AP National Business

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Liz Truss took office last month promising to rebuild the British economy and put the nation a path to “long-term success.” Instead, her tenure so far has been marred by turmoil as mortgage rates soared, the pound fell to record lows and chaos on bond

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland is grappling with how to respond to a European human rights court ruling that it unfairly discriminates against men — because widowers receive lower state payments than widows do. Swiss lawmakers must now decide whether to give more money to men, or pay less to women.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — An official says the Cyprus has begun proceedings to revoke citizenship from three investors and seven of their family members that was granted under the country’s ill-fated investment-for-citizenship program that a probe found had repeatedly flouted its own rules. Deputy government spokeswoman Niovi Parisinou said Wednesday that, overall, similar citizenship revocation

By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press/Report for America ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — A shortage of child care in the U.S. has become so acute that it’s reaching far into rural communities, including one northwestern Oregon county where future embryos are in line for a spot at Amy Atkinson’s nursery and preschool. “We have children that have

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer The U.S. on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, doses modified to target today’s most common and contagious omicron relative. While there wasn’t

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The prime minister of the Bahamas has announced an increase in the island’s minimum wage and temporary price controls on goods such as eggs, bread and diapers amid a spike in inflation. The minimum wage will increase from $210 to $260 a week. It will be retroactive from July

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level rose 8.5% in September from a year earlier, its third straight decline though it is still at a painfully high level. Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the producer price index — which measures price changes before they

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The German government has slashed its growth forecast for this year and predicted that Europe’s biggest economy would shrink in 2023 as Germany deals with the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine including Moscow cutting off natural gas supplies. The Economy Ministry said Wednesday that it expects

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Planes from the U.S. to Europe were packed this summer, and United Airlines figures the same thing will happen next year. United announced Wednesday that it will again increase its peak summer schedule across the Atlantic. It will bring back flights to Stockholm, which it dropped

BANGKOK (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. says it has begun assembling autos in Myanmar after more than a yearlong delay following a military takeover in February 2021. The factory in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, outside the country’s biggest city, Yangon, is owned by Toyota and its trading arm, Toyota Tsusho. It assembles Hi-Lux pickup

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Moscow is ready to resume gas supplies to Europe via a link of the Germany-bound Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Putin told an energy forum in Moscow on Wednesday that the U.S. was likely behind the explosions that ripped through both links of

By KATE ASHFORD of NerdWallet Medicare open enrollment starts soon, but 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries say they don’t compare Medicare plans during this period, which stretches from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. That’s not great, since Medicare Advantage plans — which operate much like the private insurance you may have had through an employer

By ALEXANDER TURNBULL and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is promising that the situation in the country’s gas stations will soon be back to “normal.” The government has started requisitioning some workers at ExxonMobil’s Esso gas stations amid a strike that is making life difficult for French drivers. Macron

By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko this week has reignited fears that his army could join Russian forces in the war against Ukraine. But the authoritarian leader appears reluctant to lend his troops to the war effort despite perceived pressure from Moscow. And analysts say troops from Minsk

By JILL LAWLESS and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s economy is facing new shocks after the Bank of England ruled out extending an emergency debt-buying plan designed to stabilize financial markets. Prime Minister Liz Truss on Wednesday came under more pressure from her Conservative Party to abandon the tax-cutting economic package that

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish oil pipeline operator says a leak has been detected in a pipeline in Poland which is the main route through which Russian crude reaches Germany. The operator said Wednesday that it detected a leak in the Druzhba pipeline that originates in Russia on Tuesday evening 70 kilometers (45 miles)

By KRISTA LARSON Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A new liquefied natural gas project off Africa’s western coast may only be 80% complete, but already the prospect of a new energy supplier has drawn visits from the leaders of Poland and Germany. The initial field near Senegal and Mauritania’s coastlines is expected to contain

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets fell Thursday ahead of an update on U.S. inflation that investors worry will reinforce the Federal Reserve’s plans for more aggressive interest rate hikes. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul. Oil prices edged lower. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 ended lower Wednesday after

