AP National Business

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for September delivery fell $4.73 to $93.89 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for October delivery fell $3.94 to $100.03 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for September delivery fell 11 cents to $3 a gallon. September heating oil fell 11 cents to $3.44 a gallon. September natural gas rose 5

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer The bulletproof vehicles that Colombia’s government assigns to hundreds of high-risk individuals are supposed to make them safer. But when an investigative reporter discovered they all had GPS trackers, she only felt more vulnerable — and outraged. No one had informed Claudia Julieta Duque — or apparently any of

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers have reached a deal on a bill that would legalize betting on professional and collegiate sports, joining more than 30 other states including several neighbors. Monday’s compromise does not allow betting on in-state colleges and universities unless they are playing in a national tournament, including the NCAA basketball tournaments. The

By AYA BATRAWY Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A veteran of Kuwait’s national oil company has taken over as secretary general of the OPEC oil cartel. Monday’s development comes just three weeks after his Nigerian predecessor died, only hours after giving a speech in defense of the energy industry. Haitham al-Ghais was

By KIMBERLY PALMER of NerdWallet With high inflation and economic uncertainty, it’s easy to feel stressed out about money. But financial experts say by making steady progress toward your financial goals and aligning your spending with your values, you can feel richer regardless of how much money you actually have in your bank account. Those

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Bill Nelson has experienced the workings of the Federal Reserve from both sides of the street. Nelson is the chief economist of the Bank Policy Institute, a trade group for U.S. banks. Earlier in his career, he served as an economist at the Federal Reserve and

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba said Monday that it would strive to maintain its listing status both in New York and Hong Kong, days after U.S. regulators included it in a list of companies facing possible delisting if they don’t meet auditing requirements. The U.S. Securities and

By MARCY GORDON and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government and publishing titan Penguin Random House have exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial. The government wants to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The trial that began Monday in Washington is a key

By SUSIE BLANN and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set out Monday from the port of Odesa under an internationally brokered deal to unblock the embattled country’s agricultural exports and ease the growing global food crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni sounded its horn as

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A Chinese state-owned company is negotiating to buy a forestry plantation with a deep-water port and World War II airstrip in Solomon Islands amid concerns that China wants to establish a naval foothold in the South Pacific country. Australian Broadcasting Corp. has reported a Chinese company

BERLIN (AP) — A union says pilots with Germany’s Lufthansa have voted in favor of possible strike action. It said Sunday that walkouts can still be avoided but called the result an “unmistakable signal” to the company in a pay dispute. The Vereinigung Cockpit union is calling for a 5.5% pay increase this year and

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Rising concern over the impact of a potential Russian gas cutoff is fueling the debate in Germany over whether the country should switch off its last three nuclear power plants as planned at the end of this year. The door to some kind of extension appeared to

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The biggest U.S. book publisher’s plan to buy the fourth-largest for $2.2 billion represents a key test for the Biden administration’s antitrust policy. So much so that the Justice Department is calling an out-of-the-ordinary witness to The Stand: author extraordinaire Stephen King. Penguin Random House’s proposed

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani officials say the country’s powerful army chief has contacted Washington, seeking U.S. help in securing an early release of a crucial $1.7 billion installment from the International Monetary Fund to Pakistan. The country is struggling with a deepening economic crisis and is trying to secure tranches

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s president says an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to help pull the bankrupt nation out of its economic crisis has been pushed back to September because of unrest over the past weeks. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his first speech since he was

By ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s been more than a year in the making and has seen plenty of ups and downs. Now, a Democratic economic package focused on climate and health care faces hurdles but seems headed toward party-line passage by Congress next month. Approval would let President Joe Biden and

By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press Located along a remote stretch of Highway 395, the Fort Independence Travel Plaza touts a dozen gas pumps, clean restrooms and made-to-order meals for travelers visiting California’s Eastern Sierra. The facility, which provides revenue for a Paiute Indian tribe, is about to quadruple in size thanks to an $8

By JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — The race for Arizona Senate doesn’t fit easily into the Donald Trump vs. GOP establishment pattern that’s defined so many GOP primaries to date. All the major candidates in Arizona aggressively sought the former president’s backing and haven’t been shy about advancing his false claims of

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s state-owned natural gas corporation says it has halted shipments to Latvia because of contract violations. In a brief statement, gas giant Gazprom said the shipments were stopped because Latvia broke “terms for extraction of gas.” It didn’t elaborate.The statement likely referred to a refusal to meet Russia’s demand for gas payments

By MARIA CHENG AP Medical Writer LONDON (AP) — Moves by rich countries to buy large quantities of monkeypox vaccine, while declining to share doses with Africa, could leave millions of people unprotected against a more dangerous version of the disease and risk continued spillovers of the virus into humans, public health officials are warning.

By MARC LEVY Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In one of this year’s most competitive U.S. Senate races, the biggest moments aren’t playing out on the campaign trail. They’re unfolding on social media. For one stunt, Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania rolled out an online petition to get his Republican rival, celebrity heart surgeon

By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media company Free Speech Systems has filed for bankruptcy, but his attorney says it shouldn’t disrupt the defamation damages trial underway in Texas that seeks to force Jones to pay $150 million or more to the family of one of the children

KEYSTONE, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service has ordered a halt to the expansion of a Rocky Mountains ski resort after contractors mistakenly demolished protected alpine tundra to create a temporary road. The Colorado Sun reported Friday that the Keystone Resort expansion of new trails and lifts was stopped after officials saw work crews

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon appears to be rejecting claims by the Ukrainian Embassy that a Syrian ship docked in one of its ports is carrying grain from Ukraine stolen by Russia. A senior customs official said on Friday that there was “nothing wrong” with the cargo of the Laodicea, which

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s economy grew by 1% in the second quarter. Mexico’s national statistics agency said Friday that growth for the first half of 2022 now amounts to 1.9%, after an expansion of 0.9% in the first three months of the year. The economy recovered by 5% in 2021 following a steep drop

LONDON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has won a U.K. court ruling in a battle over $1 billion in gold bullion held in the Bank of England. The judgment issued Friday is another step in Guaidó’s battle with President Nicolás Maduro over the gold reserves. A judge at the High Court in London

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California plans to make its own insulin. The state budget includes $100 million to develop three types of insulin products and invest in a manufacturing facility. The state would contract with a private company to make the insulin under the CalRx brand. This would not be

BERLIN (AP) — A German court has thrown out a lawsuit against a guideline issued by automaker Audi calling for the use of gender-sensitive language by employees. An employee of Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, objected to Audi colleagues using such language in their communications with him. He went to court to challenge the guideline, alleging

By ADRIANA MORGA and CORA LEWIS The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Prices for gas, food and rent are soaring. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to the highest level since 2018. The U.S. economy has shrunk for two straight quarters. Economists are divided over whether a recession is looming. What’s clear is

By ADRIANA MORGA and CORA LEWIS The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Prices for gas, food and rent are soaring. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to the highest level since 2018. The U.S. economy has shrunk for two straight quarters. Economists are divided over whether a recession is looming. What’s clear is

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Procter & Gamble’s sales rose 3% in the fiscal fourth quarter, but the world’s largest consumer products maker gave a lackluster fiscal 2023 sales forecast as it contends with rising commodity and freight costs. P&G’s revenue climbed to $19.52 billion from $18.9 billion during the quarter, helped by higher

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation surged in June and workers’ average wages accelerated in the spring — signs that Americans won’t likely feel any relief from rising prices anytime soon and that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to further raise borrowing costs. An inflation gauge closely tracked by the

By MATTHEW PERRONE and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators said Friday they are no longer considering authorizing a second COVID-19 booster shot for all adults under 50 this summer, focusing instead on revamped vaccines for the fall that will target the newest viral subvariants. Pfizer and Moderna expect to have updated

