AP National Business

By ADAM SCHRECK and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin paved the way Tuesday to annex more of Ukraine and escalate the war by claiming that residents of a large swath overwhelmingly supported joining with Russia in stage-managed referendums the U.S. and its Western allies have dismissed as illegitimate. Pro-Moscow officials

By COLLEEN LONG and ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has an ambitious goal for America: ending hunger in the U.S. by 2030. The administration’s plan includes expanding monthly benefits that help low-income Americans buy food. It also seeks to promote healthy eating and physical activity so that fewer people are

By The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Asian Development Bank says it is devoting at least $14 billion through 2025 to help ease a worsening food crisis in the Asia-Pacific. The development lender said it plans a comprehensive program of support to help the 1.1 billion people in the region who lack healthy

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s second-largest wireless carrier says police are investigating the release by a purported hacker of stolen personal data from its customers and demanding a $1 million ransom in cryptocurrency. The Australian government has blamed lax cybersecurity at Optus for the breach, which affected 9.8 million people.

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal investigators have taken possession of a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. utility transmission pole and attached equipment in their probe into the cause of a Northern California fire that has become the largest in the state this year. The utility said Monday in a

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Starbucks says it wants to start contract negotiations next month at 234 U.S. stores that have voted to unionize. The Seattle coffee giant said Monday it sent letters to stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia offering a three-week window to start negotiations. But Workers United, the

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank have voted to fire its president, Mauricio Claver-Carone. An ethics investigation found he had a relationship with a subordinate. The governors had until Tuesday to vote on whether to sack Claver-Carone, but enough ballots had been cast by Monday to remove

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The new chief at the Food and Drug Administration’s tobacco center has inherited a raft of problems. Brian King joined the division tasked with regulating cigarettes, vaping products and other forms of nicotine in July. The agency is struggling to review a backlog of electronic cigarettes,

By ASTRID SUÁREZ and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Trucks loaded with aluminum and medications have crossed a bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela for the first time in seven years. It gives regional businesses hope for growing trade. Colombia’s new leftist President Gustavo Petro took office last month and quickly moved

CHICAGO (AP) — JT Batson has been hired as the CEO and secretary general of the U.S. Soccer Federation. The 40-year-old is the cofounder of the advertising technology company Hudson MX. He replaces Will Wilson. Wilson is leaving on Oct. 31 after just 2 1/2 years. Batson will run the federation under President Cindy Parlow

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The European Union and the U.S. have questioned Serbia’s commitment to join Europe’s 27-nation bloc after Belgrade signed an agreement with Moscow pledging long-term “consultations” on foreign policy matters amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Serbia’s officials signed the deal last week in New York with

By SUZAN FRASER and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has summoned the Greek ambassador to protest the alleged deployment of dozens of U.S.-made armored vehicles to Greek islands which Ankara says should remain demilitarized in line with international treaties. Turkey’s president warned Monday that Turkey wouldn’t hold back on defending its

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Monday granted citizenship to former American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who fled prosecution after he revealed highly classified U.S. surveillance programs to capture communications and data from around the world. A decree signed Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin listed Snowden as one of 75 foreign citizens listed as being

BERLIN (AP) — Denmark’s maritime authority says a gas leak had been observed in a pipeline leading from Russia to Europe underneath the Baltic Sea and could pose a danger to shipping traffic. The operator of Nord Stream 2 confirmed that a leak in the pipeline had been detected southeast of the Danish island of

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United Nations says flying debris from an apparent drone strike has damaged a World Food Program truck in Ethiopia’s besieged Tigray region. Ethiopian forces and rival Tigray ones recently chose renewed fighting over peace. Witnesses say Ethiopia’s military has used drone strikes on many occasions in the conflict. The government

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government will no longer require people to wear masks on planes. Government officials also confirmed Canada is dropping the vaccine requirement for people entering the country at the end of the month. Canada, like the United States, requires foreign nationals to be vaccinated when entering

By KELVIN CHAN Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The pound is taking a pounding. The British currency has taken a plunge, sliding against the U.S. dollar to touch an all-time low. It’s a sign of the alarm in financial markets over new Prime Minister Liz Truss’ emergency budget measures unveiled last week aimed at jump-starting

By GLENN GAMBOA AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The 10th anniversary of the Global Citizen Festival, which included performances from Metallica, Mariah Carey and Usher, generated more than $2.4 billion in commitments to fight extreme poverty and disease. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Barbados Prime Minister

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The head of the European Central Bank says the economic outlook “is darkening” and she expects business activity to “slow substantially” in the coming months as high energy and food prices pushed up by the war in Ukraine sap consumer spending power. ECB President Christine

By SEUNG MIN KIM and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced a new initiative that would eventually allow consumers to see a more complete price on airline tickets before they buy them. That would include baggage and change fees. The White House says the proposed rule from the Department

LONDON (AP) — British authorities say TikTok could face a 27 million-pound ($29 million) fine over a possible breach of U.K. data protection law by failing to protect children’s privacy when they are using the video-sharing platform. The Information Commissioner’s Office said it has issued the social media company a legal document that precedes a