AP National Business

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Council has approved a 5 billion-euro ($5.8 billion) reserve aimed at helping EU businesses tackle the short-term effects of Brexit. The council represents the national government of every EU member nation. It said on Tuesday that the reserve money will cover extra costs and compensate the losses from the U.K.’s

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Bowing — if only for a moment — to pressure from lawmakers, critics, the media and child development experts, Facebook said Monday it will “pause” its work on a kids’ version of its photo-oriented Instagram app. The move follows an explosive report by The Wall Street Journal showing that

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Global shares are mostly lower as concerns about China chip away at investor optimism. Benchmarks fell in Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo but rose in Hong Kong and Shanghai. U.S. futures are also down. A power crunch in some areas of China has shut down factories and

ZHUHAI, China (AP) — A military drone whose manufacturer says it can cruise for 20 hours at 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) is among Chinese warplanes, missiles and other weapons technology shown in public for the first time at the country’s biggest air show. An official newspaper said the Chinese space program planned to unveil a

By SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press PARIS (AP) — France and Greece have announced a defense deal worth around 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) including Athens’ decision to buy three French warships. This is part of a strategy to boost Greek defense capacities in the Eastern Mediterranean amid recurring tensions with longtime foe Turkey. French President

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s government says the coronavirus state of emergency will end Thursday to help rejuvenate the economy as infections slow. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that virus restrictions will be eased gradually. With the lifting, Japan will be free of emergency requirements for the first time in more

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s newly elected lawmakers are holding their first meetings as their parties digest the fallout of the election that reduced outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc to its worst-ever result. The lawmakers on Tuesday will start the process of putting together a new government. The narrow winner of Sunday’s parliamentary election was the

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Animal rights groups have welcomed the South Korean president’s offer to look into banning consumption of dog meat. Eating dog meat is neither legal nor explicitly banned in South Korea. Restaurants that serve it are a dwindling business as younger people find it less appetizing, but some people oppose a

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish toy company Lego says consumer sales soared 36% and revenue grew 46% to 23 billion kroner during the first half of 2021. Net profit was up 140% to 6.3 billion kroner. Lego CEO Niels B. Christiansen says the privately held company has ”seen a giant leap.” Its operating profit more

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press Days before Germany’s federal elections, Facebook removed a network of accounts that it said had spread COVID-19 misinformation and encouraged violent responses to COVID restrictions. The network was linked to the Querdenken movement, a loose coalition of German vaccine and mask opponents, conspiracy theorists and some far-right extremists. A review

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai’s Expo 2020 opens this week, after being delayed for a year over the coronavirus pandemic. It will put this city-state all-in on its bet of billions of dollars that the world’s fair will boost its economy. The sheikhdom built what feels like an

BEIJING (AP) — The World Bank has cut its economic growth forecast for developing countries in East Asia due to the impact of the coronavirus’s delta variant. In a report Tuesday, it called on governments to help the poor and small businesses avoid long-term damage. The Washington-based lender said excluding China’s unexpectedly strong growth, developing

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares are mostly lower as concerns about China chip away at investor optimism after a mixed finish on Wall Street. Benchmarks fell in Japan, Australia and South Korea, but rose in Hong Kong and Shanghai. A power crunch in some areas of China has shut

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is set to lift all coronavirus emergency measures when they expire later this week as infections slow and the nation tries to reactivate its economy. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to announce a lifting of the emergency later Tuesday. Government officials are preparing other plans

Philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs will invest $3.5 billion within the next 10 years to address the climate crisis. A spokesperson for Emerson Collective, Jobs’ organizations, said Monday that Jobs will give the money to Waverley Street Foundation, an organization she set up in 2016. The spokesperson says the foundation will focus its work on “initiatives

By ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s eviction moratorium ends Friday. But tenants with unpaid rent can still stay in their homes beyond that date if they apply for assistance from the state. California is using billions of federal dollars to pay off up to 18 months of most people’s rent dating

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved what he terms a nation-leading law requiring the garment industry to pay workers by the hour instead of for each piece of clothing they produce. Supporters said piece-rate compensation can be used to pay workers below the minimum wage. The

By JOE McDONALD and ZEN SOO AP Business Writers BEIJING (AP) — Global shoppers face possible shortages of smartphones and other goods ahead of Christmas after power cuts to meet government targets forced Chinese factories to shut down and left some households in the dark. In the northeastern city of Liaoyang, 23 people were hospitalized

By AMY BETH HANSON, MARTHA BELLISLE and DAVID KOENIG Associated Press JOPLIN, Mont. (AP) — An Amtrak train that derailed in rural Montana over the weekend was going just under the speed limit at about 75 mph when it went off the track along a gradual curve. U.S. investigators also said Monday that the accident