National Business - The Morning Sun

French President Emmanuel Macron addresses a media conference during the G7 summit at Castle Elmau in Kruen, Germany, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. The Group of Seven leading economic powers are concluding their annual gathering on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

COVID: Paris court rules govt failed to stockpile face masks

A Paris court has ruled that the French government failed to sufficiently stock up on surgical masks at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and prevent the virus from spreading. The ruling … more

6/28/22

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon pose for a photo during their meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia working on Taliban ties, Putin says in Tajikistan

President Vladimir Putin says Russia is trying to build relations with the Taliban and that Russia wants to see all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan take part in running the country. Putin’s … more

6/28/22

FILE - U.S. Marshals escort John Hinckley Jr. as he returns to a marine base via helicopter in Quantico, Va., Aug. 8, 1981. Hinckley, who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981, was freed from court oversight Wednesday, June 15, 2022, officially concluding decades of supervision by legal and mental health professionals. (AP Photo/Barry Thumma, File)

Hinckley says he's sorry for shooting that wounded Reagan

The man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 apologized for his actions in a televised interview. John Hinckley Jr. said he doesn’t remember the emotions he was feeling when he … more

6/28/22

FILE - This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. The U.S. government is building up its supply of monkeypox vaccine to contend with escalating cases identified in a surprising international outbreak, health officials said Friday, June 10, 2022. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP, File)

EU regulator considers clearing smallpox shot for monkeypox

The European Medicines Agency says it will begin reviewing data to decide if a smallpox vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic might also be authorized for monkeypox, amid a … more

6/28/22

FILE - Shoppers shop at a retail store in Niles, Ill., on Feb. 19, 2022. U.S. consumer confidence edged down in May as Americans’ view of their present and future prospects dimmed in the midst of persistent inflation. The Conference Board said Tuesday, May 31, 2022, that its consumer confidence index dipped to 106.4 in May from 108.6 in April. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US consumer confidence tested as economic anxiety grows

U.S. consumers were less confident again in June as persistent inflation and rising interest rates have Americans as pessimistic as they’ve been about the future in almost a decade. The Conference … more

By MATT OTT | 6/28/22

In this photo released by Rocket Lab, Rocket Lab's Electron rocket sits on the launch pad on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand on May 17, 2022. NASA plans to send up a satellite to track a new orbit around the moon which it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. (Rocket Lab via AP)

NASA hopes New Zealand launch will pave way for moon landing

NASA wants to experiment with a new orbit around the moon that it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface. So it is sending up a test satellite from New … more

By NICK PERRY | 6/28/22

Leaders attend a working session pictured through a window glass, during the G7 leaders summit, at Bavaria's Schloss Elmau castle, in Kruen, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Tuesday, June 28, 2022 on the last day of the G7 Summit. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

G-7 aims to create club of nations to boost climate action

Members of the Group of Seven major economies pledged Tuesday to create a new “climate club" that for nations that wants to take more ambitious action to tackle global warming. The move, championed … more

6/28/22

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, left, speaks with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, June 24, 2022. EU leaders were set to discuss economic topics at their summit in Brussels Friday amid inflation, high energy prices and a cost of living crisis. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys)

Europe's central bank ready to 'stamp out' surging inflation

The head of the European Central Bank says it will move gradually to combat soaring consumer prices with interest rate hikes in July and September but will keep its options open to “stamp out” … more

6/28/22

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson waits for the start of a group photo at the G7 summit at Castle Elmau in Kruen, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on Sunday, June 26, 2022. The Group of Seven leading economic powers are meeting in Germany for their annual gathering Sunday through Tuesday. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, Pool)

Johnson's move to rewrite Brexit rules clears 1st hurdle

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bid to rip up parts of the post-Brexit trade deal he signed with the European Union has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament. Lawmakers voted 295 to 221 … more

6/28/22

FILE - Smoke rises from cooling towers of the nuclear power plant Temelin near the town of Tyn nad Vltavou, Czech Republic, June 25, 2015. The Czech state-controlled power company CEZ said on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse and Framatome will contribute to the country’s energy security by supplying the Temelin nuclear fuel for more than 10 years, starting in 2024. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, file)

US, French companies to supply fuel to Czech nuclear plant

The Czech Republic has signed deals with Westinghouse Electric Co. and France’s Framatome to deliver fuel supplies for a nuclear power plant, reducing the country’s dependence on Russia. The … more