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s space agency says a rocket carrying eight satellites failed just after liftoff and had to be aborted by a self-destruction command, in the country’s first failed rocket launch in nearly 20 years. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said its Epsilon-6 rocket experienced an unidentified “abnormality” Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) — As is traditional in the fall, NBC’s Sunday night football telecast dominated the weekly television rankings, in this case a game between Cincinnati and Baltimore. Pro football programming held down the top five places in the Nielsen company’s list, and CBS’ telecast of the Texas A&M-Alabama game in college football on

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — TikTok appears to be deepening its foray into e-commerce. It’s indicating in job listings that it has plans to operate its own U.S. warehouses, the kind of packing and shipping facilities more associated with Amazon or Walmart than the social media platform best known for

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A former manager for a Silicon Valley security business that worked with Facebook has testified at a sheriff’s civil corruption trial that he and the company’s CEO agreed to provide political donations in exchange for concealed-weapons permits.  The Mercury News reported that Martin Nielsen testified publicly for the first time

The Associated Press Stocks ended mostly lower after an afternoon hiccup on Wall Street as trading remains unsettled ahead of key reports on inflation and corporate earnings. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% after wavering down, up, then back down again. The Nasdaq fell 1.1% and the Dow ended just barely in the green. The S&P

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: Uber, Leggett & Platt fall; Joby Aviation, Viatris rise.

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for November delivery fell $1.78 to $89.35 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for December delivery fell $1.90 to $94.29 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for November delivery rose 1 cent to $2.63 a gallon. November heating oil rose 2 cents to $3.93 a gallon. November natural gas rose 16

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — More than $100 million in grants have been announced by the federal government as part of a major effort to close the digital divide in parts of rural Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News reports the projects will be an improvement on an existing system that includes a series of microwave transmitters

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Crypto exchange Bittrex was fined $24 million by U.S. authorities on Tuesday for helping clients evade U.S. sanctions in places such as Syria, Iran and Crimea. It is the largest penalty ever levied against a crypto currency exchange by the Office of Foreign Assets Control

ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines says it’s investing $60 million in a startup that hopes to build electric helicopter-like air taxis to ferry passengers to the airport. Delta announced Tuesday that it could invest up to another $140 million in Joby Aviation as the manufacturer hits key milestones. Joby is among several companies working

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines is raising its forecast of third-quarter revenue based on a strong summer for travel. American said Tuesday that revenue rose about 13% over the same quarter in 2019, before the pandemic. That’s higher than American’s previous revenue forecast. But the airline’s costs are rising too, American says. Airlines

By ADRIANA MORGA Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Your credit score affects whether you can get a credit card, rent an apartment, buy a house, start a business, or even get a cell phone contract. A low credit score can limit your choice of loans or determine if you can get one at all.

By TOM KRISHER and SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report for America COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Honda says it will build a $3.5 billion joint-venture battery factory in rural southern Ohio and hire 2,200 people to staff it as it starts to turn the state into its North American electric vehicle hub. The company also plans to

By JADE LE DELEY and SYLVIE CORBET The Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced a decision to requisition workers operating petrol depots of the ExxonMobil’s French branch Esso and threatened to do the same for those of Total group, amid strikes that have led fuel pumps to run dry

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Climate activist Greta Thunberg says it would be “a mistake” for Germany to switch off its nuclear power plants if that means burning more planet-heating coal. The German government is debating whether to end nuclear power as planned this year, despite the specter of a looming energy

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN and ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writers The U.S. Department of Labor is publishing a new proposal on how workers should be classified saying that thousands of people have been incorrectly labeled as contractors rather than employees, potentially curtailing access to benefits and protections they rightfully deserve. The department said Tuesday that misclassifying

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer General Motors is creating a new energy division that will include chargers for electric vehicles, solar panels and other energy-related products and services. The company said Tuesday that the unit, called GM Energy, will have offerings for home, commercial and electric vehicle customers. The division will also be able

