National Business - The Morning Sun

The Supreme Court stands in Panama City, Monday, April 8, 2024 as the trial starts for those charged in connection with the worldwide “Panama Papers” money laundering case. (AP Photo/Agustin Herrera)

A trial is underway for the Panama Papers, a case that changed the country's financial rules

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Eight years after 11 million leaked secret financial documents revealed how some of the world’s richest people hide their wealth, more than two dozen defendants are on trial in Panama for their … more

By JUAN ZAMORANO | 4/19/24

FILE - Google logos are displayed when searched for Google in New York, Sept. 11, 2023. Google said it will combine the software division responsible for Android mobile software and the Chrome browser with the hardware division known for Pixel smartphones and Fitbit wearables. It is part of a broader push to integrate artificial intelligence more broadly throughout the company. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Google is combining its Android software and Pixel hardware divisions to more broadly integrate AI

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Google says it will combine the software division responsible for Android mobile software and the Chrome browser with the hardware division known for Pixel smartphones and Fitbit wearables. It's part … more

By DAVID HAMILTON | 4/18/24

FILE - "Ghost guns" are displayed at the headquarters of the San Francisco Police Department, Nov. 27, 2019, in San Francisco. Nevada's Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on ghost guns Thursday, April 18, 2024, overturning a lower court's ruling that had sided with a gun manufacturer's' argument the 2021 law regulating firearm components with no serial numbers was too broad and unconstitutionally vague. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)

Nevada Supreme Court rulings hand setbacks to gun-right defenders and anti-abortion activists

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Nevada's Supreme Court has handed setbacks to gun-right defenders and anti-abortion activists in two new rulings. Nevada’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s ban on ghost guns Thursday, overturning … more

By SCOTT SONNER | 4/18/24

FILE - Elon Musk arrives at the 10th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, April 13, 2024. The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee published a staff report on Wednesday, April 18, disclosing dozens of decisions by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, ordering X to suspend or remove around 150 user profiles from its platform in recent years. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP file)

US committee releases sealed Brazil court orders to Musk's X, shedding light on account suspensions

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A U.S. congressional committee has released confidential Brazilian court orders to suspend accounts on the social media platform X. The orders, disclosed late Wednesday, offer a glimpse into … more

By JULIA CARNEIRO | 4/18/24

FILE - Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear responds to a question during an interview, Dec. 19, 2023, in Frankfort, Ky. Kentucky will use a lottery system to award an initial round of licenses to businesses competing to participate in the state's startup medical cannabis program, Beshear announced Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

Kentucky governor announces lottery to award initial round of medical cannabis business licenses

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Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky will use a lottery to award licenses to businesses competing to participate in the state’s startup medical cannabis program. The says it is a fair way to give … more

By BRUCE SCHREINER | 4/18/24

Netflix now has nearly 270 million subscribers after another strong showing to begin 2024

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Netflix gained another 9.3 million subscribers to start the year while its still-emerging expansion into advertising helped produce financial results that exceeded analysts’ estimates. The … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 4/18/24

This artist sketch depicts Salah Al-Ejaili, foreground with glasses, a former Al-Jazeera journalist, before the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Al-Ejaili, a former detainee at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, has described to jurors the type of abuse that is reminiscent of the scandal that erupted there 20 years ago: beatings, being stripped naked and threatened with dogs, stress positions meant to induce exhaustion and pain. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

Civilian interrogator defends work at Abu Ghraib, tells jury he was promoted

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A civilian interrogator who worked 20 years ago at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq told jurors in Virginia that he never abused detainees and was actually promoted for doing a good job. Steven … more

By MATTHEW BARAKAT | 4/18/24

World Bank President Ajay Banga poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at the World Bank in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

World Bank's Banga wants to make gains in tackling the effects of climate change, poverty and war

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It's a full agenda for Ajay Banga as he nears the end of his first year as World Bank president. The bank and the International Monetary Fund are holding their spring meetings in Washington this … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 4/18/24

Two people ride past the Google sign outside the Google offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Google has fired 28 employees who were involved in protests over the tech company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. The workers held sit-ins at the company’s offices in California and New York over Google’s $1.2 billion contract to provide custom tools for Israeli’s military. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

Google fires 28 workers in aftermath of protests over big tech deal with Israeli government

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Google has fired 28 employees in the aftermath of protests over technology that the internet company is supplying the Israeli government amid the Gaza war, further escalating tensions surrounding a … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 4/18/24

President Joe Biden's limosine is seen outside Sheetz, where the President stopped enroute to Pittsburgh International Airport, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Convenience store chain where Biden bought snacks while campaigning hit with discrimination lawsuit