6/28/22

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks on the phone during a break in the meeting at the G7 leaders summit at Castle Elmau in Kruen, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Monday, June 27, 2022. The Group of Seven leading economic powers are meeting in Germany for their annual gathering Sunday through Tuesday. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)

G7 leaders wrap up summit meant to bolster Ukraine support

The Group of Seven developed economies is wrapping up a summit intended to send a strong signal of long-term commitment to Ukraine’s future, ensuring that Russia pays a higher price for its … more

By ZEKE MILLER and GEIR MOULSON | 6/28/22

Ukrainian State Emergency Service firefighters work to take away debris at a shopping center burned after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping mall in Ukraine

Rescuers are searching through charred rubble of a shopping mall for more victims of a Russian missile strike that has killed at least 18 and wounded scores of others in a Ukrainian city. President … more

By FRANCESCA EBEL and YURAS KARMANAU | 6/28/22

A Chinese junk sails across Victoria Harbor to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong handover to China, in Hong Kong, Monday, June 27, 2022. As the former British colony marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China, reeling from pandemic curbs that devastated business and a crackdown on its pro-democracy movement, Hong Kong leaders say it is time to transform again and become a tech center that relies more on ties with nearby Chinese factory cities than on global trade. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Hong Kong burnishes China ties as luster as global hub fades

As it marks the 25th anniversary of its return to China, the former British colony of Hong Kong is transforming itself from a global business hub to nurture its ties with the communist-ruled … more

By ZEN SOO and JOE McDONALD | 6/28/22

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The AP Interview: Spanish PM says NATO summit to show unity

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the NATO summit in Madrid this week aims to showcase the Western allies' united front in defense of democratic values in the face of Russia’s invasion of … more

By ARITZ PARRA and CIARÁN GILES | 6/28/22

FILE - A customer puts gold bars in basket for to sell at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, April 16, 2020. Russia appears to have defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and the U.S. and its allies are taking aim at the former Soviet Union's second-largest export industry after energy — gold. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

EXPLAINER: How a G-7 ban on Russian gold would work

Russia appears to have defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, and the U.S. and its allies are taking aim at the former Soviet Union’s second-largest … more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN | 6/28/22

FILE - A Air Force specialist salutes in a U.S. Space Force uniform during a ceremony for U.S. Air Force airmen transitioning to U.S. Space Force guardian designations Feb. 12, 2021, at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. About 1,000 Air National Guard troops who are assigned to space missions are mired in an identity crisis. According to commanders, the troops' units are torn between the Air Force, where they’ve historically been assigned, and the military’s shiny new Space Force, where they now work. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Air Guard troops doing space missions face identity crisis

About 1,000 Air National Guard troops who are assigned to space missions are mired in an identity crisis. According to commanders, the troops' units are torn between the Air Force, where they’ve … more

By LOLITA C. BALDOR | 6/28/22

FILE - Then Toshiba executive officer Taro Shimada speaks during a press conference on Nov. 5, 2019, in Tokyo. Toshiba shareholders approved 13 nominated directors to its board Tuesday, June 28, 2022, as the Japanese technology giant struggles to restore its one-time glory and set a clear leadership direction. Chief Executive Shimada, who oversaw the annual shareholders’ meeting in Tokyo, said the majority had voted to OK that plan. (Kyodo News via AP, File)

Japan's Toshiba shareholders approve 13 nominations to board

Toshiba shareholders approved 13 nominated directors to its board, as the Japanese technology giant struggles to restore its one-time glory and set a clear leadership direction. Chief Executive Taro … more

By YURI KAGEYAMA | 6/28/22

FILE - The drug misoprostol sits on a gynecological table at Casa Fusa, a health center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)

Instagram and Facebook remove posts offering abortion pills

Facebook and Instagram have begun promptly removing posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to access them following a Supreme Court decision that stripped away constitutional … more

By AMANDA SEITZ | 6/27/22

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gestures as he speaks in a joint news briefing with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

US officials return to Venezuela amid gas price hike

Senior Biden administration officials have quietly traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to rebuild relations with the South American oil giant as the war in Ukraine drags on, driving higher gas … more

By JOSHUA GOODMAN | 6/27/22

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks on the White House campus, June 17, 2022, in Washington. The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing by China, ordering federal agencies to better coordinate among themselves as well as with foreign partners in a bid to promote sustainable exploitation of the world's oceans. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Biden aims at China in new illegal fishing policy framework

The Biden administration is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing by China and ordering federal agencies to better coordinate amongst themselves in a bid to promote sustainable exploitation … more

By BARRY HATTON and JOSHUA GOODMAN | 6/27/22