NEW YORK (AP) — The 2022 back-to-school shopping season should enjoy strong sales increases from a year ago, fueled by a heavy demand for trendy fashion, though the growth won’t be as robust as last year when business was rebounding from pandemic-related virtual schooling. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all payment forms including cash,…
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Sievierodonetsk, the main focus of the fighting in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks, isn’t yet blocked off by Russian troops even though they control about 80% of the city and have destroyed all three bridges leading out of it, an official said Tuesday. “There is still an opportunity for the evacuation…
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson beat back criticism of his plan to send asylum-seekers of various nationalities to Rwanda on Tuesday, saying that efforts to block the flights were “abetting the work of criminal gangs” involved in smuggling people across borders. Johnson’s government has reached an agreement with Rwanda to deport people…
LONDON (AP) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched her campaign for a second independence referendum on Tuesday, arguing that Scotland would be economically better off outside the United Kingdom. Sturgeon, who leads the Scottish National Party as well as the devolved government in Scotland, said it’s the right time to revisit the case for…
BERLIN (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned Tuesday of a “dangerous disconnect” between what scientists and citizens are demanding to curb climate change, and what governments are actually doing about it. Guterres said global greenhouse gas emissions need to drop by 45% this decade, but are currently forecast to increase by 14%. “We are…
KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — As Britain plans to send its first group of asylum-seekers to Rwanda on Tuesday amid outcries and legal challenges, some who came to this East African country under earlier arrangements tell The Associated Press the new arrivals can expect a difficult time ahead. “Sometimes I play football and in the evening…
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street opened the week with heavy losses that put the benchmark S&P 500 at a level considered to be a so-called bear market. Rising interest rates, high inflation, the war in Ukraine and a slowdown in China’s economy have led investors to reconsider what they’re willing to pay for a…
NEW YORK (AP) — One of the more reliable warning signals for an economic recession started blinking again. The “yield curve” is watched for clues on how the bond market feels about the long-term outlook for the U.S. economy. On Tuesday, a closely followed part of the yield curve briefly lit up for the second…
BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s announcement of how sharply it will raise interest rates to cool U.S. inflation. Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced. Tokyo and Sydney declined. Oil prices edged higher. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.4% on Tuesday as traders waited for a…
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A weeklong strike by thousands of truckers in South Korea has triggered major disruptions in cargo transport and production that have caused 1.6 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in damages, officials said Monday. An extended strike may eventually worsen the global supply chains already battered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and…