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A convenience store chain where President Joe Biden stopped for snacks this week while campaigning in Pennsylvania has been hit with a lawsuit by federal officials. The Equal Employment Opportunity … more

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM | 4/18/24

Tesla shares tumble below $150 per share, giving up all gains made over the past year

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Tesla’s stock tumbled below $150 per share, giving up all of the gains made over the past year as the electric vehicle maker reels from falling sales and steep discounts intended to lure more … more

Associated Press | 4/18/24

Deborah Mayer holds one of the luxury handbags she sells on TikTok, Wednesday, March 21, 2024, in Freehold, N.J. Mayer has sold new and pre-owned handbags and other designer goods out of her New Jersey home for 16 years. Early last year, TikTok recruited her business for the live component of TikTok Shop. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Legislation that could force a TikTok ban revived as part of House foreign aid package

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Legislation that could ban TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake has won a major boost as House Republicans included it in a package of bills that would send U.S. aid to Ukraine … more

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and HALELUYA HADERO | 4/18/24

FILE - The redesigned Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan reaches its final assembly stage the auto maker's plant, Sept. 5, 2014, in Vance, Ala. Workers at Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, Ala., will vote in May 2024 on whether they want to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday, April 18, 2024, that the vote will take place from May 13 to May 17 at the facilities in Vance and Woodstock, Ala. (Brent Snavel/Detroit Free Press via AP, File)

Workers at Mercedes factories near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to vote in May on United Auto Workers union

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Workers at Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will vote next month on whether they want to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. The National Labor Relations Board said … more

4/18/24

FILE - A sign announcing a home for sale is shown on Feb. 1, 2024, in Kennesaw, Ga., near Atlanta. On Thursday, April 18, 2024, Freddie Mac reports on this week's average U.S. mortgage rates. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Average long-term US mortgage rate climbs above 7% to highest level since late November

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Prospective homebuyers are facing higher costs to finance a home with the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate moving above 7% this week to its highest level in nearly five months. The average rate … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 4/18/24

This photo provided by Starbucks shows a new version of the company's cold cup which is said to be made with up to 20% less plastic. The introduction of the cups will be announced on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Starbucks via AP)

Starbucks is introducing a cold drink cup made with less plastic

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Booming sales of cold drinks at Starbucks stores have created a problem: growing amounts of plastic waste from the single-use cups that Frappuccinos, Refreshers, cold brews and other iced drinks are … more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN | 4/18/24

A housing development in Cranberry Township, Pa., is shown on Friday, March 29, 2024. On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the National Association of Realtors reports on existing home sales for March. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Sluggish start for spring homebuying season as home sales fall in March with mortgage rates rising

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The spring homebuying season is off to a sluggish start as home shoppers contend with elevated mortgage rates and rising prices. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes fell 4.3% in March from the … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 4/18/24

FILE - Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, speaks in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 17, 2024. During a IMF and World Bank meeting Thursday, April 18, 2024, Georgieva said the world economy has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of higher interest rates and the shock of war in Ukraine and Gaza, but "there is plenty to worry about,'' including stubborn inflation and rising levels of government debt. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

IMF's Georgieva warns "there's plenty to worry about'' in world economy -- including inflation, debt

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The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that the world economy has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of higher interest rates and the shock of war in Ukraine and Gaza, but … more

By PAUL WISEMAN | 4/18/24

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic arrives for a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders vowed on Wednesday to ramp up sanctions against Iran as concern grows that Tehran's unprecedented attack on Israel could fuel a wider war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

Croatia's conservative PM convinced his party will soon form a new majority after inconclusive vote

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Croatia’s ruling conservatives says that talks are already underway on the formation of a new governing majority following a highly contested parliamentary election that saw a far-right party … more

By DARKO BANDIC | 4/18/24

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, left, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, top left, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, top, second from left, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, bottom left, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, bottom right, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, top right, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, right, meet on the second day of a G7 foreign ministers meeting on Capri island, Italy, Thursday April 18, 2024. (Remo Casilli/Pool via AP)

European Union official urges G7 to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions

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The European Union’s top diplomat is urging the Group of Seven to take quick and concrete steps to provide more air defense systems to Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Thursday … more

By NICOLE WINFIELD | 4/18/24

FILE - In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, second from right, walk together in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Europe wants two things from China: First, a shift in its relatively pro-Russia position on the war in Ukraine. Second, a reduction in the trade imbalance. It’s not clear if it will get very far on either front. (Ding Haitao/Xinhua via AP, File)

Europe wants 2 things from China. It may not get far on either of them.

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Europe wants two things from China: First, a shift in its relatively pro-Russia position on the war in Ukraine. Second, a reduction in the trade imbalance. It’s not clear if it will get very far on … more

By KEN MORITSUGU | 4/18/24