National Business - The Morning Sun

FILE - The Activision Blizzard Booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, June 13, 2013. British regulators have blocked Microsoft's $69 billion deal to buy videogame maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market.. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

UK blocks Microsoft's Activision deal over competition fears

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British regulators have blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard over worries that it would stifle competition in the cloud gaming market. The Competition … more

LONDON | 4/26/23

Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers try to load horses into a truck to evacuate them from an abandoned horse farm in war-hit Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)

Chernobyl anniversary rouses specter of Ukraine nuke threat

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is using the 37th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster to repeat his warnings about the potential threat of a new atomic catastrophe in Ukraine … more

KYIV | 4/26/23

Governor of Sweden's central bank Erik Thedéen speaks during a press meeting, in Stockholm, Wednesday April 26, 2023. Sweden’s central bank on Wednesday raised its key interest rate, saying inflation “is still far too high and underlying inflation has been much higher than expected.” Riksbanken raised its policy rate by half a percentage point to 3.5% and added that it will ”probably” be raised further by a quarter-point in June or September. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)

Sweden raises key interest rate again to target inflation

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Sweden’s central bank has raised its key interest rate, saying inflation “is still far too high.” Riksbanken on Wednesday raised its policy rate by half a percentage point to 3.5% and added … more

4/26/23

An engineer works in the research and development area at the Ohmium manufacturing facility in Chikkaballapur, outside Bengaluru, India, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The company announced Wednesday, April 26, it has raised $250 million to expand production of machines that can make clean hydrogen and displace fossil fuels. Ohmium's role is to make electrolyzers, the devices that take water and split it into hydrogen and oxygen. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Silicon Valley company raises $250M for hydrogen technology

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In what could prove a milestone for an industry that hopes to address climate change, the Silicon Valley company Ohmium announced Wednesday it has raised $250 million to expand production of machines … more

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT | 4/26/23

The empty driver's seat is shown in a driverless Chevy Bolt car named Peaches carrying Associated Press reporter Michael Liedtke during a ride in San Francisco on Tuesday, Sept.13, 2022. The experience provided a snapshot of the artificial intelligence technology that is advancing toward a goal of improving the lives of humans while still malfunctioning in potentially alarming ways. (AP Photo/Michael Liedtke)

No one is driving this taxi. What possibly could go wrong?

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An Associated Press reporter recalls the first time he took a ride in a car without sitting in the driver's seat. It happened one night last September when a Chevy Bolt named Peaches picked up the … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 4/26/23

Pedestrians pass by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange electronic screen in Hong Kong, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Asian shares are trading mostly lower, as worries about the health of global economies grew after a tumble on Wall Street despite some better-than-expected earnings reports. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Stock market today: Asian stocks dip on economy worries

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Asian shares are trading mostly lower as worries about the health of global economies grew after a tumble on Wall Street, despite some better-than-expected earnings reports. Shares fell Wednesday in … more

By YURI KAGEYAMA | 4/26/23

FILE - Ukraine's Minister in charge of Technology Mykhailo Fedorov speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 21, 2023. Ukrainian government is launching a new initiative meant to streamline and promote innovation on drones and other technologies that have become critical in the country's fight against Russia, by bringing together state, military, and private sector developers working on defense issues. Ahead of the official announcement Wednesday, April 26, 2023, Ukraine's minister in charge of technology Mykhailo Fedorov told The Associated Press that the state had earmarked more than 100 million hryvnias (about $2.7 million) to fund projects that have the potential to help Ukraine win. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Ukraine launching tech cluster to boost military capability

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The Ukrainian government is launching an initiative to streamline and promote innovation in the development of drones and other technologies that have been critical during Russia’s war in Ukraine. … more

By HANNA ARHIROVA | 4/26/23

Japan's Honda outlines global strategy for electric cars

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Honda is gearing up for an electrification shift in North America with two models developed with General Motors going on sale next year, and a bigger EV with a new platform in 2025, a year earlier … more

By YURI KAGEYAMA | 4/25/23

FILE - A trike stands near the burnt remains of a building destroyed by a wildfire near the Lake Detroit Market in Detroit, Ore., Sept. 11, 2020. A trial started Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in connection with a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon. (Mark Ylen/Albany Democrat-Herald via AP, File)

$1.6B trial starts against utility over fatal 2020 wildfires

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A trial has begun in connection with a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon. The fires killed nine people, burned more … more

4/25/23

Andy Muschietti, left, director of the upcoming film "The Flash," discusses the film alongside Peter Safran, co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, during the Warner Bros. Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2023, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)

