AP National Business

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft’s purchase of video game publisher Activision Blizzard faces antitrust scrutiny in the U.K., where competition regulators say they’ve opened an initial inquiry into the $69 billion deal. The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it has started looking into whether the transaction would result “in a substantial lessening of competition” in

By ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press PARIS (AP) — The suspected ringleader of a network that smuggled as many as 10,000 people on small boats across the English Channel to Britain has been arrested along with 38 others. The arrests were part of a vast police operation across multiple European countries. Authorities said Wednesday that police

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that he had a telephone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to request credit support to import fuel for the island nation that’s facing its worst economic crisis in memory. Western nations largely have cut off energy imports from

By SALLY FRENCH of NerdWallet In the 1990s and early 2000s, hotels began offering 100% Satisfaction Guarantees to customers. The promise ensured that customers who were dissatisfied with their service would be guaranteed full refunds with no questions asked. Fast forward to 2022, and it looks like this prevailing expectation has had a negative impact

Associated Press It’s not a summer heat wave that’s making European leaders and businesses sweat. It’s fear that Russia’s manipulation of natural gas supplies will lead to an economic and political crisis next winter. Or, in the worst case, even sooner if Russia suddenly cuts off the gas. Here are key things to know about

By ALEX NISHIMOTO Edmunds Two prime picks for a three-row compact SUV are the 2022 Kia Sorento and 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. The Sorento was recently redesigned and features a rugged and modern look. Volkswagen’s Tiguan has also received a significant refresh for 2022. Edmunds compares and contrasts these two seven-passenger SUVs to help you decide

PARIS (AP) — A strike by railway workers demanding higher pay amid cost of living increases is interrupting train services in France. National railway company SNCF said about one high-speed train in four was canceled on Wednesday. It says regional services such as suburban trains in the Paris region are experiencing disruptions. International lines, including

By FRANCESCA EBEL and MARIA GRAZIA MURRU Associated Press KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has redoubled its push for Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, with the Ukrainian military claiming to have repelled some advances. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy says the fighting in Donbas is the most intense in the entire country. The Associated Press on Wednesday

BERLIN (AP) — Economists say current measures aren’t enough to achieve Germany’s targets for phasing out fossil fuels and ramping up renewable energy by 2030. In a report published Wednesday, the German Institute for Economic Research calculated that the current roll-out of electric vehicles, solar and wind energy won’t be fast enough to reach those

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN and RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers voted Wednesday to include natural gas and nuclear in the bloc’s list of sustainable activities, backing a proposal from the EU’s executive arm that has been drawing fierce criticism from environment groups and now looks set to trigger legal challenges. As

By CHINEDU ASADU and AYA BATRAWY Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has died, Nigerian authorities and the oil cartel announced Wednesday. Only hours before his death, he’d met with Nigeria’s president and spoken in defense of the energy industry amid increasing climate change pressure. Mohammad

By MATT O’BRIEN and NATHAN ELLGREN Associated Press REMINGTON, Va. (AP) — For years, there’s been a cardinal rule for flying civilian drones: Keep them within your line of sight. Not just because it’s a good idea — it’s also the law. But some drones have recently gotten permission to soar out of their pilots’

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets gained Thursday after the Federal Reserve said higher U.S. interest rates might be needed to cool inflation. Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney advanced. Hong Kong declined. Oil prices fell more than $1 per barrel to stay below $100. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Sri Lanka is desperate for help with weathering its worst crisis in recent memory. Its schools are closed for lack of fuel to get kids and teachers to classrooms. Its effort to arrange a bailout from the International Monetary Fund has been hindered by the severity

By DANIEL POLITI and DEBORA REY BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The abrupt resignation of Argentina’s economy minister has engulfed the country in an all-too familiar anxiety that flows from its periodic financial crises in recent decades. The departure of moderate Martín Guzmán also gave another sign of the growing isolation of President Alberto Fernández

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration issued an administrative stay Tuesday on the order it issued last month for vaping company Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the market. The agency said on Twitter that the stay temporarily suspends the marketing denial order while it conducts further review, but does not rescind

By ROBERT JABLON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A contract between shipping companies and 22,000 West Coast dockworkers has expired. But both sides continue to talk and said they want to avoid a strike that could savage an economy already stressed by soaring inflation and supply chain troubles. The contract that expired last Friday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Spirit Airlines is getting a chance to expand at Newark-Liberty International Airport, which is close to New York City. The U.S. Transportation Department announced Tuesday that it will award Spirit rights to 16 takeoff and landing rights at Newark. That’s enough to operate eight round-trip flights a day. Spirit won over competing

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The fight between Texas and New Mexico over the management of one of the longest rivers in North America could be nearing an end as a date to resume the trial has been put off pending negotiations aimed at settling the years-long case before the

The Associated Press Major stock indexes shook off an early slump and ended with meager gains on Wall Street Tuesday as worries about the economy continue to weigh on markets. Oil prices slumped, bringing the price of U.S. crude back below $100 a barrel for the first time since early May. Tech stocks staged a

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Tuesday: Newmont, ConocoPhillips fall; Moderna, Cowen rise.

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is taking a message of shoring up workers’ pensions to Ohio, hoping to reinvigorate his political standing with blue-collar voters. The state has been trending strongly Republican in recent years, with Donald Trump easily carrying it twice. But the Democrats have hopes of winning

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys sparked criticism on social media Tuesday after announcing a marketing agreement with a gun-themed coffee company with blends that include “AK-47 Espresso,” “Silencer Smooth” and “Murdered Out.” The partnership with the Black Rifle Coffee Co. was revealed on Twitter the day after more than a half-dozen people died

The Associated Press Benchmark U.S. crude oil for August delivery fell $8.93 to $99.50 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for September delivery fell $10.73 to $102.70 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for August delivery fell 36 cents to $3.33 a gallon. August heating oil fell 34 cents to $3.60 a gallon. August natural gas fell 21

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president has submitted a bill to end daylight saving time and end the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer said Tuesday that Mexico should return to “God’s clock,” arguing that setting clocks back or forward damages people’s health. The change would mean an hour less