Economy

A woman wearing a protective face mask speaks with healthcare workers during a house-to-house campaign to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, in the Mallasa neighborhood of La Paz, Bolivia, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
August 09, 2020 - 4:17 am

The Latest: Planned Layoffs At British Companies Surge

LONDON — The number of British companies planning to cut staff numbers in June was five times higher than in the same month a year earlier, in an ominous sign of COVID-19’s economic impact. Figures obtained by the BBC show that 1,778 companies informed the government of plans to cut a total of 139,...
Read More
A Belarusian soldier casts his ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. After 26 years in office, the authoritarian leader of Belarus is facing the toughest challenge yet as Alexander Lukashenko runs for a sixth term. Discontent over a worsening economy and his government's dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic has helped fuel the country's largest opposition rallies since he became its first and only elected president following the collapse of the Soviet Union. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
August 09, 2020 - 3:24 am

Belarus Strongman President Faces Strong Election Challenge

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Belarusians are voting on whether to grant their authoritarian president a sixth term in office, following a campaign marked by unusually strong demonstrations by opposition supporters frustrated with the country’s stumbling economy, political repression and weak response to...
Read More
FILE - In this March 9, 2020, file photo, a security person wears a mask as he checks vehicles entering a compound for Saudi Aramco in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco's net income plunged by 50% in the first half of the year, according to figures published Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, offering a revealing glimpse into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on one of the world's biggest oil producers. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
August 09, 2020 - 2:00 am

Saudi Aramco Half-Year Profits Plunge 50% From Virus Impact

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Aramco's net income plunged by 50% in the first half of the year, according to figures published Sunday, offering a revealing glimpse into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on one of the world's biggest oil producers. Profits for the first six months of...
Read More
FILE- In this Feb. 7, 2020 file photo, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh holds a model of a light machine gun during DefExpo20 in Lucknow, India. India will ban the imports of 101 items of military equipment in an effort to boost indigenous production and improve self-reliance in weapons manufacturing, Singh said Sunday. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
August 09, 2020 - 1:25 am

India To Ban Imports Of 101 Items Of Military Equipment

NEW DELHI (AP) — India said Sunday that it will ban the imports of 101 items of military equipment in an effort to boost local production and improve self-reliance in weapons manufacturing. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the government is planning to progressively implement the embargo on...
Read More
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
August 08, 2020 - 9:02 pm

Trump Order Allows Some Unemployment Pay, Defers Payroll Tax

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump has bypassed the nation's lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and replace an expired unemployment benefit with a lower amount after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed. Trump's orders on...
Read More
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
August 08, 2020 - 4:31 pm

Trump Allows Some Unemployment Pay, Defers Payroll Tax

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Seizing the power of his podium and his pen, President Donald Trump on Saturday bypassed the nation's lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and replace an expired unemployment benefit with a lower amount after negotiations with Congress on a new...
Read More
FILE - In this April 29 2020, file photo, a resident from the Alexandra township gets tested for COVID-19 , in Johannesburg, South Africa. Africa’s confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 1 million, but global health experts tell The Associated Press the true toll is several times higher. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
Associated Press
August 08, 2020 - 2:01 pm

Trump Bypasses Congress With Virus-Relief Orders

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — President Donald Trump has signed executive orders bypassing Congress to defer payroll taxes for some Americans and extend unemployment benefits after negotiations on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed. Trump accused Democrats of loading up their rescue bill with...
Read More
Belarusian police officers detain a man in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. On Saturday evening, police arrested at least 10 people as hundreds of opposition supporters drove through the center of the capital waving flags and brandishing clenched-fist victory signs from the vehicles' windows. The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for August 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
August 08, 2020 - 1:35 pm

Belarus' Leader Faces Toughest Challenge Yet In Sunday Vote

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — After 26 years in office, the authoritarian leader of Belarus is facing the toughest challenge yet as he runs for a sixth term. Discontent over a worsening economy and the government's dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic has helped fuel the country's largest...
Read More
People clash with police during a protest against the political elites and the government after this week's deadly explosion at Beirut port which devastated large parts of the capital and killed more than 150 people, in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
August 08, 2020 - 10:18 am

Tear Gas, Clashes In Beirut Amid Fury Over Massive Blast

BEIRUT (AP) — Security forces fired tear gas and clashed with stone-throwing demonstrators Saturday in Beirut, and a group of protesters stormed the foreign ministry amid mounting fury over this week's explosion that devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people. Dozens were still...
Read More
French President Emmanuel Macron waves as he visits Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday Aug.6, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Beirut to offer French support to Lebanon after the deadly port blast.(AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool)
August 08, 2020 - 9:03 am

Is France Helping Lebanon, Or Trying To Reconquer It?

PARIS (AP) — It was almost as if Emmanuel Macron forgot that Lebanon is no longer a French protectorate. Visiting explosion-ravaged Beirut this week, France’s leader comforted distraught crowds, promised to rebuild the city and claimed that the blast pierced France’s own heart. “France will never...
Read More

Pages