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XIAMEN, China (AP) — The world’s largest maker of batteries for electric vehicles said Wednesday it will get into battery swapping in China in a big way starting next year. The idea behind battery swapping is to refuel quickly, similar to filling a conventional car with gas. Instead of waiting for the batteries to recharge, […]

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are drifting Wednesday as Wall Street waits for an announcement from the Federal Reserve that could guide its direction into next year. The S&P 500 edged down 0.1% to inch a bit further from its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up […]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The world’s largest rodent is having a big moment. The capybara – a semi-aquatic South American relative of the guinea pig — is the latest in a long line of “it” animals to get star treatment during the holiday shopping season. Shoppers can find capybara slippers, purses, robes and bath bombs. […]

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Iranian rial on Wednesday fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging in the Middle East. The rial traded at 777,000 […]

LONDON (AP) — The owner of Britain’s Guardian newspaper confirmed Wednesday that it has sold The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, to Tortoise Media for an undisclosed fee. The Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Media Group, said in a statement that Tortoise Media is purchasing The Observer through a combination of cash and […]

BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. confirmed Wednesday that they are discussing closer collaboration but denied reports they have decided on a merger. Nissan’s share price soared nearly 24% in Tokyo after reports citing unnamed sources said it might merge with Honda to form the world’s third-largest automaking group. […]

NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays are meant to be a time of celebration with family and friends. But they can also bring pressure to spend money on gifts, gatherings and plane tickets home, exacerbated by brand emails, social media influencers and family expectations. With credit card debt rising and prices for many items still […]

BRUSSELS (AP) — Georgia’s outgoing president on Wednesday appealed to the European Union to press her country’s pro-Russia government to hold a new election amid a police crackdown on peaceful opposition protesters. Tens of thousands of people have filled the streets regularly in recent weeks since the governing Georgian Dream party decided to suspend negotiations […]

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Years of toxic waste dumping in a Jersey Shore community where childhood cancer rates rose caused at least $1 billion in damage to natural resources, according to an environmental group trying to overturn a settlement between New Jersey and the corporate successor to the firm that did the polluting. Save […]

LONDON (AP) — Inflation in the U.K. rose to its highest level in eight months during November, official figures showed Wednesday, a development that has cemented market expectations that the Bank of England will opt against cutting borrowing costs this week. The Office for National Statistics said consumer price inflation rose by 2.6% in the […]

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Grubhub Inc., an online food ordering and delivery platform, will pay $25 million to settle a dispute over alleged deceptive business practices with the Illinois attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission, officials said Tuesday. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he launched an investigation into the 20-year-old operation after receiving “dozens” […]

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes pulled back on Tuesday to trim some of their stellar gains for the year. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, though it’s still near its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 267 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite gave back 0.3% from […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. Retail sales rose 0.7% in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, a solid increase and higher than October’s 0.5% gain. Sales jumped 2.6% at auto dealers, […]

Small business owners should not forget about a rule — currently in legal limbo — that would require them to register with an agency called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1. The registration is part of the Corporate Transparency Act, an anti-money laundering statue passed in 2021. Under the CTA, the […]

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it will soon require hotels, vacation rental platforms and live event promoters to disclose any fees up front when they list prices. The FTC said consumers often see advertised prices for hotel rooms, short-term rentals, and tickets to sporting events and concerts only to be surprised later by […]

The Chronicle’s annual list of the biggest charitable donations from individuals or their foundations totaled nearly $6 billion in 2024, with half of that coming from three contributions of $1 billion or more each. Two of those three gifts went to medical schools to provide financial aid. Altogether, four of the top donations on the […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The unemployment rate is healthy and the stock market is up, but Democrats are feeling more pessimistic about the U.S. economy after Donald Trump’s election victory, according to a new poll. Republicans, meanwhile, are still dour about the current state of the economy but hopeful that growth will be stronger next year […]

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators said Tuesday they’re investigating whether TikTok breached the bloc’s digital rulebook by failing to deal with risks to Romania’s presidential election, which has been thrown into turmoil over allegations of electoral violations and Russian meddling. The European Commission is escalating its scrutiny of the popular video-sharing platform after Romania’s […]

BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese tycoon Masayoshi Son and President-elect Donald Trump have announced plans for technology and telecoms giant SoftBank Group to invest $100 billion in projects in the United States over the coming four years. Trump said the investments in building artificial intelligence infrastructure would create 100,000 jobs, twice the 50,000 promised when Son […]

DETROIT (AP) — Starting in September of 2027, all new passenger vehicles in the U.S. will have to sound a warning if rear-seat passengers don’t buckle up. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday that it finalized the rule, which also requires enhanced warnings when front seat belts aren’t fastened. The agency estimates that […]