AP National Business

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The future of steel production at a sprawling plant west of Amsterdam is being called into question after an investigation found elevated levels of lead and other deposits in dust falling in nearby residential areas. The investigation published Thursday by the government Public Health and Environment Institute says exposure to

By BEV O’SHEA of NerdWallet Medical bills can throw a wrench in anyone’s budget. If you’re also trying to maintain a good credit score, the challenge is especially tough. Credit bureaus have some special provisions for medical debt, though, that can help you avoid, or at least delay, damage if you’re struggling to pay. Take

LONDON (AP) — Apple is relaxing rules to allow some app developers such as Spotify, Netflix and digital publishers to include an outside link so users can sign up for paid subscription accounts. The iPhone maker said late Wednesday that it’s making a small adjustment to its strict App Store rules for developers of so-called

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRDO CASTLE, Slovenia (AP) — European Union ministers discussed Thursday their options to beef up the 27-nation bloc’s strategic autonomy and improve its capacity to respond to future crises. EU defense and foreign affairs ministers met in Slovenia to talk about lessons learned from their rushed departure from Afghanistan. That

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The international team investigating the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine seven years ago is appealing to Russians in the city of Kursk to come forward with information about the deployment of the missile that investigators say downed the plane, killing all

By JOAN MATEU Associated Press ALCANAR, Spain (AP) — Many Spaniards are counting their losses and damage to homes and businesses caused by flooding produced by intense rain that continued falling over large areas of the country. The flash flooding didn’t lead to any direct casualties. But two young German women drowned overnight from Wednesday

BERLIN (AP) — A court has rejected a bid by German train operator Deutsche Bahn for an emergency injunction to stop a strike by many train drivers that has disrupted rail traffic in the country for a third time this summer. Deutsche Bahn said it considers the latest strike by the GDL labor union to

BERLIN (AP) — A German regional official’s plan to let authorities receive anonymous online tip-offs about potential tax evaders has prompted a flood of hate mail. Some critics accuse Danyal Bayaz of reviving habits from Germany’s totalitarian past. The finance minister in southwestern Baden-Wuerttemberg state on Thursday retweeted some of the messages sent to him

By DANIEL COLE Associated Press LE CANNET-DES-MAURES, France (AP) — Winemakers are taking stock of the damage after a wildfire blazed through a once-picturesque nature reserve near the French Riviera. Rows of charred grapevines stand next to a vast expanse of steaming black vegetation devastated by the fire, which raged for a week in late

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese regulators have ordered ride-hailing platforms to correct unfair market tactics amid a crackdown on the internet sector that has spooked investors and shaved billions off the valuations of some of China’s biggest technology companies. Eleven platforms were ordered by year’s end to stop unfair competition tactics and practices such as recruiting

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed as investors await U.S. jobs numbers some appear to hope will be weak enough to persuade the Federal Reserve to postpone winding down economic stimulus. Tokyo advanced after Wall Street hit a record. Shanghai and Hong Kong declined. Mizuho Bank said

By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection has requested that telecommunications and social media companies preserve the personal communications of hundreds of people who may have somehow been connected to the attack. It’s a sweeping public demand from Congress that is rare in its breadth

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer More companies are requiring COVID-19 vaccines and taking actions to motivate employees into getting their shots. Some may fire workers who don’t comply or charge them more for their health insurance. Employers also might limit business travel or perks like access to the company gym only to the vaccinated.

By ALEXANDRA OLSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The construction industry is fighting to recruit more women into a sector that faces chronic labor shortages. Women make up only 4% of skilled construction laborers in the U.S. and often face discrimination on jobs sites. The latest initiative to change that culture is Lean

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s navy has seized a massive tanker believed to be loaded with thousands of tons of wasted black oil and has brought the ship to shore for further investigation. The commander of Indonesia’s western navy fleet says the Panamanian-flagged MT Zodiac Star was located based on a tip about a suspicious

By HUIZHONG WU Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has received its first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines after a prolonged purchasing process that gave rise to a political blame game with China. Taiwan had been unable to buy the vaccine itself directly from BioNTech, the German company that had partnered with U.S.-based Pfizer to develop the

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan is aiming to give a technological upgrade to government services and recordkeeping with the opening of the Digital Agency to overhaul antiquated systems that have had their shortfalls highlighted by the pandemic. Japan’s reliance on old-fashioned paperwork and faxed data delayed financial subsidies and support for