BERLIN (AP) — A German court has convicted the owner of a Turkish restaurant  of ordering an arson attack that he blamed on far-right extremists in the eastern city of Chemnitz four years ago. The arson attack in October 2018 happened a few weeks after Chemnitz was shaken by anti-migrant protests following the killing of

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed a recent decision by OPEC, Russia and other oil producing nations to limit production as key to stabilizing the global energy market, as he met the leader of the United Arab Emirates for talks on fostering economic ties. Speaking at the start of Tuesday’s

By LAURA MCMULLEN of NerdWallet Most people have an inner critic that sometimes judges their actions and behaviors, including those related to money. That voice may label them as overspenders, for example, or insist they’ll never understand investing. Claims like those can be self-fulfilling. Why reel in spending or learn about investing if you’ve already

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The head of Britain’s cyber-intelligence agency is accusing China of using its economic and technological clout to clamp down at home and exert control abroad. GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming says Beijing is trying to “rewrite the rules of international security” in new and alarming ways. In a

By ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces showered Ukraine with more missiles and munition-carrying drones Tuesday after widespread strikes killed at least 19 people in an attack the U.N. human rights office described as “particularly shocking” and amounting to potential war crimes. Air raid warnings sounded throughout Ukraine for a second

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two of New Zealand’s largest ski areas have been placed into a type of bankruptcy proceeding following a disastrous winter season with barely any snow. The Tūroa and Whakapapa ski areas entered what is called voluntary administration. The proceeding is open to failing New Zealand

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Wednesday following another volatile day on Wall Street, as traders braced for updates on inflation and corporate earnings. Benchmarks fell in Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong but rose in Sydney. In currency trading the Japanese yen declined to a 24-year

By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisians have been hit with soaring food prices and shortages of basic staples in recent weeks, threatening to turn simmering discontent in the North African country — the cradle of the Arab Spring protests — into larger turmoil. Sugar, vegetable oil, rice and even bottled

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England has expanded its emergency effort to stabilize the financial markets amid concerns the government’s plan to slash taxes pose a “material risk” to Britain’s fiscal stability. The central bank said Tuesday that it will now buy inflation-linked securities that offer protection from inflation

TOKYO (AP) — In a story published October 11, 2022, The Associated Press published a story about Japan reopening to most tourists after pandemic restrictions were lifted. The AP erroneously credited the wrong video journalist as a contributor. The story has been corrected to show that AP video journalist Chisato Tanaka was the contributor.

By JAY REEVES Associated Press FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The seafood industry in southwest Florida is racing against time and the elements to save what’s left of a major shrimping fleet — and a lifestyle — that was battered by Hurricane Ian. The storm’s ferocious wind and powerful surge hurled a couple dozen

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government on Tuesday proposed taxing the greenhouse gasses that farm animals make from burping and peeing as part of a plan to tackle climate change. The government said the farm levy would be a world first, and that farmers should be able to

COLVILLE, Wash. (AP) — Six wolves found dead this year in northeast Washington were poisoned and a reward is being offered for tips leading to a conviction in the case, officials said Monday. Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said the agency has been investigating wolf deaths within the Wedge pack territory in

The Associated Press Stocks closed lower on Wall Street ahead of the beginning of the corporate earnings reporting season, which will provide insight into how high inflation and rising interest rates have been affecting U.S. companies. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% Monday. The Nasdaq fell 1%, while the Dow fell 0.3% U.S. bond trading was

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Monday: Nvidia, Las Vegas Sands fall; Merck, Boeing rise.

