11 ministers before a meeting with Moroccan government officials. It’s part of the European country’s strategy to improve historically complex relations with its neighbor across the Strait of Gibraltar. The north African country is an

By SUZAN FRASER and JARI TANNER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president has reaffirmed that Turkey won’t allow Sweden to join the NATO military alliance as long as it permits protests desecrating Islam’s holy book. Turkey has been holding off approving Sweden and Finland’s membership in the alliance. The Turkish government has been

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The government of the Netherlands says a cow that died recently on a Dutch farm has tested positive for mad cow disease. It’s a rare case of the cattle illness that can cause a fatal brain disease in people who eat tainted beef. Agriculture Minister Piet Adema said the South

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Big Brothers Big Sisters America CEO Artis Stevens says the 119-year-old nonprofit long known for mentoring schoolchildren is now diversifying its programming. Stevens took over the organization two years ago. He said the fastest growing demand for mentoring is among young adults, ages 18-25. The organization

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — The presidents of Bulgaria and Serbia have launched the construction of the Bulgarian part of a gas link that is designed to diversify the energy supplies of a region that until recently was almost fully dependent on natural gas deliveries from Russia. The 85.5 million-euro ($93.2 million) project that got underway

By VADIM GHIRDA and STEPHEN McGRATH Associated Press BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Romanian court on Wednesday upheld a second 30-day detention for the divisive influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate who is held on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking, an official said. Tate lost his appeal against a judge’s Jan. 20

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet While some travelers cringe at the thought of greasy sausages and bland eggs served at the free hotel breakfast buffet, others say free breakfast ranks among their favorite aspects of travel. Hilton says “free breakfast” is the most used search filter on its website. In 2023, some hotels are revamping

LONDON (AP) — A top European Union official has told Elon Musk that Twitter needs to make progress in preparing for new digital regulations aimed at curbing hate speech, misinformation and other harmful content. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and Musk held a video call Tuesday to assess Twitter’s readiness for the bloc’s new rules that

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s Central Bank has set a new exchange rate that effectively devalues the country’s currency by 90% but did little to bridge the gap with the soaring black market rate. Wednesday’s dramatic measure is meant to stabilize the free-falling Lebanese pound and eliminate the multiple exchange rates

NEW YORK (AP) — Hindenburg Research is a financial research firm with an explosive name and a track record of sending the stock prices of its targets tumbling. It’s back in the headlines for taking on one of the world’s richest men, Indian coal mining tycoon Gautam Adani. Last week it accused the Adani Group,

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is mustering its military might in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv suspects is preparation for an offensive as the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion approaches. Also Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government continued its crackdown on alleged corruption with the

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that a viewing platform at London’s Tate Modern art gallery breached the privacy of residents of luxury apartments next door. The court said the scrutiny made residents feel like animals in a zoo and impeded “the ordinary use and enjoyment” of

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As if running a restaurant during a pandemic wasn’t tough enough, Christopher Wong also had to contend with a racist troll. “I will not have my dog eat in this place because they might cook him,” read the Yelp review of Wong’s eatery, the Curry Up Cafe

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple and Google say they disagree with a Commerce Department report accusing them of operating mobile app stores that stifle competition. President Joe Biden is convening his competition council for an update on efforts to promote competition and lower prices. Wednesday’s Commerce Department report says the current

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have begun their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration. The focus Wednesday was on what watchdogs describe as “indications of widespread fraud” in federal coronavirus aid programs initiated under President Donald Trump. GOP lawmakers complained that too little attention was paid to the problems

Associated Press BENGALURU, India (AP) — Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several new clean energy initiatives in her annual federal budget speech on Wednesday, saying “green growth” is a top priority for the country. More than $8 billion dollars were announced for projects like mangrove restoration which help suck carbon dioxide out of the

By KRUTIKA PATHI Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government plans to ramp up capital spending by 33% in a $550 billion annual budget designed to spur economic growth and create jobs ahead of a general election next year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says private investment has been rising after

BERLIN (AP) — Official figures show that German beer sales rose in 2022 after COVID-19 restrictions weighed on brewers in the previous two years. But the long-term trend remains downward and the World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar didn’t get the taps flowing. The Federal Statistical Office said Wednesday that German-based breweries and distributors sold

