AP National Business

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Damage wrought by Hurricane Ida in the U.S. state of Louisiana and the flash floods that hit Europe last summer have helped make 2021 one of the most expensive years for natural disasters. Reinsurance company Munich Re said Monday that overall economic losses from natural disasters worldwide

NEW YORK (AP) — Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, is buying Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $12.7 billion. Zynga shareholders will receive $3.50 in cash and $6.36 in shares of Take-Two common stock for each share of Zynga outstanding

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWallet Supply chain issues mean many people gave and received gift cards for the holidays. The more time that passes, though, the greater the likelihood that money will go unspent. Make a plan now to get value from your cards by either using, regifting or donating them. Try setting calendar reminders

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has embarked on a fourth term. He leads a coalition that took office Monday amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown and policy challenges ranging from climate change and housing shortages to the future of agriculture. King Willem-Alexander formally swore in the

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Most Asian stock markets fell while Europe opened higher Tuesday as anxiety increased that U.S. interest rate hikes to fight inflation might stall economic growth. London, Frankfurt and Shanghai rose. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney declined. Oil prices advanced. Wall Street futures were higher after the

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Officials from Russia and the United States and its NATO allies will sit down for talks focusing on Moscow’s demand for Western security guarantees amid a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine. Russian and U.S. negotiators launched the talks in Geneva on Monday. They will be followed

The Associated Press The Labor Department issues its monthly index of consumer prices Wednesday. Delta Air Lines reports quarterly results Thursday. The Commerce Department serves up its December tally of U.S. retail sales Friday.

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street fell on worries the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as soon as March. Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced. Seoul and Sydney declined. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Oil prices rose. Investors were rattled last week

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago school leaders are canceling classes for a fourth day in the nation’s third-largest school district, taking the dispute with the teachers union over remote learning and COVID-19 protocols into another week. The announcement Sunday came as individual principals of some schools had already notified some parents

By SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Talks between Chicago school leaders and the teachers’ union have resumed amid a standoff over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety measures. The situation looms over the start of a second week of school after three days of canceled classes in the nation’s third-largest district. Chicago schools

By KONSTANTIN MANENKOV and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — A top Russian diplomat has predicted “difficult” talks with the United States this week after holding a working dinner with U.S. officials in Geneva. The dinner Sunday was part of the kickoff to a string of meetings in three European cities this week with

By FRANCIS KOKUTSE and KRISTA LARSON Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — West African regional leaders have imposed new sanctions on Mali that suspend most commerce and financial aid to the country. Mali’s military rulers have said they would stay in power for four more years instead of holding elections next month as promised. The

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline dropped 2 cents over the past three weeks to $3.39 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that prices at the pump could start increasing again because crude oil costs are rising. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Spider-Man’s box office dominance continued in its fourth weekend in theaters, adding another $33 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates on Sunday. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” now ranks as the sixth highest grossing film of all time in North America and the eighth globally. The only major

PRAGUE Thousands of people have marched through the Czech Republic’s capital to protest against compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for certain groups and professions. The protesters gathered Sunday at central Wenceslas Square to question the efficiency of the vaccines and reject the vaccination of children before marching through the capital chanting “Freedom, freedom.” The previous government released

By DAVID PORTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A co-creator and promoter of the 1969 Woodstock music festival that served as a touchstone for generations of music fans, Michael Lang has died. A spokesperson for Lang’s family says the 77-year-old had been battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away Saturday in a New York City

By FRANCIS KOKUTSE and KRISTA LARSON Associated Press ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — West African leaders are signaling they won’t support a move by Mali’s military rulers to extend their time in power by four years. The junta that seized power in Mali in 2020 had promised to hold new democratic elections by the end of

By PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — The new head of a Massachusetts tribe says he intends to take a cautious approach to gambling while turning attention to social challenges and other economic opportunities for tribal members. Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Brian Weeden says a decision by the Biden administration last month to affirm

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) — Omicron is shining a spotlight on the disparities between who gets paid sick days and who doesn’t. Nearly 80% of all private sector workers get at least one paid sick day, according to a national compensation survey of employee benefits conducted in March by the U.S. Bureau