AP National Business

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool. Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Early access for “Diablo IV” began Thursday night — but the rollout of the highly anticipated action role-playing video game didn’t come without speedbumps, notably for PlayStation users. While the early access launch of Blizzard Entertainment’s “Diablo IV” appeared to go smoothly for many players who pre-purchased eligible editions of the game,

By BABACAR DIONE and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s government says at least nine people have been killed in violent clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and the city of Ziguinchor in the south, where Sonko is mayor. On

By JOE McDONALD and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street pointed higher Friday ahead of a U.S. jobs market update, one day after U.S. lawmakers approved a deal to avert a government debt default. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% before the bell. Late Thursday, the Senate

By JAN M. OLSEN Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Dozen of activists including Indigenous Sami are protesting outside the office of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. The activists on Friday vowed to block entry to the complex to remind the government that they want a wind farm removed because they say it endangers

By SUSIE BLANN and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine could not be declared unless it was part of a “just and lasting” peace deal that included Russia’s military withdrawal. Blinken said that “a cease-fire that simply

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish President Andrzej Duda has said unexpectedly that he was proposing urgent amendments to a contentious law on Russian influences that he signed this week and that drew U.S. and European Union criticism. Duda said he was aware of the controversies including in Poland that surround

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Biden administration is implementing a 20-year withdrawal banning oil and gas development outside the boundaries of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico. The action taken by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in the nation’s No. 2 oil-producing state was announced Friday. It is intended to protect

By SUZAN FRASER and CINAR KIPER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is scheduled to take the oath of office and start his third presidential term Saturday following his latest election win. Erdogan, who has led Turkey as prime minister or president for 20

By BABACAR DIONE and SAM MEDNICK Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence. The deaths occurred mainly

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has reopened its embassy in the Seychelles after a 27-year absence during which China and other U.S. rivals made significant inroads in the Indian Ocean islands. The U.S. State Department announced the move late Thursday. It came after Washington unveiled plans to open a diplomatic mission in northern Norway

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Meta is temporarily blocking some Canadian users from accessing news content on Facebook and Instagram as part of a temporary test that is expected to last through the end of June, the tech giant said Thursday. The block — which follows a similar step taken by Google earlier this year —

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher Friday ahead of a U.S. jobs update after Federal Reserve officials reignited hopes another interest rate hike might be postponed. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul advanced after U.S. lawmakers approved a deal to avert a government debt default.

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of transgender people in Florida have turned to crowdfunding appeals to help them leave the state after the passage of new legislation that targets the LGBTQ+ community, including a law that curtails access to gender-affirming care for adults and bans it for minors. For Sage

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Debt-stricken Sri Lanka, which declared bankruptcy last year, is showing signs of economic improvement but its recovery still faces challenges, the International Monetary Fund said Friday. The Indian Ocean island nation declared bankruptcy in April 2022 and said it was suspending repayment of its foreign

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has signed a trade agreement with Taiwan over opposition from China, which claims the self-ruled island democracy as part of its territory. The two governments say the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade will strengthen commercial relations by improving customs, investment and other regulation. The measure was signed Thursday

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher Friday ahead of an update on the U.S. jobs market after Federal Reserve officials reignited hopes another interest rate hike might be postponed and lawmakers gave final approval to a deal to avert a government debt default. Shanghai, Tokyo,

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE, HANNAH FINGERHUT and RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Plans to demolish a partially collapsed six-story apartment building in Iowa could become clearer Friday, five days after much of the structure crumbled and left three tenants missing and feared dead. Davenport Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday he expected

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s surprisingly resilient job market may have delivered yet another month of solid hiring and pay gains in May, if economists’ forecasts prove to be correct. Still, some signs of cooling could emerge in the government report being released Friday. Analysts have estimated that hiring slowed

By JACQUES BILLEAUD and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona will not approve new housing construction on the fast-growing edges of metro Phoenix that rely on groundwater thanks to years of overuse and a multi-decade drought that is sapping its water supply. In a news conference Thursday, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the restrictions