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve extended its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate a quarter-point, its eighth hike since March. And the Fed signaled that even though inflation is easing, it remains high enough to require further rate hikes. At the same time,

By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press RENO, Nev. (AP) — General Motors has conditionally agreed to invest $650 million in Lithium Americas in a deal that will give GM exclusive access to the first phase of a mine planned near the Nevada-Oregon line with the largest known source of lithium in the U.S. The equity investment

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer Congress is going to take another look at legislation covering the rights of airline passengers. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts said Tuesday they re-introduced bills to increase penalties when airlines strand or delay passengers, and to limit airline fees. Both ideas have failed

By LISA MASCARO and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Not so long ago, Joe Biden and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy used to talk things over at breakfast in Biden’s vice presidential home at the Naval Observatory. Biden was intent in those days on “keeping up relations with the opposition party,” as he

The Associated Press Wall Street closed out a strong January with more gains. The S&P 500 rose 1.5% Tuesday, marking its third winning month in the last four. The Dow rose 1.1% and the Nasdaq rose 1.7%. The gains came ahead of what many investors hope will be one of the Federal Reserve’s last hikes

In just the past month there have been about 50,000 job cuts across the technology sector. Large and small tech companies went on a hiring spree over the past several years due to a surge in demand for their products, software and services with millions of people working remotely. However, even with all of the

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — PayPal Inc. says it will trim about 7% of its total workforce, or about 2,000 full-time workers, as the digital payments company contends with a challenging economic environment. PayPal said it will make reductions over several weeks with some organizations affected more than others. The company did not further specify.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: Caterpillar Inc., down $9.21 to $252.29. The construction equipment company’s fourth-quarter profit fell short of Wall Street forecasts. General Motors Co., up $3.03 to $39.32. The automaker beat analysts’ fourth-quarter profit and revenue forecasts. United Parcel Service Inc., up $8.26 to

NEW YORK (AP) — One of Penguin Random House’s top executives, U.S. CEO Madeline McIntosh, is stepping down. Her decision comes just weeks after the resignation of the global CEO, Markus Dohle, and the retirement of Random House Publishing Group publisher Gina Centrello. The departures all follow last fall’s ruling by a federal judge to

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Fifteen grade school students in Mexico have been treated after apparently taking part in an internet “challenge” in which groups of students take tranquilizers to see who can stay awake the longest.  The incident occurred Monday in the north-central city of Guanajuato. It came just days after health authorities issued a

By MATT O’BRIEN and JOCELYN GECKER SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The maker of ChatGPT is trying to curb its reputation as a freewheeling cheating machine with a new tool that can help teachers detect if a student or artificial intelligence wrote that homework. The new AI Text Classifier launched Tuesday by OpenAI follows a weeks-long

By CHRISTINA LARSON AP Science Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The dodo bird isn’t coming back anytime soon. Nor is the woolly mammoth. But a company working on technologies to bring back extinct species has attracted more investors, while other scientists are skeptical such feats are possible or a good idea. Colossal Biosciences first announced its

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s main opposition party says it won’t participate in parliamentary votes until a general election is held later this year. It made the move on Tuesday in response to the alleged wiretapping of senior officials by the state intelligence service. Allegations that politicians and journalists have been targeted in legally-sanctioned wiretaps

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — HarperCollins Publishers will cut its workforce by 5% in the U.S. and Canada by the end of June, citing increased costs and lower sales. The announcement comes the day before HarperCollins and the union representing some 250 striking employees are to meet with a federal

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s parliament has approved Sept. 30 as the date for an early election in the country. Ninety-two lawmakers in the 150-seat Slovak National Council voted in favor of the move on Tuesday. It came a week after lawmakers amended the country’s constitution to make it possible to hold early elections. The

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is imposing sanctions on a group of people and organizations connected to Myanmar’s military regime as the two-year anniversary nears for the coup that removed the country’s civilian government. The Treasury Department says six people and three organizations were designed for sanctions, including the country’s

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The United States has reassured Kosovars that it wouldn’t support the creation of a Serb-majority ministate in Kosovo like the one in Bosnia as Washington attempts to convince the country to accept a controversial association. The U.S. Embassy in Pristina met with a group of civil society leaders, government officials and

