AP National Business

By ISABEL DEBRE Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Afghanistan’s pavilion has finally arrived at the first world’s fair in the Middle East, a week after Dubai’s Expo opened without it. After the Taliban’s lightning takeover of Afghanistan, the country’s presence at the fair was uncertain. The previous government had organized a pavilion,

MADRID (AP) — The Spanish government is offering citizens who turn 18 years old next year 400 euros ($462) to spend on cultural activities. But the sum comes with strings attached: the recipients can’t use it to buy tickets for bullfights. The decision was one of the politically controversial measures included in the 2022 national

LONDON (AP) — British bank NatWest faces a potentially hefty fine after admitting to three charges relating to anti-money laundering failures. The case, which was heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court Thursday, related to 365 million pounds ($495 million) deposited into the account of century-old jeweler Fowler Oldfield between 2012 and 2016. Fowler Oldfield was based

By MICHAEL BIESECKER, STEFANIE DAZIO and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has boarded a massive cargo ship as it investigates the rupture of an offshore oil pipeline that sent crude washing up on Souther California beaches. Investigators want to know whether a ship anchor snagged and bent

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin says Russia has the potential to boost natural gas supplies to Europe as surging gas prices put pressure on consumers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says existing gas transit routes allow for bolstering supplies before the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany begins operating. Europe’s

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Searching for flights on Google just got “greener.” The tech giant on Wednesday debuted a new tool on Google Flights that tells users which flights in a search result have lower carbon emissions. Flights with significantly lower emissions are highlighted in green indicating what

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish official says a Kuwaiti passenger plane has made an emergency landing at Trabzon airport in northern Turkey following a bomb threat reported to the airline’s headquarters. Trabzon’s governor said the Jazeera Airways flight from Kuwait with 51 passengers and six crew members on board landed safely in Trabzon on

By ELENA BECATOROS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s lawmakers were poised Thursday to ratify a landmark defense deal with France that includes a mutual assistance clause in case of an armed attack against either, a pact that has irked fellow NATO member Turkey. The five-year agreement was announced in Paris

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s daily coronavirus infections have soared to their highest level so far this year as authorities have struggled to control a surge in new cases amid a slow pace in vaccinations and few restrictions in place. The daily coronavirus death toll topped 900 for a second straight

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares and U.S. futures are higher, tracking a rally on Wall Street after signs of progress on resolving the standoff in Congress over the federal debt ceiling. Benchmarks rose Thursday in Paris, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Shanghai trading was closed for a Chinese national

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s lawmakers are debating and voting on a broad five-year defense pact signed last week with France which includes a clause of mutual assistance in case of attack by a third party. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed the deal with French President Emmanuel Macron during a Sept. 28 visit to Paris.

NEW DELHI (AP) — The 7-Eleven empire is coming to India. India’s Reliance Retail Ventures says it has set a franchise agreement with 7-Eleven, Inc., to launch convenience stores in the second most populous nation. Reliance said Thursday that the stores will first be launched in the financial hub of Mumbai. The announcement came just

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described social media as a “coward’s palace” and warns that digital platforms such as Facebook should be held liable for defamatory comments posted anonymously. Anonymous commentators who use social media to vilify and bully have become the latest battleground between

By NICK PERRY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Every week or so, tens of thousands of New Zealanders play a lottery in their desperation to come home. Their prize is one of the coveted beds in quarantine hotels. New Zealand’s government requires everyone — vaccinated or not — to stay 14 days in

By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An executive who lied to regulators about two South Carolina nuclear plants that never generated a watt of power is being sentenced. Former SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh has agreed with prosecutors that he should spend two years in prison. He goes Thursday before a federal

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong authorities say they have made their largest smuggling bust, seizing goods including endangered species worth an estimated $26.9 million. The government says the smuggling ring operated using speedboats and four trucks were also impounded in the raid. A 34-year-old man was arrested in the operation that began in June.

By MICHAEL BIESECKER, STEFANIE DAZIO and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A massive cargo ship made a series of unusual movements while anchored in the closest spot to a Southern California oil pipeline that ruptured and sent crude washing up on beaches. The Coast Guard is investigating whether a ship anchor

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are higher, tracking a rally on Wall Street after signs of progress on resolving the standoff in Congress over the debt ceiling. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, Australia and Hong Kong advanced. Shanghai trading is closed for a Chinese national holiday. Analysts say vaccination

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed France’s decision to return its ambassador to Australia and says the bilateral relationship is bigger than the canceled submarine contract. Morrison dismissed suggestions that Australia needed to rebuild its relationship with France after canceling a $66 billion contract last month,

By STEFANIE DAZIO, MATTHEW BROWN and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Some of the oil that spilled from a pipeline into the waters off Southern California has been breaking up naturally in ocean currents. That’s according to a Coast Guard official who spoke to reporters Wednesday. Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier says