AP National Business

By ERIC TUCKER, JIM MUSTIAN and ROB GILLIES Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Two Canadians detained in China on spying charges were released from prison and flown out of the country on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, just after a top executive of Chinese communications giant Huawei Technologies reached a deal with the

By DIANE JEANTET Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Dyane Rodrigues used to enjoy strolling along Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Ipanema beach after a hot summer’s day. Daylight saving time meant her workday went by faster, and ended early enough for her to take in the golden sunset, the 28-year-old said from her fruit

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday warned Russia against allowing hackers to attack data bases or spread disinformation in some of the 27 member countries just as Germans were preparing to go the polls for weekend parliamentary elections. “Some EU member states have observed malicious cyber activities, collectively

By LISA MASCARO and JONATHAN LEMIRE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that talks over his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan have hit a “stalemate” in Congress as he made the case for his expansive effort to recast the nation’s tax and spending programs and make what he sees as sweeping, overdue

French luxury house Saint Laurent will go completely fur free in its collections from next year, its parent company Kering said Friday. In a statement, Kering added that another of its houses, Italian menswear brand Brioni, will also stop using natural fur — making the luxury giant that includes Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Sales of new homes in the U.S. rose modestly in August as rising prices continue to sideline potential buyers. Sales of new homes last month rose 1.5%, the Commerce Department reported Friday, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 740,000. That’s more than economists

LONDON (AP) — Travelers arriving at U.K. airports are facing delays after electronic passport gates have failed, forcing passengers to wait in line for border officers to inspect their documents. London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports all reported that a technology failure disrupted gates that allow passengers with biometric passports to quickly pass through border

BEIJING (AP) — The chairman and CEO of HNA Group, the Chinese airline operator that ran into financial trouble following a global acquisition spree beginning in 2014, have been detained on suspicion of committing crimes, the company announced Friday. Chen Feng and Tan Xiangdong were “taken under compulsory measures” by police in the southern island

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writers The U.S. launched a campaign to offer boosters of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to millions of Americans on Friday even as federal health officials stressed the real problem remains getting first shots to the unvaccinated. “We will not boost our way out of this pandemic,” warned Dr.

By OLIVERA PERKINS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy A year ago, Robin Bruce never thought she would be living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and liking it. That was before she took advantage of a program, largely financed by the Walton Family Foundation, that is offering $10,000 incentives to entice new residents to the

ROME (AP) — Hundreds of Alitalia workers blocked a highway exit outside Rome’s main airport on Friday in a protest το vent their anger that most of the airline’s staff will soon lose their jobs. As of Oct. 15, Alitalia, long financially ailing, won’t exist anymore. The new company being formed, called ITA, says it

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press Writer ABOARD THE OCEAN WARRIOR in the eastern Pacific Ocean (AP) — José López proudly remembers his first catch: he was 13 and a local skipper, pitying his ragamuffin look, hired him as an extra hand. When he returned home, his pockets stuffed with a day’s wages, his mother protested.

By KHADIJA KOTHIA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government is seeking a legal injunction against climate protestors who blocked the entrance to Britain’s busiest ferry port to highlight the climate crisis and fuel poverty. Vehicles were stuck in lines as more than 40 protesters from the climate group Insulate Britain blocked the main

BEIJING (AP) — China’s central bank on Friday declared all transactions involving Bitcoin and other virtual currencies illegal, stepping up a campaign to block use of unofficial digital money. Friday’s notice complained Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies disrupt the financial system and are used in money-laundering and other crimes. “Virtual currency derivative transactions are

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Shortages of semiconductor chips and other raw materials are continuing to hit Germany’s manufacturers, as bottlenecks leave companies struggling to fill orders from a rebounding global economy. Widespread friction in supply chains sent a closely watched index of German business optimism lower for the third

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Wall street closed out a choppy week of trading Friday with a mixed finish for the major stock indexes, though the S&P 500 managed its first weekly gain in three weeks. The benchmark index rose 0.1% after spending much of the day wavering between small

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British energy firms are rationing supplies of gasoline and closing some petrol pumps — the latest in a string of shortages that have seen McDonald’s take milkshakes off the menu, KFC run short of chicken and gaps appear on supermarket shelves. A big factor behind the problems

By MICHAEL HILL, BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Some of the nation’s most aggressive COVID-19 vaccine mandates are scheduled to take effect Monday in New York amid continued resistance from some to the shots, leaving hospitals and nursing homes across the state and schools in New York

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Trying to dispel investor fears, some Chinese banks are disclosing what they are owed by a real estate developer that is struggling under $310 billion in debt and say they can cope with a potential default. The announcements came as Evergrande Group promised to talk with

By JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press ABOARD THE OCEAN WARRIOR in the eastern Pacific Ocean (AP) — It’s 3 a.m., and after five days plying through the high seas, the Ocean Warrior is surrounded by an atoll of blazing lights that overtakes the nighttime sky. “Welcome to the party!” says third officer Filippo Marini as the