By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press Mark Gillispie, a veteran journalist who wrote about many of Ohio’s biggest stories during a four-decade career primarily with The Associated Press and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, has died. He was 63. His children, Sam Gillispie and Martha Hanna Gillispie, say he died Sunday after being diagnosed with cancer

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Energy Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Satellites, drones and airplanes equipped with infrared cameras will likely be the backbone of a new federal policy to fine the nation’s largest methane polluters. But the nascent industry has a long way to go before it can accurately measure just how much methane polluters

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer American consumers are kicking off 2023 slightly less confident than they were at the end of last year as inflation and a potential recession continue to weigh on them. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index slipped to 107.1 in January, down from 109 in December.

By NICOLE WINFIELD, JEAN-YVES KAMALE and CHRISTINA MALKIA Associated Press KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Pope Francis is demanding that foreign powers stop plundering Africa’s natural resources. He plunged head first into his agenda upon arrival on Tuesday in Congo. The pontiff was greeted with a raucous welcome by Congolese who were grateful he was focusing

By JIM RENDON of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Over his six years at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Esteban Gil watched colleague after colleague leave. “People burn out and they tire out, and then they leave,” says Gil, a program associate in the group’s criminal-justice-reform division. A union, Gil thought, could be

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government’s road safety agency is investigating complaints that windshield trim panels can fly off of Ford Explorers while they’re traveling at highway speeds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has 164 complaints about the trim pieces detaching on 2011 through 2019 Explorer SUVs. The probe covers about 1.86

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew at a healthy but more gradual pace in the final three months of 2022, a third straight slowdown, which could help reassure the Federal Reserve that wage gains won’t fuel higher inflation. Wages and benefits, such as health insurance,

By SALLY HO and GARANCE BURKE Associated Press PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Justice Department has been scrutinizing a controversial artificial intelligence tool used by a Pittsburgh-area child protective services agency following concerns that the tool could lead to discrimination against families with disabilities, The Associated Press has learned. The interest from federal civil rights attorneys

By ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Two years after Myanmar’s generals ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, thousands of people have died in civil conflict and many more have been forced from their homes in a dire humanitarian crisis. The economy lags behind where it stood before the Feb. 1, 2021, military

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — American Express is launching a suite of financial service products for small businesses as it aims build up its presence in the small business sector. AmEx had been offering small business lines of credit and other services under the Kabbage moniker, but now it will

By SUSIE BLANN Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine won support Tuesday from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets, but there were no signs that larger nations like the U.S. and Britain have changed their stance of refusing to provide warplanes to Kyiv after almost a year of

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Pfizer surprised Wall Street on Tuesday by predicting bigger-than-expected sales drops this year for two key products: its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment. The drugmaker also debuted an earnings forecast that fell below analyst expectations. Pfizer said it expects sales of both the vaccine Comirnaty and the treatment Paxlovid to

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Adult Happy Meals and other limited-time promotions boosted traffic at McDonald’s restaurants during the fourth quarter despite higher prices. The company said Tuesday that global same-store sales __ or sales at stores open at least a year __ rose 12.6% in the October-December period. That beat Wall Street’s expectations.

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Energy Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Exxon Mobil posted record annual profits in 2022 as consumers globally struggled with high prices for gasoline, home heating and consumer goods. The energy giant brought in $55.7 billion in annual profits. That exceeded its previous record of $45.22 billion in 2008. Exxon’s bounty came

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister has appealed to his Dutch counterpart to defend free trade after the Netherlands and Japan agreed to cooperate with U.S. restrictions on Chinese access to advanced processor chip technology due to security concerns. The foreign ministry gave no indication whether Qin Gang directly addressed the controls in the phone

By KATE ASHFORD of NerdWallet Nearly a quarter of millennials (22%) are living with their parents, and more than half of those living with them (55%) made the move in 2022, according to a December survey. Many said they’re back home due to high rent, money concerns or job losses — and 9 in 10

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Rising factory output led to strong U.S. sales at the end of last year, pushing General Motors’ fourth-quarter net income up 16% over the same period a year ago. The Detroit automaker said Tuesday that it made $1.99 billion from October through December, or an adjusted

