Business
Latest stories
US bans dairy products, alcohol and motorcycles from Canada in growing trade war

The United States is banning the import of some dairy products and motorcycles from Canada along with most alcoholic beverages, the White House said Tuesday, as part of a trade war that shows little sign of cooling off.

The ban will take effect Sept. 29 and comes after retaliatory tariffs promised by Canada kicked in earlier Tuesday on $20 billion in U.S. imports. Canada had responded to tariff moves by U.S. President Donald Trump after trade talks between the countries broke down last month.

W140 Full Story
Oil rises past $100 a barrel after latest wave of Middle East attacks

The price of oil surpassed $100 a barrel for the first time in almost six weeks after attacks on oil facilities and ships in the Middle East threatened to debilitate an already weakened supply chain.

The most heavily traded contract for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, settled at $97.89 before jumping 2.4% to $100.29 early Wednesday.

W140 Full Story
12 countries including France, UK say to sanction trade from Israeli settlements

Twelve countries including Britain, Canada and France Tuesday said they would slap sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, after increasing attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages in the occupied territory.

"Today, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK confirm their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law, or that they are actively considering these and other measures, in accordance with their national procedures," the nations' foreign ministers said in a joint statement.

W140 Full Story
Iranian port city feels pain of Washington's tightening economic measures

In the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterfront once busy with boats, trucks and workers has fallen quiet. It's a front line of the economic pain that the United States now hopes to intensify after six months of war.

The Associated Press visited the city shaken by new U.S. airstrikes targeting coastal areas in the past week, and found anger along with growing anxiety about simply getting by as a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continues.

W140 Full Story
Japan protests as China slaps new measures against exports of key chipmaking material

Japan has protested against Chinese controls that will limit its exports of a key chemical used to make computer chips, saying Tuesday that Tokyo is studying the potential impact on Japanese companies.

China imposed the curb on imports of dichlorosilane from Japan, saying its exports of the material, also known as DCS, have violated anti-dumping regulations and harmed China's domestic industry.

W140 Full Story
World shares and US futures decline, while oil prices press higher

World shares and U.S. futures skidded Tuesday as flaring conflict in the Middle East pushed oil prices higher.

A wave of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and utilities in Saudi Arabia's southern region has escalated renewed fighting between an important U.S. ally and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.

W140 Full Story
UK to ban goods from Israeli West Bank settlements in stance toughening

Britain is set to ban goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to an expansion program that is imperiling efforts to establish a Palestinian state, the U.K. government said Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is due to give details in the House of Commons later, after saying last week that he would "reset" U.K. relations with Israel.

W140 Full Story
China's exports pick up in August, jumping 25% as its trade surplus widens

China's exports jumped 25% in August from a year earlier on strong demand for autos and high-tech goods as its record trade surplus widened further, its customs agency said Tuesday.

The data was broadly in line with what economists had expected and comes just ahead of a planned meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. That's set for late September, though Beijing has not yet confirmed the exact date for the visit.

W140 Full Story
Pressure in China helps convince Volkswagen it's time to change

Volkswagen's sweeping restructuring announced Thursday underlines the force of the China shock hitting Germany's economy as the world's biggest car market, short years ago a major profit center, rapidly becomes a major competitive challenge.

The stiff headwinds from China facing Germany's largest carmaker helped break a logjam on the board of directors and convince employee, union and local government officials that Volkswagen needed rapid change. That will include the loss of 50,000 jobs and probably four German auto plants where manufacturing costs can no longer compete.

W140 Full Story
Trump turns to dual economic and military approach in latest attempt to squeeze Iran

Confronted by an intransigent Iranian government that has refused to back down in the face of a massive military campaign, President Donald Trump appears to have settled on a dual-prong approach that combines economic pressure with the potential of a devastating escalation in force.

Having launched "Operation Economic Outcast" just last week to try to isolate Iran from its remaining global trade partners, the Trump administration also resumed strikes in recent days, prompting Iranian retaliation that has renewed concerns of an all-out regional war.

W140 Full Story