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AP Business Writer Microsoft has relinquished its seat on the board of OpenAI, saying its participation is no longer needed because the ChatGPT maker has improved its governance since being roiled by boardroom chaos last year. In a Tuesday letter, Microsoft confirmed it was resigning, “effective immediately,” from its role as an observer on the

Edmunds Big summer plans that call for big toys require generous towing limits. Several of today’s big SUVs are up to the task, capable of pulling between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds while offering three rows, ample cargo space, and an array of towing tech aids. And with prices starting around $60K, there’s an option for

VIENNA (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discussed the war in Ukraine with the leader of Austria, an ally of Kyiv that has a policy of military neutrality. Modi emphasized the need for diplomacy a day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He met Chancellor Karl Nehammer Wednesday on what

BEIJING (AP) — China’s Commerce Ministry has announced it will launch an investigation into whether unfair trade practices were adopted by the European Union in its probe of Chinese companies. It said Wednesday the investigation will focus on wind power, photovoltaics, security equipment and others and will be completed before next Jan. 10. The announcement

Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A union strike launched by railway employees has stopped trains across Sri Lanka. Hundreds of scheduled train journeys were canceled Wednesday due to the strike. Now tens of thousands of passengers are stranded at railroad stations. The Station Masters’ Union is demanding authorities resolve a number of issues,

Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China has reported its auto sales slumped in June as the domestic economy remained sluggish, but buoyant exports offset the decline at home. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Wednesday that sales in China dropped 7.4% compared to a year earlier to 1.8 million cars, while exports rose 29%

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — China’s authorities are investigating food safety concerns in cooking oils after an investigative report from local media revealed that tankers carrying soybean oil from a major state-owned company were also used to carry a form of coal. The report from Beijing News, a state-backed outlet known for original reporting, found

Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military urged all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south Wednesday, pressing ahead with a fresh offensive across the north, south and center of the embattled territory that has killed dozens of people over the past 48 hours. The stepped-up military activity came as

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British police said they found Wednesday the man suspected of killing three women, the wife and daughters of a well-known BBC radio commentator, near London in a brutal crossbow attack. In a statement, Hertfordshire Police said 26-year-old Kyle Clifford was found in the Enfield area of north London, near his

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s parliament has approved a bill that would raise income taxes for the rich, in a move to help fill government coffers during the fighting in Ukraine. The bill was endorsed in the final third reading on Wednesday by the lower house, the State Duma, and hours later by the upper house,

Associated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — Regular flights between the Syrian capital of Damascus and Saudi Arabia have resumed for the first time in more than a decade as part of a thaw in relations between the countries. Syria and Saudi Arabia had severed ties in 2012 over President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.

BEIJING (AP) — Rescue efforts were underway for more than 130 people including some tourists who were trapped in a mountainous town in China’s Tibet region after heavy rains and flooding washed away sections of a provincial highway. The trapped also included migrant workers and businesspeople, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV. Another 342 stranded

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a jeep has fallen from a mountain road into a ravine in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing 14 people. The incident happened on Wednesday in the Neelam Valley. A government administrator Nadeem Janjua said rescuers transported the dead and injured to a nearby hospital. He said the

BEIJING (AP) — China and Bangladesh are reaffirming their ties during a visit by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Beijing as tensions rise in the region over territorial disputes and resources. Bangladesh occupies a strategic position between Myanmar, a longtime Chinese ally now wracked by internal conflict, and India, the rising Asian giant with

Associated Press AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — At the graduation ceremony of New York University Abu Dhabi this May, a student wearing the traditional Palestinian black-and-white keffiyeh scarf shouted “Free Palestine!” as he crossed the stage to receive his diploma, witnesses say. Days later, he reportedly was deported from the United Arab Emirates. The incident at