By JOE McDONALD and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China’s government is accusing Washington of pursuing “technology hegemony,” as the United States has begun stepping up pressure on tech giant Huawei by blocking access to American suppliers. The Biden administration has stopped approving renewal of licenses to some U.S. companies that have been

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Azerbaijan is appealing to the United Nations’ highest court to urgently order Armenia to stop the laying of land mines and booby traps on Azerbaijani territory and disclose the location of those already planted. A hearing Tuesday at the International Court of Justice is the

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden has showcased a $292 million mega grant that’ll be used to help build a rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River. The mega grant is part of an effort to draw a contrast between the Democratic president’s economic vision and that of Republicans. The

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s economy scraped out meager gains at the end of last year as galloping inflation fed by high energy prices and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine deterred people from spending in shops and restaurants. Economic output crept 0.1% higher in the last three months of 2022

BRUSSELS (AP) — More than 10,000 people have protested through central Brussels to demand better working conditions and more pay in the care sector which have been especially hard-hit during the COVID-19 crisis. Trade union activists and workers demand that more people be hired in hospitals and care homes for older people and that pay

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Experts are warning that Nigeria’s push to replace its paper money with newly designed currency notes has created a shortage of cash. They say people can’t buy what they need and businesses have closed in Africa’s largest economy. Ayokunle Olubunmi of Nigeria’s main ratings agency, Agusto

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing bid farewell to an icon Tuesday: It delivered its final 747 jumbo jet. Since it debuted in 1969, the 747 has served as a cargo plane, a commercial aircraft capable of carrying nearly 500 passengers, and the Air Force One presidential aircraft. It revolutionized international travel.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics says its profit for the last quarter plummeted nearly 70% as a weak global economy depressed demand for its consumer electronics products and computer memory chips. The South Korean company’s operating profit of $3.5 billion for the three months through December fell 69% from a year earlier. That

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The outlook for the global economy is growing slightly brighter as China eases its zero-COVID policies and the world shows surprising resilience in the face of high inflation, elevated interest rates and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. That’s the view of the International Monetary Fund, which

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Ira “Bob” Born, a candy company executive known as the “Father of Peeps” for mechanizing the process to make the marshmallow chicks, has died. He was 98. Born’s father, Sam Born, was a Russian immigrant who founded Just Born Quality Confections, a small candy company, in 1923. The family

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a wealthy Russian businessman and associates made tens of millions of dollars by cheating the stock market in an elaborate scheme that involved hacking into U.S. computer systems to steal insider information about companies such as Miscrosoft and Tesla. Vladislav Klyushin is

By STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld the state’s “Clean Car Rule,” which ties the state’s vehicle emission standards to California regulations. A three-judge panel Monday rejected the arguments of Minnesota’s auto dealers, who argued that state pollution regulators exceeded their authority and unconstitutionally delegated

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Monday: SoFi Technologies Inc., up 74 cents to $6.68. The financial services company reported strong fourth-quarter financial results. Alliance Resource Partners L.P., up $1.83 to $22.54. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based coal miner’s fourth-quarter profit and revenue beat analysts’ forecasts. Colgate-Palmolive Co., up $1.29

The Associated Press Stocks closed lower on Wall Street ahead of a week full of potentially market-moving events. The S&P 500 fell 1.3% Monday as markets prepare for decisions on interest rates around the world and a slew of earnings reports. Wall Street ended last week at its highest level since early December in part

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Monday it plans to increase its borrowing during the first three months of 2023, even as the federal government is bumping up against a $31.4 trillion limit on its legal borrowing authority. The U.S. plans to borrow $932 billion during the January-to-March quarter.

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for March delivery fell $1.78 to $77.90 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for March delivery fell $1.76 to $84.90 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for February delivery fell 9 cents to $2.50 a gallon. February heating oil fell 16 cents $3.11 a gallon. March natural gas fell 17 cents

DALLAS (AP) — More than 1,000 flights were cancelled and many more delayed as Texas and nearby states dealt with freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation. Nearly 350 flights were canceled Monday at Dallas Fort Worth and more than 200 at Dallas Love Field, according to the tracking service FlightAware. About 4,700 flights were delayed nationwide.