National Business - The Morning Sun

FILE - The first of two new nuclear reactors, left, operates at Plant Vogtle, July 31, 2023, in Burke County near Waynesboro, Ga., while the second reactor, right, awaits completion. In hearings that began on Monday, Dec. 4, Georgia Power Co. is asking the state Public Service Commission to approve a further 6% increase in customer bills to pay for the second unit. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

Regulators begin hearings on how much customers should pay for Georgia nuclear reactors

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Georgia Power Co. is urging the state’s utility regulators to approve a deal to pay for the company’s new nuclear reactors. But a few holdout opponents are still asking the Public Service … more

By JEFF AMY | 12/4/23

FILE - Associated Press reporter Michael Liedtke sits in the back of a Cruise driverless taxi that picked him up in San Francisco's Mission District, Feb. 15, 2023. The California regulator that approved the expansion of the Cruise robotaxi fleet owned by automaker General Motors is now threatening to fine the driverless service for covering up the severity of an accident that triggered the suspension of its California license. The potential penalty could be in the range of $1.5 million, based on documents filed Friday, Dec. 1, by the California Public Utilities Commission. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)

GM's Cruise robotaxi service faces potential fine in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident

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California regulators say a San Francisco robotaxi service owned by General Motors covered up an accident involving one of its driverless cars, raising the specter they may add a fine to the recent … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 12/4/23

FILE - TK Holdings Inc. headquarters is seen, June 25, 2017, in Auburn Hills, Mich. On Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, U.S. auto safety regulators said they are monitoring data from a group of mostly unrecalled Takata air bag inflators after one of them exploded in a BMW and hurled metal fragments that seriously injured a driver in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

US agency to watch unrecalled Takata inflators after one blows apart, injuring a driver in Chicago

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U.S. auto safety regulators say they are monitoring data from a group of mostly unrecalled Takata air bag inflators after one of them exploded in a BMW and hurled metal fragments that seriously … more

By TOM KRISHER | 12/4/23

FILE - Joan Donovan, then-research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, speaks remotely during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, on Capitol Hill, April 27, 2021, in Washington. The prominent disinformation scholar who left Harvard University in August 2023 has accused the school of muzzling her speech and stifling — then dismantling — her research team as it launched a deep dive in late 2021 into a trove of Facebook files she considers the most important documents in internet history. (Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Whistleblower allegation: Harvard muzzled disinfo team after $500 million Zuckerberg donation

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A prominent disinformation scholar is accusing Harvard University in a whistleblower disclosure of muzzling her speech and stifling — then dismantling — her research team as it launched a deep … more

By FRANK BAJAK | 12/4/23

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO, participates in a session during the APEC CEO Summit Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Uber set to join the S&P 500 index in latest sign of a turnaround for the ride-hailing service

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Uber's stock is set to join the S&P 500 index later this month. It's the latest sign that the ride-hailing and delivery company is turning its business around after struggling through much of the … more

By ALEX VEIGA | 12/4/23

This combination of photos shows a Hawaiian Airlines plane at Kahalui, Hawaii, March 24, 2005, left, and Alaska Airlines planes March 1, 2021, in Seattle. Alaska Airlines announced Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, that it will buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion. That's raising questions about how antitrust regulators will view the deal, and whether past airline mergers have hurt consumers. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, Ted S. Warren)

Another proposed airline merger tests Biden administration's resolve to preserve competition

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Alaska Airlines says it will buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion. That's raising questions about how antitrust regulators will view the deal, and whether past airline mergers have hurt consumers. … more

Associated Press | 12/4/23

This is an undated photograph of Impala Platinum mine shaft 11, provided by Implats on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, near Rustenburg, South Africa. An elevator suddenly dropped around 200 meters (656 feet) while carrying workers to the surface in a platinum mine in South Africa, killing 11 and injuring 75, the mine operator said Tuesday. It happened Monday evening at the end of the workers' shift at a mine in the northern city of Rustenburg. The injured workers were hospitalized. (Implats via AP)

The death toll from a mining tragedy in South Africa rises to 13 after a worker dies at a hospital

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The death toll from a mining tragedy last week in South Africa that involved an elevator at a mine has risen to 13 after a worker died at a hospital. The mine operator said Monday that the worker … more

12/4/23

Spanish newspaper association files multimillion-euro suit against Meta over advertising practices

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A Spanish association representing more than 80 newspapers has filed a lawsuit against Facebook parent Meta accusing it of unfair competition in online advertising by allegedly ignoring European … more

By CIARÁN GILES | 12/4/23

A man walks down a street during heavy snowfall in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. A record snowfall has hit Russia's capital bringing an additional 10 cm (3,9 inches) to already high levels of snow and causing disruption at the capital's airports and on roads. (Denis Voronin/Moscow News Agency via AP)

