AP Business
Business and economic news from the Associated Press.
Latest stories
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Divers recover a total of 52 bodies from capsized ferry in Indonesia after a dayslong search
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Divers in Indonesia have recovered a total of 52 bodies in a dayslong operation that followed the capsizing of a ferry in rough seas earlier this month, officials said Friday. Authorities had rescued 108 people, but 83 people remain missing.
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Pope Leo XIV affirms need for media to cover public figures when asked about Trump ban
Pope Leo XIV told reporters they were welcome to cover him as he responded a question about the Trump administration’s attempt to bar U.S. media from the White House by affirming the importance of journalists covering public figures. Leo spoke to reporters on board the papal plane on Friday as he...
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Poland halted asylum claims at the Belarus border and now wants Europe to follow its example
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — When Poland stopped registering asylum applications from migrants entering from Belarus in March 2025, authorities presented it as a temporary emergency measure to counter what they saw as a push by Russia and its ally Belarus to destabilize the country by directing tens of ...
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Europe uses subsidies, taxes and policy pauses to offset pain of high fuel prices
Governments across Europe are using subsidies, taxes, and policy changes to help their economies, companies and aggrieved citizens weather an energy crisis caused by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says that seven of the 10 nations wo...
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Exclusive: Board of Peace quietly met with UNRWA, ex-agency chief says
The U.S.-created Board of Peace has said the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has no place in Gaza. But behind the scenes, the board has spoken with UNRWA about providing services under the fragile ceasefire. That's according to Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s most recent chief, who spoke to...
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World shares mostly advance after global bond sell-off and drop in oil prices
World shares are mostly higher, and the bond market appears to have stabilized following another bond sell-off that has brought U.S. Treasury yields to their highest in years. U.S. futures have edged higher. Markets in mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea are closed because of a holiday. While ...
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Why bond yields are rising and why everyone should care
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly everyone will feel the impact of what's going on in the bond market, no matter how far away and abstract it may seem.
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Argentina’s poverty rate rises above 30% under President Milei, reversing recent decline
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s poverty rate jumped to 32.3% in the first half of 2026, official data showed Thursday, as incomes failed to keep pace with the rising cost of basic goods, a setback for libertarian President Javier Milei little more than a year before he seeks reelection.
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Trump's state dinner for Xi features sea bass and a long list of tech titans
WASHINGTON (AP) — A tech-heavy guest list, the fashion choices of those on it, who sat where and what was on the menu marked the softer — often and glitzier — details of diplomacy as Donald Trump threw a Thursday night state dinner honoring China’s leader Xi Jinping.
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Mississippi colleges open food pantries to help students meet basic needs
When University of Mississippi Medical Center administrators heard that some students were struggling to afford food and other necessities, they stepped up to help.
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More than 160,000 pounds of meat bearing false USDA inspection labels recalled
More than 83 tons of meat are being recalled across the country because the products were not properly inspected by federal authorities and were shipped out with false inspection stickers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that the nationwide recall impacts more than 167,000 pounds ...
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New firefighting fund launches but funding gap remains as wildfires worsen worldwide
NEW YORK (AP) — A United Nations report released Thursday shows that there is still a multibillion dollar funding gap for preserving tropical forests, which are key to fighting climate change.
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Chinese auto companies race ahead on EV technology, achieving 5-minute ultrafast charging
HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese electric vehicles’ ultrafast charging is only getting faster.
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ICE is wasting tens of millions of dollars on 'uninformed' detention projects, report finds
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing ill-conceived plans to rapidly increase detention capacity, and the total will likely rise due to ongoing mismanagement, congressional investigators warned Thursday.
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Mortgage rates climb for 5th straight week, pushing average rate on a 30-year home loan above 7%
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week above 7% for the first time since January 2025, the latest affordability setback for prospective homebuyers following a five-week run of rate increases. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the weekly average rate on a 30-year fixed...
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New York sues prediction market Polymarket, calling it an unlicensed gambling operation
New York has sued the prediction market Polymarket. It argues that the platform is an unlicensed gambling operation and wants a judge to block the company from operating in the state. Thursday's lawsuit is the latest legal challenge from a state moving to rein in popular betting apps that allow p...
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KFC opens a Texas restaurant to test ideas for reclaiming its fried chicken crown
KFC has been taking a licking from fried chicken rivals like Raising Cane's, but the global fast-food chain has a plan to return to the top of the U.S. pecking order.
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How sweeping job cuts have reshaped life and job prospects in the DC area, according to a new survey
Federal job cuts have deeply affected the Washington, D.C. area, according to a new survey from Gallup and the Greater Washington Community Foundation. Many residents, including those in higher-income households, have faced job losses and financial struggles. The survey shows that about two-third...
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Claims for unemployment benefits drop to 197,000, the lowest since mid-July as layoffs remain rare
Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, as U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department said Thursday that 197,000 people applied for unemployment checks last week, fewest since mid-July and down from a re...
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Starbucks to shutter 250 stores in North America this week in 2nd wave of closings
Starbucks plans to close 250 North American stores later this week. Starbucks Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams said the locations targeted either aren’t delivering acceptable financial results or can’t provide the experience Starbucks wants for customers and employees. The company didn’t say Th...
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Energy Department will spend $2 billion to squeeze more electricity from the aging power grid
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Energy Department said Thursday that it will spend almost $2 billion to try to squeeze more electricity out of the nation's aging and stressed power grid, as President Donald Trump's administration steps up efforts to avoid blackouts amid skyrocketing energy demand spurr...
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Ugandans plant trees near national park to keep people out of gorillas’ habitat
BWINDI, Uganda (AP) — In the tangled greenery of a Ugandan national park, mountain gorillas sit among the leaves, calmly carrying on as tourists trek into their forest home.
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Autonomous AI hacks raise thorny questions of legal accountability
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has a long history of investigating and prosecuting hackers who break into a private company's network.
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3 US news outlets return to White House after judge orders Trump to lift ban
Reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico returned to the White House hours after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s ban of the three news outlets. The judge said early Thursday that the news outlets must have their access restored. But reporters from all three outlets sai...
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Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party leads in provisional election results
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party won the largest number of seats in the country’s parliamentary election, according to provisional results announced by the Interior Ministry early Thursday.