AP National Business

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor exempted athletes and performers from the city’s vaccine mandate Thursday, while keeping in place the rule for countless other workers who faced losing their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. The mandate had kept Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving from playing

CHICAGO (AP) — The chance to get free gasoline is fueling a rush to get in line at some four dozen Chicago-area gas stations. The tab for Thursday’s gas giveaway is being picked up by businessman and onetime Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson. He has contributed $1 million to pay for as much as $50

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer Stephen Wilhite, the inventor of the internet-popular short-video format, the GIF, has died. He was 74. His wife, Kathaleen, said Thursday in a phone interview that he died of COVID on March 14. Wilhite, who lived in Milford, Ohio, won a Webby lifetime achievement award in 2013 for inventing

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Companies in the S&P 500 bought a record amount of their own stock last year and don’t show any signs of slowing down. Flush with cash from solid earnings, major corporations repurchased $882 billion of stock in 2021. Goldman Sachs is forecasting stock buybacks to reach $1 trillion

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration meets next week to review a closely watched drug for ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, following months of lobbying by patient groups and congressional lawmakers. The drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals showed modest benefits in one small study and the FDA told

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Uber, hit by driver shortages and a surge in food delivery requests during the pandemic, will begin including New York City taxi cabs on its app. That’s a partnership that until recently would have been unthinkable with both camps fighting ferociously for the same customers. But the wait for

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks edged higher in morning trading on Wall Street Thursday as a streak of cautious trading continues on world markets. The S&P 500 index rose 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 189 points, or 0.6%, to 34,544 and the Nasdaq rose 0.2%. Major U.S. indexes are mixed

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration meets next week to review a closely watched drug for ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, following months of lobbying by patient groups and congressional lawmakers. The drug from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals showed modest benefits in one small study and the FDA told

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — In the month since Russia’s war with Ukraine began, entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel’s initiative BStrong, in partnership with Global Empowerment Mission, have raised $85 million of a $100 million goal for the Ukranian people. She’s secured three warehouses for aid, is helping refugees with travel and to

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Swedish lender Swedbank says it’s been informed by Estonian authorities that its local subsidiary is suspected of money laundering in the Baltic country from 2014-2016. The Stockholm-based bank said in a statement Thursday that “the criminal investigation originates from the work of the Estonian Financial Supervisory Authority” that investigated operations of

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are inching higher in the early going on Wall Street Thursday as a streak of cautious trading continues on world markets. The S&P 500 index edged up 0.2% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was barely in the green with a gain of just 0.1%.

By THOMAS ADAMSON and KELVIN CHAN Associated Press PARIS (AP) — French automaker Renault has moved to pause production at its Moscow plant in an apparent move to fend off mounting criticism. It came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the company and others in France of aiding Russia’s war effort during a virtual

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will remain in his role for an extra year to help steer the 30-nation military organization through the security crisis sparked by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Stoltenberg tweeted Thursday that he is “honored” by the decision of NATO leaders to extend his term

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has announced a package of measures to help cushion the blow of high energy prices to consumers, with fuel subsidies, discounted public transport, tax benefits and additional support for the poorest. Senior lawmakers unveiled the measures Thursday after lengthy haggling between the three parties that make up the governing

LONDON (AP) — The head of a Dubai government-owned ferry operator at the center of a bitter labor dispute in the U.K. has acknowledged that the firm should have consulted with workers before firing 786 crew members but chose not to because it knew labor unions would never agree to the company’s plans. P&O Ferries

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week fell to its lowest level in 52 years as the U.S. job market continues to show strength in the midst of rising costs and an ongoing virus pandemic. Jobless claims fell by 28,000 to 187,000 for

The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Russian stock market has opened for limited trading under heavy restrictions for the first time since Moscow invaded Ukraine. It comes almost a month after prices plunged and the market was shut down as a way to insulate the economy. Trading of a limited number of stocks,

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. markets were poised to open higher Thursday as leaders including President Joe Biden prepared to meet in Europe to discuss the Ukraine crisis, sanctions and the Russian oil embargo. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials rose 0.4% and the same for the S&P 500 gained 0.5%. World shares were largely