Heavy snowfall hits Moscow as Russian media report disruption on roads and at airports

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Russian officials and media say that heavy snowfall that hit Moscow has disrupted traffic on roads and flights in and out of three airports. Moscow's deputy mayor said Monday that the snowfall has … more

12/4/23

Spotify axes 17% of workforce in third round of layoffs this year

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Spotify says it’s axing 17% of its global workforce in the music streaming service’s third round of layoffs this year. It's trying to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable. In a … more

12/4/23

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Dutch lawyers seek a civil court order to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel

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Human rights lawyers have gone to court in the Netherlands to call for a halt to the export of fighter jet parts to Israel that are being used in attacks on Gaza. The lawyers say that delivery of … more

By MIKE CORDER | 12/4/23

Maxim Timchenko, CEO DTEK, from left, Kadri Simson, European commissioner for energy, Morten Dyrholm, of company Vestas, pose for a photo at the Ukraine Pavilion at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Ukrainian diplomats negotiate both climate change and Russia's war on their nation at COP28 in Dubai

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While Ukrainian diplomats take part in negotiations at the United Nations COP28 climate talks, Russia’s war on the country lurks just in the background. That's even as the United Arab Emirates has … more

By JON GAMBRELL | 12/4/23

FILE -Visitors take in the massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in, Keystone, S.D. Fewer planes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of the nation's most beloved natural areas.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Pilots flying tourists over national parks face new rules. None are stricter than at Mount Rushmore

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Fewer airplanes and helicopters will be flying tourists over Mount Rushmore and other national monuments and parks as new regulations take effect that are intended to protect the serenity of some of … more

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH | 12/4/23

Europe's world-leading artificial intelligence rules are facing a do-or-die moment

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Hailed as a world first, European Union artificial intelligence rules are facing a make-or-break moment. Negotiators will meet to hammer out the draft’s final details this week, but the talks have … more

By KELVIN CHAN | 12/4/23

FILE - Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, arrives during a funeral ceremony at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 8, 2023. From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, Prigozhin's rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded on Aug 23, 2023. (AP Photo, file)

Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2023

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From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, his rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane … more

By BERNARD McGHEE | 12/4/23

FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court is seen before sunrise on Capitol Hill in Washington, March. 21, 2022. On Dec. 4, 2023, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal goes before the Supreme Court on Monday, with billions at stake

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The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the … more

By MARK SHERMAN | 12/4/23

FILE - A hiring sign is displayed at a grocery store, Oct. 5, 2023, in Deerfield, Ill. Most business economists think the U.S. economy could avoid a recession in 2024, even if the job market ends up weakening under the weight of high interest rates, according to a survey released Monday, Dec. 4. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Economists predict US inflation will keep cooling and the economy can avoid a recession

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A survey shows most business economists think the U.S. economy could avoid a recession next year, even if the job market ends up weakening under pressure brought by high interest rates. Only 24% of … more

12/4/23

A currency trader passes by the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. Asian shares traded mixed Monday as investors awaited a slew of U.S. economic data set for release later in the week (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Stock market today: Shares mixed in Asia ahead of updates on jobs, inflation

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Asian shares are trading mixed as investors await a slew of U.S. economic data set for release later in the week. Benchmarks slid in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai but rose in Sydney and Seoul. Among … more

By YURI KAGEYAMA | 12/3/23

FILE - A Ukrainian serviceman fires an NLAW anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Joint Forces Operation, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Feb. 15, 2022. An independent watchdog says many Western arms companies failed to ramp up production in 2022 despite a strong increase in demand for weapons and military equipment. Labor shortages, soaring costs and supply chain disruptions were exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI. It said the arms revenue of the world’s 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies last year was $597 billion — a 3.5% drop from 2021. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Watchdog: Western arms companies failed to ramp up production capacity in 2022 due to Ukraine war

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An independent watchdog says many Western arms companies failed to ramp up production in 2022 despite a strong increase in demand for weapons and military equipment. Labor shortages, soaring costs … more

12/3/23

This photo provided by New York City Police Dept. shows a knife recovered at a crime scene in the far Rockaway section of the Queens borough of New York on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. A man killed four relatives, including two children, in a knife attack at their New York City home early Sunday, then set the building on fire and stabbed two police officers before one of them fatally shot him, officials said. (NYPD via AP)

Man kills 4 relatives in Queens knife rampage, injures 2 officers before he's fatally shot by police

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A man killed four family members, including two children, at their Queens home in New York City and stabbed two police officers who then shot him to death. Police say the suspect was identified as … more

12/3/23