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for November delivery fell $1.51 to $91.13 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for December delivery fell $1.73 to $96.19 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for November delivery fell 11 cents to $2.62 a gallon. November heating oil fell 11 cents to $3.91 a gallon. November natural gas fell 31

By The Associated Press An apparently coordinated denial-of-service attack organized by pro-Russia hackers rendered the websites of some major U.S. airports unreachable early Monday, though officials said flights were not affected. The attacks — in which participants flood targets with junk data — were orchestrated by a shadowy group that calls itself Killnet. On the

By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Seventy-year-old Cassandra Gentry is looking forward to a hefty cost-of-living increase in her Social Security benefits — not for herself but to pay for haircuts for her two grandchildren and put food on the table. The three live in a Washington apartment building that houses 50 “grandfamilies”

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines says it’s investing in a company that hopes to supply hydrogen to planes. The move comes as the airline industry faces more pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. American announced its investment in Universal Hydrogen Co. on Monday, but it didn’t say how much it invested or its

By JILL COLVIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A small-business advocacy group has filed a new lawsuit seeking to block the Biden administration’s efforts to forgive student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans — the latest legal challenge to the program. The suit, filed Monday by the Job Creators Network Foundation, argues the

BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors have opened an investigation into the suspected sabotage of two gas pipelines built to bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Undersea explosions late last month ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which until Russia cut off supplies at the end of August was its main supply route

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Workers at refineries crucial for Iran’s oil and natural gas production protested Monday over the death of a 22-year-old woman, online videos appeared to show, escalating the crisis faced by Tehran. The demonstrations in Abadan and Asaluyeh mark the first time the unrest surrounding

By LIZ WESTON OF NerdWallet It pays to know the difference between a good 401(k) and a great 401(k). Compared to an average plan, great plans offer features that could potentially lead to tens of thousands of dollars in additional retirement money. Learn the ins and outs of your current 401(k) and compare it to

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is lamenting the bloc’s slow pace of action in setting up a military training mission for the Ukrainian armed forces. Foreign ministers ministers are due to discuss the plan next week, almost eight months after the war started. Borrell told EU ambassadors Monday that “we

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief says he will bring forward the publication of the government’s full fiscal statement after facing widespread criticism for not providing details about a multibillion-pound, tax-cutting stimulus package he announced last month. Kwasi Kwarteng had been expected to publish details of his financial strategy on

By ADAM SCHRECK and HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia retaliated Monday for an attack on a critical bridge by unleashing its most widespread strikes against Ukraine in months, a lethal barrage that smashed civilian targets, knocked out power and water, shattered buildings and killed at least 14 people. Ukraine’s Emergency Service

BERLIN (AP) — The head of Germany’s national cybersecurity agency is under scrutiny over reports of ties to Russian intelligence. Arne Schoenbohm, who heads BSI agency, co-founded a cybersecurity group ten years ago that brings together experts from public institutions and the private sector. German media reported that one of its members is a company

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A power outage briefly hit the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm Monday. Authorities initially said that an underwater cable from Sweden that provides electricity had been cut, but later blamed it on a local fault. Energinet, a public company that owns the sea cable that provides electricity to Bornholm, said

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Distraught families whose loved ones died in Air France’s worst-ever crash have shouted down the CEOs of the airline and of planemaker Airbus as the two companies go on trial on manslaughter charges in Paris over the 2009 crash. The flight from Rio de

BERLIN (AP) — A government-appointed expert panel is proposing a two-stage system for distributing some of the up to $195 billion in subsidies Germany has announced to ease the strain of high energy prices. The panel suggested that the state take on the cost of natural gas customers’ monthly bill in December, followed by a

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese cities are imposing fresh lockdowns and travel restrictions after the number of new daily COVID-19 cases tripled during a weeklong holiday, ahead of a major Communist Party meeting in Beijing next week. The latest lockdown started Monday in Fenyang city in northern China’s Shanxi province after a preliminary positive case was

The Associated Press The Federal Reserve releases minutes from its most recent interest rate policy meeting Wednesday. The Labor Department delivers its September snapshot of consumer inflation Thursday. JPMorgan Chase reports quarterly results Friday.

