AP National Business

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing company Grab made its market debut Thursday, following a $40 billion merger in a special purpose acquisition company deal. The Singapore-based company Nasdaq debut came more than seven months after it announced plans to merge with U.S.-based Altimeter Growth Corp in a

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a new treasury and finance minister after the previous one stepped down as the country’s currency has tumbled to record lows. An announcement published in the Official Gazette on Thursday said Erdogan named deputy minister Nureddin Nebati to the post. The announcement said Lutfi

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries have decided to maintain the amount of oil they pump to the world even as the new omicron variant casts a spikey shadow of uncertainty over the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Officials from OPEC countries, led

The Associated Press Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street Thursday as investors continue to monitor the spread of the new coronavirus variant as well as measures that the U.S. and other governments are taking to restrain it. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in the early going, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that people who aren’t vaccinated will be excluded from non-essential stores, cultural and recreational venues as part of an effort to curb coronavirus infections. New cases again topped 70,000 newly confirmed cases in a 24-hour period. Merkel the measures were necessary in

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays have always been defined by disappointing out-of-stock messages on the most popular items. But the pandemic-induced supply chain snarls have created unprecedented shortages across all types of products. That has many customers buying early as shortfalls are only expected to worsen as the

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that people who aren’t vaccinated will be excluded from non-essential stores, cultural and recreational venues as part of an effort to curb coronavirus infections. New cases again topped 70,000 newly confirmed cases in a 24-hour period. Merkel the measures were necessary

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week even though the U.S. job market has been rebounding from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims climbed by 28,000 to 222,000 from the previous week’s pandemic low 194,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Getting more bang for your buck used to be the mantra of dollar store shoppers everywhere, but times are changing – and prices are rising. As consumers continue to contend with escalating prices for food, clothing and other items thanks to inflation, dollar stores are rethinking their pricing strategies.

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders reached agreement on a spending bill that would keep the government running through mid-February. But a temporary federal shutdown is still possible this weekend because some Republican senators are objecting to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The House is expected to

By MILES BRANMAN Edmunds After a 25-year hiatus, the Ford Bronco is back. This new 2021 Bronco SUV pays homage to its predecessors via boxy proportions, round headlights and short overhangs while introducing the latest in convenience and technology features. It’s generated plenty of excitement and serves as an intriguing alternative to a well-known off-roading

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s air regulator has cleared the Boeing 737 Max to return to flying with technical upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes. China is the last major market where the Boeing 737 Max awaited approval after the United

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The top adviser to the European Union’s highest court says the principle of linking the bloc’s budget disbursements to respect for rule of law is compatible with the bloc’s laws and that a challenge by Hungary and Poland should be dismissed.  The right-wing governments of both nations

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin has voiced concern about a possible escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine’s separatist conflict as the U.S. issued a strong warning to Russia to stay away from Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western officials have worried about a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine could herald an invasion.

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese news outlet says regulators have cleared the Boeing 737 Max to fly again with technology upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes. The company welcomed the decision. The China Aviation Daily said pilots will need to complete new training before commercial flights

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austria’s former chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said Thursday that he is quitting politics two months after stepping down as leader amid corruption allegations. Kurz said the recent birth of his first child had motivated him to take the step. The 35-year-old said he had always done his best

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union drug regulator says it has started a rolling review of a new coronavirus vaccine made by French startup Valneva. The move announced on Thursday is a first step toward giving the vaccine the green light to be used in the 27-nation EU. Approval by the European Medicines

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin has voiced concern about what it described as belligerent rhetoric of the Ukrainian leadership. Moscow says it raises concerns about a possible escalation of fighting in a separarist conflict in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian and Western officials have worried about a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine.