National Business - The Morning Sun

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson talks during the parliamentary debate on the Swedish application for NATO membership, in Stockholm, Monday, May 16, 2022. Finland and Sweden have signaled their intention to join NATO over Russia’s war in Ukraine and things will move fast once they formally apply for membership in the world’s biggest security alliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already made clear that there would be consequences if the two Nordic countries join. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish lawmakers debate joining NATO as attitudes change

Sweden’s prime minister has told her country's parliament that seeking NATO membership represents “a historic change in our country’s security policy line.” Addressing a debate that is … more

BY KARL RITTER | 5/16/22

FILE - The entrance to a noodle store is locked and sealed in the Jingan district of western Shanghai, Monday, April 4, 2022. China’s sluggish economy is reviving as anti-virus curbs are eased and businesses in its commercial capital of Shanghai are allowed to reopen, a Cabinet official said Monday, May 16, 2022, while data showed April factory and consumer activity was even weaker than expected. (AP Photo/Chen Si, File)

Official: China's economy reviving as anti-virus curbs ease

A Cabinet official says China’s sluggish economy is improving as the government eases anti-virus curbs and some businesses in Shanghai are allowed to reopen. That came as official data showed April … more

By JOE McDONALD | 5/16/22

FILE - Traffic flows along Interstate 90 highway as a Metra suburban commuter train moves along an elevated track in Chicago on March 31, 2021. With upcoming data showing traffic deaths soaring, the Biden administration is steering $5 billion in federal aid to cities and localities to address the growing crisis by slowing down cars, carving out bike paths and wider sidewalks, and nudging commuters to public transit. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar, File)

Buttigieg sends $5B to cities for safety as road deaths soar

Upcoming data shows traffic deaths soaring in the U.S. The Biden administration is steering $5 billion in federal aid to cities and localities to address the growing crisis. Transportation Secretary … more

By HOPE YEN | 5/16/22

Canadian minister of foreign affairs Mélanie Joly and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrive for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, May 16, 2022. European Union foreign ministers on Monday will discuss current affairs and have an exchange of views on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Global Gateway. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

EU's Russia sanctions effort slows over oil dependency

The European Union's efforts to impose new sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine appear bogged down. A small group of countries dependent on Russia for energy supplies oppose a ban on oil … more

By LORNE COOK | 5/16/22

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about his infrastructure agenda at the New Hampshire Port Authority in Portsmouth, N.H., April 19, 2022. Six months after the passage of the $1 trillion infrastructure package, the Biden administration says 4,300 projects are underway and $110 billion has gone out. The influx of spending is meaningful, though not necessarily enough to cover a long-term underfunding of infrastructure. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

6 months in, Biden's infrastructure plan has 4,300 projects

It's been six months since President Joe Biden signed his $1 trillion infrastructure package into law. The government said Monday there are 4,300 projects underway with more than $110 billion in … more

By JOSH BOAK | 5/16/22

Workers wearing protective gear walk on the street on Monday, May 16, 2022, in Beijing. Authorities say most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown. China's largest city is moving toward reopening as economic data showed the gloomy impact of China’s “zero-COVID” policy. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Most of Shanghai has ended virus spread, 1M left in lockdown

Authorities say most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown. China's largest city is moving toward … more

5/16/22

Mehmet Oz, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, meets with attendees during a visit to a car show in Carlisle, Pa., Saturday, May 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

2022 midterms: What to watch as 5 states hold primaries

Former President Donald Trump’s winning streak in U.S. Senate primaries is on the line Tuesday as voters in five states cast their ballots in midterm elections. Trump backed celebrity heart surgeon … more

By MARC LEVY and GARY D. ROBERTSON | 5/16/22

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, visits a pharmacy in Pyongyang, North Korea Sunday, May 15, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea reports 8 deaths as Kim laments virus response

North Korea on Monday reported eight new deaths and 392,920 more people with fever symptoms amid a growing COVID-19 outbreak as leader Kim Jong Un blasted officials over delays in medicine deliveries … more

By KIM TONG-HYUNG | 5/15/22

Somali lawmakers gather to choose the country's president

Legislators in Somalia are meeting to elect the country’s president in the capital, Mogadishu, which is under lockdown measures aimed at preventing militant attacks. Some 36 candidates are vying … more

By OMAR FARUK | 5/15/22

UK's Johnson urges end to N Ireland deadlock, spars with EU

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is heading to Northern Ireland to try to end a political deadlock that is preventing the formation of a regional administration. The trip on Monday comes as … more

By JILL LAWLESS | 5/15/22

Blow for Scholz as conservatives win key German state vote

Exit polls suggest that voters backed the incumbent conservative governor and dealt a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats in Germany’s most populous state Sunday. Figures released … more

5/15/22

Staff and supporters of the Chicago Reader rally Thursday, April 21, 2022, outside the home of Reader investor Leonard Goodman. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Chicago alt-weekly survives column clash, going nonprofit

Chicago's famed alt-weekly is expected to become a nonprofit this month after the sale was nearly derailed over a co-owner’s column opposing COVID-19 vaccine requirements for children. The Chicago … more

By KATHLEEN FOODY | 5/15/22

This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in a scene from "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." (Marvel Studios via AP)

‘Doctor Strange 2’ keeps hold on top spot in 2nd weekend

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” stayed on top of the box office charts in its second weekend in theaters. Studio estimates Sunday say the Marvel movie earned an additional $61 … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 5/15/22

Police secure an area around a supermarket where several people were killed in a shooting, Saturday, May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, N.Y. Officials said the gunman entered the supermarket with a rifle and opened fire. Investigators believe the man may have been livestreaming the shooting and were looking into whether he had posted a manifesto online (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)

Buffalo supermarket shooting: What do we know so far?

Authorities say a white, 18-year-old gunman in military gear who was livestreaming with a helmet camera opened fire with a rifle at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and wounding … more

By The Associated Press | 5/15/22

Residents wearing face masks line up behind barricaded tapes for COVID mass testing near a residential area on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Some Shanghai businesses to reopen Monday, officials say

Shanghai officials say they will allow some businesses to reopen Monday, even while it remains unclear whether residents will be able to leave their homes. Those businesses include supermarkets, … more

By HUIZHONG WU | 5/15/22

FILE - A man walks under a billboard displaying an advertisement for Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil giant Aramco with Arabic reading "Saudi Aramco, soon on stock exchange" in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 12, 2019. Oil giant Saudi Aramco said Sunday, May 15, 2022 its profits soared more than 80% in the first three months of the year, as the state-backed company cashes in on the volatility in global energy markets and soaring oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Saudi oil giant Aramco's first-quarter profits surge 80%

Oil giant Saudi Aramco says its profits soared more than 80% in the first three months of the year, as the state-backed company cashes in on the volatility in global energy markets and soaring oil … more

By ISABEL DEBRE | 5/15/22

People line up to vote during parliamentary elections in Beirut, Lebanon Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Mired in crises, Lebanese begin voting for new parliament

Lebanese voted for a new parliament against the backdrop of an economic meltdown that is transforming the country and low expectations that the voting would significantly alter the political … more

By BASSEM MROUE | 5/15/22

Jermell Charlo, right, lands a shot to Brian Castano during a super welterweight boxing title bout Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Jermell Charlo stops Castaño, claims 4th belt at 154 pounds

Jermell Charlo became the first undisputed super welterweight champion in the four-belt era when he stopped Argentina’s Brian Castaño in the 10th round of their rematch. After an outstanding bout … more

By GREG BEACHAM | 5/15/22

Minnesota GOP reconvenes to back candidate for governor

Minnesota Republicans have reconvened to endorse a candidate to challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, a day after delegates picked political outsider Jim Schultz to try to unseat Attorney General Keith … more

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | 5/14/22

In this handout photograph provided by the Sri Lankan President's Office, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, right, hands over the appointment document to Gamini Lakshman Peiris after he took oath of office as the new foreign minister in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, May 14, 2022. (Sri Lankan President's Office via AP)

Rajapaksa swears in 4 Cabinet members amid Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's president swore in four new Cabinet ministers Saturday in an effort to ensure stability until a full cabinet is formed in the island nation engulfed in a political and economic crisis. … more

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI | 5/14/22