California businesses at risk amid fires, power outages
NEW YORK — The California wildfires are taking a toll on small businesses, including those that are miles away and safe from the flames. Smoke, ash an...
Sizing up the 2019 holiday shopping season for retailers
NEW YORK — With two weeks until the official start of the holiday shopping season, the nation’s retailers are gearing up for what should be another br...
Brexit Party fails to clinch voting pact with Conservatives
LONDON — Britain’s Brexit Party has failed to reach a tactical voting pact with the ruling Conservatives, saying Thursday that it will field 300 candi...
Hong Kong police say protesters out of control, deny curfew
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police warned protesters on Thursday that they were moving “one step closer to terrorism” by sinking the city into chaos, as rio...
German economy avoids recession in 3Q, but challenges remain
BERLIN — Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, avoided entering a widely-anticipated recession in the third quarter as strong domestic spending helped ...
Asian markets mixed after Wall Street high
BEIJING — Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday amid doubts about the status of a U.S.-Chinese trade deal after the U.S. Federal Reserve’s chairman ...
Japan’s economy slows, logging 0.2% annual expansion in 3Q
TOKYO — Japan reports its economy grew at an annual pace of 0.2% in July-September, supported by consumer purchases ahead of a tax hike.
Walmart Inc. sues 32 Colorado counties to shrink tax bills
DURANGO, Colo. — The parent company of Walmart has sued dozens of counties in Colorado in a bid to reduce its tax bills.
US budget deficit surges to $134.5 billion in October
WASHINGTON — The federal government, which ended the 2019 budget year with its largest deficit in seven years, began the new budget year with a defici...
Facebook says it removed 3.2B fake accounts in 6 months
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook says it removed 3.2 billion fake accounts from its service from April to September, up slightly from 3 billion in the previou...
Flying this Thanksgiving? Expect record crowds at airports
Record throngs of travelers are expected to jam into airports over the Thanksgiving break and airlines are adding hundreds of flights a day in respons...
Beer insulting California utility PG&E brews backlash
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Anger over devastating California wildfires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric power lines is coming to a head — in a beer. An...
Maybe banking culture doesn’t always make people dishonest
NEW YORK — Scientists say they were unable to confirm a highly publicized 2014 study that suggested banking culture can promote dishonesty.
Nike cuts ties with Amazon, but shoes won’t vanish from site
NEW YORK — Nike will stop selling its sneakers and athletic gear directly to Amazon, ending a two-year relationship with the world’s largest online re...
The Latest: Powell sees job participation as major problem
WASHINGTON — The Latest on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony before the Joint Economic Committee about the outlook for the U.S. econo...
California sued again for requiring women on company boards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's first-in-the-nation law requiring publicly held companies to put women on their boards of directors is facing a seco...
Sour grapes: Trade war puts cork in US wine sales to China
LIVERMORE, Calif. — Caught in the crossfire of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, U.S. vineyards are struggling to sell Syrah in Shanghai ...
Economy in mind, Bolsonaro changes tack and cozies up to Xi
BRASILIA, Brazil — What a difference a year makes.
Fed’s Powell sees steady growth, signals pause in rate cuts
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell expects the U.S. economy to continue growing at a solid pace, though it still faces risks from slo...
US consumer prices up 0.4% in October; gasoline prices surge
WASHINGTON — Surging gasoline prices caused U.S. consumer prices to rise last month at the fastest pace since March.
World thirst for oil keeps growing, with SUVs a key culprit
PARIS — The world's thirst for oil will continue to grow until the 2030s, with climate-damaging emissions climbing until at least 2040 — and consumers...
Global stocks sink after Trump threatens more China tariffs
BEIJING — Global stocks sank Wednesday after President Donald Trump threatened more tariff hikes on Chinese imports if talks aimed at ending a trade w...
Asian stocks sink after Trump threatens more China tariffs
BEIJING — Asian stocks sank Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more tariff hikes on Chinese imports if talks aimed at ending a tra...
Clinton: UK voters must see Russian influence report
LONDON — Hillary Clinton says she's "dumbfounded" that the U.K. government has failed to release a report on Russian influence in British politics bef...
Tear gas and fires: Hong Kong protests from morning to night
HONG KONG — Protesters in Hong Kong battled police on multiple fronts Tuesday, from major disruptions during the morning rush hour to a late-night sta...
McDonald’s workers say anti-harassment efforts fall short
McDonald's got tough on its former CEO, who was fired last week for having a consensual relationship with an employee.
4 charged over pay for Volkswagen employee council members
BERLIN — German prosecutors say they have charged four current and former personnel managers at Volkswagen over the payment of allegedly excessive sal...
The Latest: EU asks UK to name commissioner even temporarily
LONDON — The Latest on Britain's Dec. 12 election and the country's impending departure from the European Union (all times local):
Huawei giving employees bonus for coping with US sanctions
BEIJING — Huawei is paying its employees bonuses totaling more than $285 million as thanks for helping the Chinese tech giant cope with U.S. sanctions...
Report: Election vendors are ‘prime targets,’ need oversight
ATLANTA — The private companies that make voting equipment and build and maintain voter registration databases lack any meaningful federal oversight d...