AP National Business

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says more than 500,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country last week. UNHCR head Filippo Grandi gave the latest update in a tweet on Monday. A spokesperson for the Geneva-based agency said 281,000 people entered Poland, more than 84,500 in

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, DAVID McHUGH and KEN SWEET Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Ordinary Russians are facing the prospect of higher prices as Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine sent the ruble plummeting. That’s led uneasy people to line up at banks and ATMs on Monday in a country that has seen more than

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong has reported more than 34,000 new coronavirus infections on Monday, a record, as authorities assess the possibilities of locking down the city. Hong Kong is grappling with a coronavirus surge driven primarily by the omicron variant. Daily cases have more than quadrupled from a week ago. Health authorities say

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s central bank has sharply raised its key rate to 20% from 9.5% in a desperate attempt to shore up the plummeting ruble and prevent a run on banks. The ruble plunged about 30% Monday against the U.S. dollar after Western nations moved to block Russian banks from the

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — The ruble has plunged against the U.S. dollar after Western nations moved to tighten sanctions against Russia, blocking some of its banks from the SWIFT global payments system. U.S. futures fell and shares were lower in Europe after a mixed session in Asia on Monday as

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will no longer require people to show proof of vaccination or negative tests to enter any indoor space starting Tuesday. The decision removes a key preventive measure during a fast-developing omicron surge that’s elevating hospitalizations and deaths. The Health Ministry’s announcement on Monday

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand is ending a requirement that incoming travelers isolate themselves. The country continues to remove coronavirus border protections in the face of a growing domestic outbreak. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the requirement that vaccinated travelers isolate for a week after arriving would end

TOKYO (AP) — The ruble has plunged to a record low of less than 1 cent in value after Russia was cut off from the global bank payments system in retaliation for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian currency dropped nearly 26% to 105.27 per dollar, down from about 84 per dollar late Friday. Restrictions

By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will no longer require people to show proof of vaccination or negative tests to enter any indoor space starting Tuesday. The decision removes a key preventive measure during a fast-developing omicron surge that’s elevating hospitalizations and deaths. The Health Ministry’s announcement on Monday

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is set to hear a case its conservative majority could use to hobble Biden administration efforts to combat climate change. The administration already is dealing with congressional refusal to enact the climate change proposals in President Joe Biden’s Build Better Back plan. Now the

The Associated Press The Federal Reserve issues a report on business conditions across the U.S. on Wednesday. Supermarket operator Kroger Co. reports quarterly results Thursday. The Labor Department issues its February tally of hiring by nonfarm employers Friday.

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares have fallen after Western nations moved to tighten sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin escalated tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces be put on high alert. U.S. futures fell, with the contract for the S&P 500 down 2.5% early Monday. Tokyo, Hong Kong

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mixed as Western nations moved to tighten sanctions against Russia and President Vladimir Putin escalated tensions by ordering Russian nuclear forces put on high alert. Benchmarks are higher in Japan, Australia and South Korea, but lower in China. Global stock markets have been

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Manga is going really global. A Deadpool story created by a Japanese manga artist has become a top-selling Marvel work. The global manga market, valued at $23.5 billion in 2020, is expected to balloon to $48 billion in 2028, according to San Francisco-based Grand View Research. Manga

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan this week will ease its much criticized coronavirus border controls, but the new policy only allows 5,000 new entrants per day, up from 3,500, including Japanese nationals, beginning March 1. The move gives a glimmer of hope for an estimated half million scholars, students, accredited workers

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer The number of countries banning Russian airplanes is growing. The European Union and Canada said Sunday they would close their airspace to Russian airlines after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Aviation experts said the moves put more pressure on the United States to do the same. Russia has responded by

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer BP says it’s exiting its share in Rosneft, a state-owned Russian oil and gas company, in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. BP has held a 19.75% stake in Rosneft since 2013. It’s currently valued at $14 billion. The British company also said its CEO, Bernard Looney, and former

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline spiked 10 cents over the past two weeks to $3.64 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that the jump came after a rise in crude oil costs amid global supply concerns following Russia’s invasion of

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has cleared the way for newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises to use a voting system that will ensure two longtime directors are reelected at next month’s annual meeting despite the objections of a hedge fund that is trying to buy the company. The Davenport,

DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — George Berkowitz, who founded the seafood restaurant chain Legal Seafoods, has died in a Boston suburb. He was 97.  Berkowitz died on Feb. 20 at his home in Dedham. He originally founded Legal Sea Foods in 1950 as a fish market next to his father’s meat market and grocery in Cambridge.