AP National Business

By MAE ANDERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook says it is changing its name to Meta Platforms Inc., joining a long list of companies that have tried to rebrand themselves over the years. CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company will focus on the “metaverse,” a virtual computer-generated space where people can interact.

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Reporter OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company is rebranding itself as Meta, an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future. Experts point out that it also appears to be an attempt to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, a document trove that

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Elon Musk isn’t happy. With a personal fortune that is flirting with $300 billion, the Tesla CEO — the richest person on earth — has been lashing out at a Democratic proposal to tax the assets of billionaires like him. The idea behind the Democratic plan is to use

LONDON (AP) — Britain has removed the seven remaining countries on its travel “red list.” The change means that travelers who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel after arriving in the U.K. The government said Thursday that Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer Merck fell out of the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines earlier this year but could vault to head of the pack for treatments in 2022. Company executives told analysts on Thursday that the drugmaker’s potential antiviral,  molnupiravir, may generate $5 billion to $7 billion in sales through next year.

By VESELIN TOSHKOV Associated Press SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Thousands of restaurant owners, chefs, waiters and bartenders are protesting in cities across Bulgaria against the government’s decision to impose a mandatory COVID-19 health pass on people seeking to enter indoor venues. Restaurant and hospitality associations organized the protest, calling the health certificates “inadequate” and “discriminatory.”

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have grilled Facebook and other tech giants over how they handle online safety. The questioning comes as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. Facebook’s head of safety said Thursday that the tech giant supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an “unsafe experience.”

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said he reached a “historic” framework with Democrats in Congress on his sweeping, though scaled-back domestic policy plan. Biden’s remarks at the White House come after he traveled early Thursday to Capitol Hill to pitch House Democrats on the

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — GE Appliances has announced plans to add more than 1,000 jobs at its sprawling Kentucky operations. The company said Thursday the job growth is part of a $450 million investment to boost capacity and launch new products. The Kentucky-based home appliances business says it’s targeting upgrades

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s justice minister says the European Union member should not pay any of the total $1.8 million daily fines the EU’s top court has imposed for Warsaw’s ignoring its injunctions regarding changes to the judiciary and a lignite mine. Zbigniew Ziobro on Thursday called the European

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks rose broadly in afternoon trading on Wall Street Thursday and put major indexes on a path to edge past record highs. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq rose 1.2%, both near all-time highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%. It’s a

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — ExxonMobil’s chief executive says his company “does not spread disinformation regarding climate change.” This, as he counters congressional allegations the industry concealed evidence about the dangers of global warming. Exxon CEO Darren Woods is among top officials at four major oil companies testifying Thursday as congressional Democrats

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An independent Dutch government advisory panel says the government must urgently take more action to rein in emissions of greenhouse gases. The Council of States warned Thursday that climate targets set by the government are currently “out of sight.” The report comes just days before the start of a U.N.

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has traveled to Capitol Hill to pitch House Democrats on a dramatically scaled back domestic policy package. He told lawmakers in the plainest language: “I need your votes.” The proposal is now $1.75 trillion and without a paid family

The Associated Press Stocks are moving higher in early trading on Wall Street Thursday, keeping the S&P 500 hovering near the record closing high it set on Tuesday. The benchmark index was up 0.5% in the early going, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq were also up about as much. It’s a

By LISA MASCARO, AAMER MADHANI and ALAN FRAM Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is traveling to Capitol Hill to pitch House Democrats on a dramatically scaled back domestic policy package. It’s now $1.75 trillion and without a paid family leave program and other priorities. But it’s still a sweeping proposal with new

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A company in the United Arab Emirates hopes to sell its electric pod transit system that it now tests in Sharjah. However, the firm uSky has ties back to a Belarusian investment company called SkyWay that has seen multiple nations in Europe and elsewhere

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a pandemic low last week, another sign that the job market and economy continue to recover from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 281,000, lowest since mid-March 2020, the Labor Department said

By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market has announced an agreement to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season. J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc. said Thursday