AP National Business

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s cash-strapped government has presented its draft for the national budget, allocating funds to fight climate change despite staggering $30 billion in losses from last summer’s devastating floods. Lawmakers heard theb proposal in the parliament on Friday. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s government has struggled with an unprecedented economic downturn since taking over

By OMAR FARUK Associated Press MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Witnesses and state media in Somalia say extremists have attacked a beachside hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, and security forces are responding at the site as some people remain trapped inside. The Somali National News Agency reports that “many civilians” have been rescued as fighting continues.

By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters formed a ring around Serbia’s government headquarters in downtown Belgrade on Friday, demanding the resignation of the country’s populist president, top security officials and the “liberation” of pro-state TV stations that they say promote violence, all in the wake of two

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and STAN CHOE AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting toward a fourth straight winning week on Wall Street Friday, as investors wait for next week’s slate of potentially market-moving updates. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in another listless day of trading, and it’s on pace to

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s defense minister says special forces have regained control of a Turkish ship that had been attacked by armed stowaways off the southern city of Naples. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told RAI state television on Friday that the operation was still underway and that Italian forces were securing the safety of the

By JAKE BLEIBERG, PAUL J. WEBER and JIM VERTUNO Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas businessman at the center of the scandal that led to the historic impeachment of state Attorney General Ken Paxton was charged Friday with making false statements to mortgage lenders to obtain $172 million in loans. The federal indictment

By MAYSOON KHAN Associated Press/Report for America ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — People in New York who have old criminal records could have them automatically sealed under a bill being debated Friday by lawmakers. The “clean slate” legislation would automatically seal most misdemeanor convictions three years after a person has served prison time or parole, and

By AAMER MADHANI Associated Press ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order aiming to bolster job opportunities for military and veteran spouses whose careers are often disrupted by their loved ones’ deployments. Biden is to use a visit to the recently renamed Fort Liberty in North Carolina

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks gave up an early gain and turned mixed on Wall Street as more gains for Big Tech companies helped offset weakness elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% and is headed for a fourth straight week of gains. Big technology

By JAKE BLEIBERG and PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas businessman at the center of the scandal that led to the historic impeachment of state Attorney General Ken Paxton has been charged with eight counts of making false statements. The indictment of real estate developer Nate Paul on Friday is

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks traded heavily or had substantial prices changes on Wall Street Friday: General Motors Co., up 38 cents to $36.23. The automaker’s electric vehicles will be able to use much of Tesla’s extensive charging network beginning early next year. Vail Resorts Inc., down $18.38 to $239.66. The ski resort operator’s fiscal

By JEFF McMURRAY and ADAM BEAM Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sadaf Zahoor has bucked California’s car culture by never owning one, yet she and other residents who rely on public transit worry its bleak financial outlook could soon leave them standing at empty train stations and bus stops. The agencies running the public

By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — NorthWestern Energy will resume construction of a natural gas power plant along Montana’s Yellowstone River following a two-month delay. The move comes after a judge revived a pollution permit for the project despite lingering concerns over its climate changing carbon dioxide emissions. Judge Michael Moses cited

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The campaign to win reparations for Black Americans plans to bring broader support for smaller nonprofits advancing the cause, with a new philanthropic funding initiative announced Friday at the “Alight Align Arise” national conference in Atlanta. The Decolonizing Wealth Project, an organization dedicated to creating racial

By DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose modestly in morning trading on Wall Street Friday and are on track to close out a relatively quiet week higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and is headed for a fourth straight week of gains. Slightly more stocks rose in the index

MILAN (AP) — Silvio Berlusconi’s doctors say the former Italian premier was admitted to a Milan hospital for planned medical checks related to his chronic leukemia. Berlusconi’s doctors said in a statement on Friday that the tests being conducted at San Raffaele Hospital had been moved up “as part of normal practice in medicine.” They

By JAKE BLEIBERG and PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A businessman at the center of the scandal that led to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s historic impeachment is set to make an initial appearance in federal court following his arrest by the FBI. Records show Nate Paul was taken into custody

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are off to another mixed start on Wall Street as more gains for Big Tech companies offset weakness elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in the early going Friday, on track for its fourth weekly gain in a row. A day earlier the bechmark index closed

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s president has appointed a former U.S.-based bank executive to head the central bank. The appointment Friday is sending the strongest signal yet that Recep Tayyip Erdogan might pivot from his unusual economic policies that many blame for a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The 41-year-old Erkan is

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — The world’s first lipstick. The first modern perfume. The first Nivea cream. These are some of the treasures held in Guerlain’s first archive, which brings stories from the iconic French cosmetic company’s sensational past to life. The “warehouse of wonders” is shrouded in secrecy and hidden