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press Facing a growing threat from China, the Navy envisions drone ships keeping an electronic eye on enemy forces across the vast Pacific Ocean, extending the reach of firepower, and keeping sailors out of harm’s way. The Navy is speeding development of those robotic ships as an affordable way to keep

By INNA VARENYTSIA Associated Press ODESA, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited a Black Sea port to watch crews prepare to export grain trapped by Russia’s five-month-old war. Zelenskyy said Friday that the first ship has been loaded since the war but others that have been stuck with their cargoes of grain

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Energy Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Oil companies were swimming in record profits the last few months. They were benefiting from high energy costs at a time when Americans struggled to pay for gasoline, food and other basic necessities. Consumers faced high fuel prices not just at the pump, but also

By COURTNEY BONNELL and COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writers LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the European countries using the euro currency shot up to another record in July, pushed by higher energy prices fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine, but the economy managed better-than-expected, if meager, growth in the second quarter. Annual inflation in the

By JOE McDONALD Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China’s dealings with Taiwan during a phone call with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, that gave no indication of progress on trade, technology or other irritants, including Beijing’s opposition to a top American lawmaker’s possible visit to the island that

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — The surprise deal by Senate Democrats on a slimmed-down bill to support families, boost infrastructure and fight climate change also is likely to jump-start sales of electric vehicles. The measure agreed to by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and holdout Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia

By DANIEL POLITI Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s government has announced the appointment of an economic “super minister,” its third economy minister in less than a month as the country struggles with high inflation and a slumping currency. President Alberto Fernández’s government said Thursday that Sergio Massa will head a new ministry

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — An unexpected deal reached by Senate Democrats would be the most ambitious action ever taken by the United States to address global warming and could help President Joe Biden come close to meeting his pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, experts said Thursday,

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Apple’s profit slipped during the past quarter, but the world’s largest technology company is holding up better than many of its peers as the economy teeters on the edge of a recession. While grappling with manufacturing headaches and inflation pressures that have vexed a wide

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has reported its second-consecutive quarterly loss but its revenue topped Wall Street expectations, sending its stock sharply higher. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon lost $2 billion, or 20 cents per share, in the three-month period ended June 30, driven by a $3.9 billion write-down

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian cargo ship carrying what Ukraine says is grain stolen by Russia has docked in Lebanon. The Ukrainian Embassy in Beirut said on Thursday that the Laodicea docked in the port of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city. The embassy alleges the ship is carrying barley from Ukraine, illegally taken by Russia. The

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s foreign ministry says two Israeli tourists were killed and five were injured in a car accident in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Israeli emergency services says the injured were transported to hospitals in Israel and that none suffered life-threatening injuries. The Sinai Peninsula, particular its southern part, has for years been popular

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a $280 billion package to boost the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with international rivals, namely China. The House approved the bill by a solid margin

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Meta Platforms says it will no longer pay U.S. news organizations to have their material appear in Facebook’s News Tab as it reallocates resources in the economic downturn. The company said Thursday that most of its users do not come to Facebook for news. It said it does not

By MARK STEVENSON Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. consumers are finally getting the chance to try avocados from a second state in Mexico after 25 years in which Michoacan has been the only one authorized to send the green fruit to the U.S. market. The arrival of avocados from neighboring Jalisco just may

By RUSS BYNUM Associated Press SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia county has filed a lawsuit that seeks to force a company to sell it 4,000 acres on which the county has long planned to build a launch pad for commercial rockets. Coastal Camden County took legal action just days after Union Carbide Corp. said

LONDON (AP) — Russian regulators have fined chat service WhatsApp and Snapchat for failing to store Russian users’ data on local servers as part of government efforts to control online activity. A Moscow court on Thursday imposed an 18 million ruble, or $300,000, fine on chat service WhatsApp. Disappearing message platform Snapchat was hit with

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two documentaries detailing the punishing effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine will air on PBS’ “Frontline” investigative series. The specials are part of an extensive collaboration between the series and The Associated Press that includes gathering, verifying and cataloging potential war crimes and co-publishing stories

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer Members of the United Auto Workers union have rescinded an increase in strike pay that had been approved earlier in their annual convention. The Detroit Free Press reported that after some delegates raised concerns about the potential cost of the higher $500 a week strike pay it was dropped.