First reactions to ‘The Flash,’ starring Ezra Miller

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The words “impressive” and “awesome” were common refrains from a group of entertainment reporters who were among the first to see the upcoming DC superhero movie “The Flash.” Warner Bros. … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/25/23

FILE - Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. The Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary has invited Supreme Court Justice John Roberts to testify next month at a hearing on ethics standards. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Roberts declines Senate request to testify on court ethics

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Chief Justice John Roberts has declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing next week on ethical standards at the court, instead providing the panel with a statement … more

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MARK SHERMAN | 4/25/23

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as he departs the Capitol following the annual St. Patrick's Day gathering, in Washington, March 17, 2023. There are stark differences in how President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy want to shore up the government's finances. The Democratic president primarily wants higher taxes on the wealthy to lower deficits; the GOP congressional leader favors sharp spending cuts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

As Biden, McCarthy clash on US debt, what are differences?

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There are stark differences in how President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy want to shore up the government’s finances. The Democratic president primarily wants higher taxes on the … more

By JOSH BOAK | 4/25/23

Visa 2Q profits rise 14% on rising credit, debit card usage

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Payment processing giant Visa says its second-quarter profits jumped 14% from a year earlier on an adjusted basis, as the company continues to benefit from a global rise in credit card and debit card … more

By KEN SWEET | 4/25/23

Microsoft reports boost in profits, revenue, as it pushes AI

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Microsoft on Tuesday reported a 9% increase in profit for the January-March quarter, as growth in cloud computing sales helped bolster its plans to expand its use of artificial intelligence. The … more

4/25/23

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a woman walks below a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, Calif. Alphabet reports earnings on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Google's persisting ad slump weighs on Alphabet's 1Q results

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Google’s advertising malaise persisted during the first quarter while the internet company also grapples with advancements in artificial intelligence technology that threatens to undercut its … more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE | 4/25/23

FILE - A dump track unloads grain in a granary in the village of Zghurivka, Ukraine, Aug. 9, 2022. Poland's government said Saturday that it has decided to temporarily prohibit grain and other food imports from Ukraine as it seeks to soothe the rising anger of Polish farmers, who say they are losing huge amounts of money to a glut of Ukrainian grain on the market. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

EU farm chief: Bloc close to ending Ukraine import standoff

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The European Union’s top farm official says that the bloc was on the cusp of ending a damaging internal standoff over a destabilizing glut of Ukraine farm imports by granting five eastern member … more

By RAF CASERT | 4/25/23

An attendee walks past an advertisement for the upcoming film "Barbie" on the opening day of CinemaCon 2023, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) at Caesars Palace, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. The four-day convention runs through Thursday. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

New footage from 'Dune 2,' 'Barbie' unveiled at CinemaCon

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In a starry presentation that included Timothée Chalamet, Oprah Winfrey, Zendaya and a first look at ‘Dune: Part Two,’ “Barbie” was no doubt the brightest star of Warner Bros.’ CinemaCon … more

By LINDSEY BAHR | 4/25/23

This undated photo released by the Pasco County, Fla., Sheriff's Office shows Oscar Solis Jr., who is charged with killing an Uber Eats driver during a delivery, Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at Solis' home in Holiday, Fla. The remains were found at the house in trash bags and a cooler, which also contained a receipt with Solis' name on it, according to a police affidavit. (Pasco County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Sheriff: Uber Eats driver slain, dismembered making delivery

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A Florida man is charged with murder and other offenses in the slaying and dismemberment of an Uber Eats driver who had brought food to the assailant’s house. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said … more

By CURT ANDERSON | 4/25/23

FILE - The Pleasants Power station at Willow Island, West Virginia is shown Aug. 7, 1978. West Virginia regulatory authorities are on a tight timeline to rule on a proposal that would temporarily keep the lights on the coal-fired power plant now slated for June closure. (AP Photo/File)

Clock ticking for plan to keep West Virginia coal plant open

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More than 500,000 homes and businesses in West Virginia would see their electricity bills increase for a year to extend the life of a coal-fired power plant on the brink of closure. West … more

By LEAH WILLINGHAM | 4/25/23

FILE - A television screen displaying financial news, including the stock price of First Republic Bank, is seen inside one of the bank's branches in New York's Financial District, on March 16, 2023. Customers of the bank pulled more than $100 billion in deposits out of the bank during the March crisis, as fears swirled that it could be the third bank to fail after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

First Republic Bank stock plunges as depositors flee

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First Republic Bank’s stock plunged Tuesday after it said depositors withdrew more than $100 billion during last month’s crisis, with fears swirling that it could be the third bank to fail after … more

By KEN SWEET | 4/25/23