AP National Business

By RAHIM FAIEZ and AYA BATRAWY Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan finance and central bank officials from the Taliban-led government have departed for Qatar to meet with U.S. officials. The move comes after last week’s deadly earthquake highlighted how critical relief efforts have stumbled under the weight of the country’s spiraling economic woes. The

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there’s “no guarantee” the central bank can tame runaway inflation without hurting the job market. Speaking Wednesday at a European Central Bank forum in Sintra, Portugal, Powell repeated his hope that the Fed can achieve a so-called soft landing —

By JIM HEINTZ Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russia’s parliament has the second reading of a proposed law that would allow the banning of foreign news media in response to other countries taking actions against Russian news outlets. Following Wednesday’s vote, the proposal must still pass a third reading in the

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The new head of the government’s road safety agency says it will intensify efforts to understand the risks posed by automated vehicle technology so it can decide what regulations may be necessary to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians. In an interview Wednesday, Steven Cliff, who was

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, is reopening talks about the future of the Tropicana Field site where baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays play their home games. Mayor Ken Welch said Wednesday that two previous proposals for the 86-acre downtown location are being scrapped, with a

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — A new agreement in Israel will put Ben & Jerry’s ice cream back on shelves in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank despite the ice cream maker’s protest of Israeli policies, according to Unilever, the company that owns the brand. But it’s unclear if the

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian authorities say a cyberattack has temporarily knocked out public and private websites in Norway in the past 24 hours. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that to his knowledge Wednesday’s attack “has not caused any significant damage.” The distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attack targeted a secure national data network forcing the

By JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Unilever said Wednesday that it has reached a new business arrangement in Israel that will effectively end Ben & Jerry’s policy of not selling ice cream in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Israel hailed the move as a victory in its ongoing campaign against

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks shifted between gains and losses on Wall Street Wednesday, keeping the market on track for its fourth monthly loss this year. The S&P 500 was down 0.2% as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern. The benchmark index has been volatile all week, and is down about

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Bed Bath & Beyond’s CEO is out of the top post as the home goods retailer looks to fix declining sales and lure shoppers back to its stores.The chain said Wednesday that board member Sue Gove will serve as interim CEO, replacing Mark Tritton. Bed Bath & Beyond hired

BERLIN (AP) — Inflation in Germany eased slightly in June compared to the previous month, in part due to new subsidies that helped rein in the price of gasoline and public transport. Official figures released Wednesday show inflation hit 7.6% this month, down from 7.9% in May, which was the highest since the early 1970s.

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Bed Bath & Beyond’s CEO is out of the top post as the home goods retailer looks to fix declining sales and lure shoppers back to its stores.The chain said Wednesday that board member Sue Gove will serve as interim CEO, replacing Mark Tritton. Bed Bath & Beyond hired

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer With abortion now or soon to be illegal in over a dozen states and severely restricted in many more, Big Tech companies that collect personal details of their users are facing new calls to limit that tracking and surveillance. One fear is that law enforcement or vigilantes could use

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening mostly lower on Wall Street Wednesday, extending a weak stretch for the market into a third straight day. The S&P 500 was down 0.5% in the early going. The benchmark index has fallen three out of the past four weeks. Nearly halfway through 2022, the index is down

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street bounced between gains and losses Wednesday morning after updated economic data showed the U.S. economy shrank slightly more than previously thought. Futures for the Dow industrials rose 0.2% while futures for the S&P 500 were back to flat after recovering from negative territory earlier. The Commerce Department released its

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank at a 1.6% annual pace in the first three months of the year even though consumers and businesses kept spending at a healthy pace, the government reported Wednesday in a slight downgrade from its previous estimate for January-March quarter. It was the

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street has pivoted from losses to gains about an hour before markets open, following declines in Europe and Asia, and ahead of the latest update on U.S. economic growth. Futures for the Dow industrials rose 0.4% while futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% after being in negative territory earlier.

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch prime minister has condemned a violent protest by farmers outside the home of the country’s agriculture minister. A small group of farmers clashed Tuesday night with police stationed outside the minister’s home and spread manure on a nearby street. At another protest, farmers

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt will receive $500 million loan from the World Bank to help the Arab world’s most populous country finance its purchases of wheat. The World Bank says the funds will help Egypt’s government finance procurement of imported wheat. Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer and the country’s supply is subject to

MOSCOW (AP) — As the ruble strengthens to levels not seen in seven years, Russia’s minister of economic development warns that the country’s businesses could suffer if the trend persists. The ruble hit all-time lows in the first weeks after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in late February, dropping as much as 50%, to 150