AP National Business

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats on Monday became the last of three parties to back the start of formal coalition talks on forming a new government. The Free Democrats leader, Christian Lindner, said the party’s national executive unanimously agreed to take the step following weeks of informal talks with the center-left Social Democrats

By MATT OTT and MARCY GORDON AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. House lawmakers are threatening to seek a criminal investigation of Amazon, saying the tech giant has one “final chance” to correct previous testimony by executives on its competition practices. They sent a letter to Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy, marking an

By KEVIN SCHEMBRI ORLAND Associated Press VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — A European human rights watchdog is recommending that Malta legalize abortion, improve gender equality and implement reforms to protect journalists. The Council of Europe’s rights commissioner made an initial set of recommendations Monday following her recent visit to Malta. A final report is expected later. Malta is

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks wobbled in afternoon trading on Wall Street Monday as the market’s momentum slows following its best week since July. Technology stocks and companies that rely on direct consumer spending rose broadly, but those gains were tempered by losses in health care and other companies. The S&P 500

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN and ALAN SUDERMAN AP Business Writers Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday that it’s suffered a data breach and is still working to determine what information the data contained. The company said it started investigating the potential security incident on Saturday and on Sunday it identified certain servers and workstations that were encrypted

By VICTORIA MILKO AP Science Writer JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Frans Timmerman, the European commissioner for climate action, is urging that all nations “leave no one behind” and that changes are as fair as possible as the world moves toward a greener economy to address the climate crisis. Timmermans spoke to The Associated Press ahead

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia has reimposed coronavirus restrictions in the hardest-hit parts of the country amid the latest surge of infections. Five counties all located in northern Slovakia are affected by Monday’s measures that include the closures of restaurants with people only allowed to buy meals at takeout windows. Fitness and wellness centers and

The Ford Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the United States, announced Monday that it will divest millions from fossil fuels, following similar investment decisions made by other sizable foundations in recent years. Ford Foundation President Darren Walker said in a statement 0.3% of the foundation’s endowment was directly invested in fossil fuels.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer COVID-19 booster shots are an extra dose of the original vaccine, and some experts wonder why they weren’t updated to better match the delta variant. With the extra-contagious delta now the dominant version of the virus, experts say future mutants likely will be its descendants. Vaccine makers didn’t ask

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Belarus has ordered a halt to routine medical care at state clinics in order to devote more resources to coronavirus patients. The Health Ministry said Monday the suspended services include medical examinations and screenings, physiotherapy and dentistry. Belarus has been hit by a rising wave of coronavirus infections. Around 2,000 new

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — An insurer is suing the operator of a coastal Georgia warehouse where 50,000 tons of biofuel wood pellets went up in smoke this year. Investigators believe some of the pellets decomposed and spontaneously combusted, starting a multi-day fire that devoured the warehouse and threatened nearby homes in Brunswick. The pellets were

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer Stocks edged lower in morning trading on Wall Street Monday as the market’s momentum slows following its best week since July. The S&P 500 index fell 0.1% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4%. Technology and health care companies were leading the way lower, while energy companies

The Associated Press Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street Monday as the market’s momentum slows following its best week since July. The S&P 500 index fell 0.5% in the first few minutes of trading and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.6%. Technology and health care companies were leading the way lower, while

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The Federal Reserve reported Monday that U.S. industrial production fell 1.3% in September, much more than expected as the lingering effects of Hurricane Ida continue to stymie activity. It was the worst showing since February’s 3.1% decline, when severe winter storms hammered much of

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has set a new goal for fighting climate change over the next decade, saying it will aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2018 levels by 2030. The country had faced criticism that its initial plan for a 26.3% reduction was too modest. In promising

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S.’ expanding legal marijuana market is driving strong sales and profit growth for multistate operators like Florida’s Trulieve Cannabis Corp. The company, which sells cannabis products in 11 states from Arizona to Pennsylvania, is expanding via acquisitions, including its recently completed $2.1 billion buyout

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is launching a wide-ranging strategy to regulate toxic industrial compounds used in products including cookware, carpets and firefighting foams. Environmental Protection Agency head Michael Regan says his agency is taking a series of actions to limit pollution from a cluster of long-lasting chemicals known

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian government has begun its legal challenge to a judge’s landmark decision that the administration has a duty of care to prevent future climate change in a case brought by eight teenagers. The Federal Court battle over a proposed coal mine expansion comes as Prime

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating fuel pump failures in more than 600,000 diesel Ram trucks that could cause the engines to stall or lose power. The probe covers Ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 heavy-duty trucks with 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engines. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday that it’s suffered a data breach and is still working to determine what information the data contained. The company said it started investigating the potential security incident on Saturday and on Sunday it identified certain servers and workstations that were encrypted with ransomware. It