AP National Business

LONDON (AP) — It’s decision time again for the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries. The expectations are for only a modest increase Thursday. That won’t do much to lower high oil prices that are fueling inflation and rising prices at the pump. Expensive oil is also helping cushion the impact of Western sanctions against Russia

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Australian journalist Cheng Lei went on trial Thursday on espionage charges, with diplomats denied permission to attend. Australian Ambassador Graham Fletcher told reporters outside the court in Beijing that the secrecy gave Australia “no confidence in the validity” of the trial proceedings. Cheng is a former presenter for a state-owned TV

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s hiring boom of the past year has narrowed racial disparities in unemployment. Yet the Federal Reserve’s ongoing interest rate hikes — shaping up to be the steepest in 15 years — threaten to reverse that progress. The Fed’s increases will mean higher borrowing rates that

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are lower after Chinese manufacturing weakened and Russian shelling around Ukraine’s capital shook hopes of progress in peace talks. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo declined while Seoul gained. Oil fell nearly $7 per barrel in New York but stayed above $100. Wall Street’s

By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The global seafood industry is preparing for major disruption due to new sanctions on Russia. The latest round of U.S. attempts to punish Russia for the invasion of Ukraine includes bans on imports of seafood, alcohol and diamonds. Those restrictions took effect on March 25. The

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City. If successful, the effort at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island could lead to the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. Workers

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — When the end of the COVID-19 pandemic comes, it could create major disruptions for a cumbersome U.S. health care system made more generous, flexible and up-to-date technologically through a raft of temporary emergency measures. Winding down those policies could begin as early as the summer. That could

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are lower after Chinese manufacturing weakened and Russian shelling around Ukraine’s capital jolted hopes of progress in peace talks. Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo declined while Seoul gained. Oil fell nearly $7 per barrel in New York but stayed above $100. Wall Street’s

By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is preparing to order the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve in a bid to control energy prices. That’s according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke on

Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The late Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka’ole is among five women who will be individually featured on a U.S. quarter next year as part of a program that depicts notable women on the flip side of the coin. The U.S. Mint says the other side of each quarter will

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials have approved a conservation group’s proposal to expand bison grazing on prairies in Montana amid objections from some ranchers and elected officials. Wednesday’s announcement will allow the American Prairie to graze bison on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land in north-central Montana and to

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health advisers have narrowly ruled against an experimental drug for the debilitating illness known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Wednesday’s vote by the Food and Drug Administration expert panel is a potential setback for patient groups who have lobbied for the medication’s approval for ALS for

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer Federal officials are dropping a health warning that they have attached to sailing on cruise ships since the start of the pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that they will leave it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a

By The Associated Press WASHINGTON Meta, Facebook’s parent company, hired a Republican consulting firm called Targeted Victory to “orchestrate a nationwide campaign” against TikTok, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Targeted Victory, according to the Post, contracted with dozens of public relations firms across the U.S. to help “sway public opinion against TikTok” by addition

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi could become the final state to enact a law requiring equal pay for equal work by women and men. The state House and Senate passed the final version of a bill Wednesday, sending it to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. He has not said whether

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Chewy, UniFirst fall; Lululemon, Cal-Maine rise.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks ended lower on Wall Street Wednesday, breaking a four-day winning streak but keeping major indexes in the green so far for the week. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. The Nasdaq fell 1.2% as technology stocks fell

By JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Council has voted to end its mandate for many indoor businesses and operators of large outdoor events to verify that customers have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The measure received enough votes Wednesday to pass as an urgency measure so it can take