AP National Business

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Thousands of immigrants working on illegal marijuana farms in southern Oregon that authorities say are run by foreign cartels are living in squalid conditions and are sometimes being cheated by their gangland bosses. The situation is so extreme in the rural region amid an increase in

By DIANE JEANTET Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil is holding its much-anticipated auction for build-out of the nation’s fifth-generation wireless network — with the open question of whether China’s Huawei telecommunications company eventually ill be involved despite U.S. opposition. The technology promises faster speeds, less lag when connecting to the network and

By ANDREW DeMILLO and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican governors, lawmakers and attorneys general are forming a wall of opposition to President Joe Biden’s plan to require vaccinations or COVID-19 testing at all private employers of 100 workers or more. They have adopted laws to exempt employers in their state,

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal is to hold a snap election for a new parliament and government on Jan. 30. Portugal’s president on Thursday announced he is dissolving parliament, following the minority Socialist government’s defeat in a key vote on the country’s spending plans. The announcement was widely expected. The

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Qualcomm, Electronic Arts rise; Moderna, Roku fall.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks wound up a mixed bag on Wall Street Thursday, but big gains in several technology giants helped push the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq indexes to more record highs. The S&P 500 added 0.4% and the Nasdaq rose 0.8%, but the Dow Jones Industrial

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says a new project trumpeted by U.S. President Joe Biden in which companies underpin development of low-carbon technologies through their buying power amounts to a “big transformation.” The “First Movers Coalition,” spearheaded by the U.S. government and the World Economic Forum, aims

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. economy rebounds from the ongoing pandemic, many women are choosing to sit out the labor force. The pandemic has laid bare the disproportionate burdens many women shoulder in caring for children or aging parents, as well as highlighted the

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — A tiny house in a Boston suburb has sold after about a month on the market for far less than the original asking price of almost $450,000. Coldwell Banker Realty’s Hans Brings Results agency says the roughly 250-square-foot home in Newton sold on Monday for $315,000. The home is on a

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sharp rent increases in many parts of the country are eating up a bigger share of Americans’ monthly income, squeezing tenants already grappling with rising prices for gasoline, food and other necessities. Households with a median U.S. rent of $1,179 in August tapped 30.3% of

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric has reached a $125 million settlement agreement with California regulators over the destructive Kincade fire, which was ignited in 2019 by the utility’s equipment in a remote area of Sonoma County. The Press Democrat reported Wednesday PG&E shareholders would pay a $40 million fine to the state

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Finland’s capital city says it will no longer serve meat at seminars, staff meetings, receptions and other events to reduce Helsinki’s carbon footprint. Instead, the city government plans to offer vegetarian dishes and sustainable local fish. Helsinki’s spokesperson said Thursday that the change takes effect in January

MOSCOW (AP) — The presidents of Russia and Belarus have signed an array of measures to deepen the integration of the two countries but stop short of a full merger. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko approved the integration measures on Thursday. The measures call for the creation of a single gas

By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The water system in Benton Harbor, Michigan, has tested for elevated levels of lead for three consecutive years. In response, residents have been told to drink and cook with bottled water and the state has promised to spend millions of dollars replacing lead service lines.

By FRANK JORDANS and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — In the fight to curb climate change, several major coal-using nations have announced steps to wean themselves off of the heavily polluting fossil fuel. Though some will only do it slowly. The pledges to phase out coal come on top of other promises

PARIS (AP) — British and French negotiators looking to untangle a post-Brexit spat over fishing licenses have met in Paris and expect to talk again next week. Although fishing is a tiny industry economically for both Britain and France, the issue of boats’ access to English Channel waters that divide the two maritime powers has

By ANDREW DeMILLO and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Republican governors, lawmakers and attorneys general already are forming a wall of opposition to President Joe Biden’s plan to require vaccinations or COVID-19 testing at all private employers of 100 workers or more. They have adopted laws to exempt employers in their

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A senior official with Hungary’s ruling party has acknowledged for the first time that the government has purchased a powerful spyware tool, which was allegedly used to target the digital devices of several journalists, businesspeople and an opposition politician. It was the first time a Hungarian

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Food banks have ramped up their output during the coronavirus pandemic to meet an explosion of need from families facing financial hardship. Now, some are preparing to permanently boost their food distribution with major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic. Food banks