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is reporting higher profit and record revenue, but its shares are down because of concern over rising costs. Southwest said Thursday that second-quarter profit more than doubled to $760 million. Revenue jumped by about two-thirds, as passengers packed planes to take summer vacations. Southwest

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s leaders effectively acknowledged the struggling economy won’t hit its official 5.5% growth target this year and said Thursday they will try to prop up sagging consumer demand but will stick to strict anti-COVID-19 tactics that disrupted manufacturing and trade. The announcement after a Communist Party

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates retreated this week just as the Federal Reserve announced another big rate hike in its bid to get four-decade high inflation under control. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year rate fell back to 5.3% from 5.54% last week.

By TOM MURPHY and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers Sales of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and treatment in the second quarter propelled the pharmaceutical giant to the largest quarterly sales in its history. The coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty brought in $8.85 billion in sales, and the treatment Paxlovid added another $8.12 billion as company revenue totaled $27.74

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The foreign minister of Cyprus says his government and Greece will consult with other European Union members on how to respond if Turkey tries again to drill for oil and gas in waters to which Cyprus claims exclusive rights. Turkey’s energy minister said earlier this week

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Facebook is letting violent hate speech slip through its controls in Kenya, according to a new report from the nonprofit groups Global Witness and Foxglove. This is the third such test that Facebook has failed. Each time, Global Witness submitted ads with blatant, violent hate speech to see if

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s annual inflation rate has declined slightly for the second consecutive month, but July’s pace of 7.5% is still within sight of the nearly half-century high it reached in May. Inflation in Europe’s biggest economy rose 7.9% in May from a year earlier, the highest level since the early 1970s, before slipping

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for jobless benefits last week, but the previous week’s number was revised upward significantly, with claims breaching the 250,000 level in back-to-back weeks for the first time in more than eight months. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 23 declined

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government wants large energy companies and banks to pay a windfall tax, which officials hope will yield around 7 billion euros (dollars) over two years. The government delivered its proposal to parliament Thursday, with a debate and vote scheduled for after the summer recess. Officials say the tax would

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, ZEKE MILLER and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping are exploring meeting in person, a senior administration official said after the leaders spent more than two hours Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with tension over Taiwan once again emerging as

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of homes on the market has been rising, albeit from very low levels. Home listings rose on an annual basis in May and June, snapping a streak of annual declines going back three years. But many would-be buyers looking for a more modestly

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Altria reports its nearly $13 billion investment in troubled vaping company Juul is worth 95% less than it originally paid. The tobacco giant on Thursday took a $1.2 billion financial hit on its investment in the e-cigarette maker, writing down its value to less than $500

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the nation’s financial watchdog is having second thoughts about using fines to deter illegal behavior in the financial industry, saying some companies have gotten so big that the money makes little difference. In an interview with The Associated Press, Rohit Chopra signaled

LONDON (AP) — Shell posted record profits Thursday for a second straight quarter as the energy giant benefited from soaring prices of oil and natural gas fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine. London-based Shell said it’s second-quarter adjusted earnings rose to $11.5 billion from $5.5 billion in the same three-month period last year. The latest

By DAVID KOENIG and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers JetBlue Airways is buying Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion in a deal that could increase competition at the top end of the U.S. airline industry while eliminating the largest discount airline for travelers on a tight budget. The agreement announced Thursday capped bidding war that began

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Automaker Stellantis has reported higher earnings in the first half of 2022 compared with last year, pointing to a nearly 50% increase in global sales of battery electric vehicles. The world’s fourth-largest automaker says net revenue reached 88 billion euros. That’s a 17% increase from the first half of last year. Net