The pandemic sent global hunger soaring, but now the war in Ukraine is making the problem far worse. Since Russia and Ukraine together supply 30% of global wheat exports, a big chunk of the world is losing access to food. Now one of the nation’s biggest foundations is trying to deal with some of these…
Longtime Starbucks leader Howard Schultz — who returned to the company as interim CEO on Monday — said his first major action will be suspending Starbucks’ share buyback program and plowing those billions of dollars into the company instead. “This decision will allow us to invest more profit into our people and our stores —…
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has acquired a 9% stake in Twitter to become its largest shareholder while joining other critics in questioning the social media platform’s dedication to free speech and the First Amendment. Musk’s ultimate aim in acquiring 73.5 million shares, worth about $3 billion, isn’t clear. Yet in late March Musk, who has…
Shares fell Tuesday in Asia and oil prices advanced after a tech-driven rally on Wall Street. Trading was light with many regional markets including those in China closed for holidays. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% lower to 27,705.25 and the Kospi in Seoul also fell 0.1%, to 2,755.36. The S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.7% to…
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s sports minister and the president’s nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, has resigned from his position amid growing public outrage over the country’s economic crisis and shortages of food, fuel and medicines. The entire Sri Lankan Cabinet also has handed over letters to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offering to resign from…
LAS VEGAS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appeared in a video at the Grammy Awards asking for support in telling the story of Ukraine’s invasion by Russia. During the pre-recorded message that aired on the show Sunday night, he spoke in English, likening the attack to a deadly silence threatening to extinguish the dreams…
DETROIT (AP) — BMW has halted production at two German factories. Mercedes is slowing work at its assembly plants. Volkswagen, warning of production stoppages, is looking for alternative sources for parts. For more than a year, the global auto industry has struggled with a disastrous shortage of computer chips and other vital parts that has…
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania says it has cut itself off entirely of gas imports from Russia, apparently becoming the first of the European Union’s 27 nations using Russian gas to break its energy dependence upon Moscow. “Seeking full energy independence from Russian gas, in response to Russia’s energy blackmail in Europe and the war…
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka imposed a countrywide curfew starting Saturday evening until Monday morning, in addition to a state of emergency declared by the president, in an attempt to prevent more protests blaming the government for the worsening economic crisis. The government’s information head Mohan Samaranayake said that the curfew is being…
BEIJING (AP) — U.S. accident investigators arrived in China on Saturday to help authorities look for clues into what caused last month’s crash of a Boeing jetliner with 132 people aboard. The seven-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board will participate in the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s investigation of the March 21 crash…