By DAVID KEYTON, FRANK JORDANS and PAUL WISEMAN Associated Press STOCKHOLM (AP) — This year’s Nobel Prize in economic sciences has been awarded to former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and two other U.S.-based economists. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig were recognized Monday for their research into the fallout from bank

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Tuesday as losses in technology-related shares weighed on global benchmarks. Taiwan dropped 4% after reopening from a holiday in the first trading session since the U.S. imposed new limits on exports of semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China. TMSC, the

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Individual travelers will be able to visit Japan without visas beginning Tuesday, just like in pre-COVID-19 times. Electronics stores, airlines and various tourists spots have big hopes for a revival of their businesses. Japan kept its borders closed to most foreign travelers during much of the pandemic.

By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Kanye West is once again embroiled in controversy. The rapper who is legally known as Ye made antisemitic posts on Twitter and Instagram and the social networks locked his accounts. Spokespersons for Twitter and for Instagram parent Meta said on Sunday that Ye posted messages that violated

BERLIN (AP) — An external power line to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — the biggest in Europe — was repaired on Sunday after shelling disconnected the facility from the grid and forced it to resort to emergency diesel generators, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the 750-kilovolt line was

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Nikki Finke, the veteran reporter who became one of Hollywood’s top journalists as founder of the entertainment trade website Deadline.com, has died. She was 68. Deadline reports that Finke died Sunday in Boca Raton, Florida, after a prolonged illness. Finke’s sharp-tongued tenacity made her the

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — U.K. government ministers are imploring Conservative colleagues to rally behind Prime Minister Liz Truss after a disastrous start to her premiership. Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi told the BBC on Sunday that the party should “get behind Liz because division will cause delay, delay is our enemy, and

By DAVID RISING Associated Press UTHAI SAWAN, Thailand (AP) — CNN has pulled a story on the massacre of Thai preschoolers and has apologized over criticism its journalists entered the day care where the children were slain and filmed the crime scene without permission. The two CNN journalists involved were fined after authorities found that

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY and JEFFREY SCHAEFFER Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Nicolas Toulliou had just proposed marriage to his girlfriend. Nelson Marinho Jr. was heading off on a new oil exploration job. Eric Lamy was about to celebrate his 38th birthday. They were among 228 people killed in 2009 when their storm-tossed Air France flight

LONDON (AP) — Most train services across Britain have been canceled as thousands of rail workers staged the latest in a string of strikes over jobs, pay and working conditions. Saturday’s 24-hour walkout by 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff was the third in a week. The action is part of a surging

BERLIN (AP) — Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, has lost its last remaining external power source as a result of renewed shelling and is now relying on emergency diesel generators, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Saturday. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the plant’s link to a 750-kilovolt line was cut

BEIJING (AP) — China has criticized the latest U.S. decision to tighten export controls that would make it harder for China to obtain and manufacture advanced computing chips, calling it a violation of international economic and trade rules that will “isolate and backfire” on the U.S. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the U.S.  of abusing

LONDON (AP) — The death toll from a gas station explosion that shattered a small village in northwest Ireland rose to 10 on Saturday, and emergency workers who combed through piles of rubble said they did not expect to find more bodies. Irish police said no one remained missing after Friday’s explosion in Creeslough, County

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press LYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities are just beginning to sift through the wreckage of the devastated city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine as they assess the humanitarian toll, and possibility of war crimes, from a months-long Russian occupation. Few of the buildings in the city in the Donetsk region

BERLIN (AP) — A train communications system in Germany was targeted by sabotage Saturday, forcing both passenger and cargo trains to halt for nearly three hours across the northwest of the country, authorities said. Operator Deutsche Bahn said early Saturday that no long-distance or regional trains were running in the states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower

By ADAM SCHRECK and VASILISA STEPANENKO Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — An explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin’s faltering war effort in southern Ukraine and hitting a towering symbol of Russian power in the region. Nobody immediately

By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s government says it has rescued about 130 Indian workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos after they were lured by agents for fake job opportunities in the information technology sector in Thailand. A spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry says some fraudulent IT companies appear to

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — A pink diamond was sold for $57.7 million in Hong Kong on Oct. 7, setting a world record for the highest price per carat for a diamond sold at auction. The 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star, auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong, fetched close to $5.2 million per